Presa General Guadalupe Victoria

The Tunal River comes down from the sierra and runs south of the state capital, but a few minutes from downtown it is held back by the General Guadalupe Victoria dam, also called Presidente Guadalupe Victoria. Completed in 1962 to a design by the old National Irrigation Commission, the dam wall stands 72.8 meters high and backs up a reservoir of about 460 hectares, holding 94.6 million cubic meters when full. It is run by Conagua, the national water commission, which uses it to control the flow down the river and the water sent to the treatment plant that supplies the city of Durango. In wet years, when the reservoir passes 90 percent, the gates are opened and the riverside villages downstream, from El Durazno and El Pueblito down to La Ferrería, go on alert.

For people in Durango it is the closest Sunday outing. The road out of the city runs through three villages along the river, El Nayar, El Pueblito and El Durazno, where stalls sell gorditas, corn on the cob and ranch-style bread. At the entrance to the dam a monument honors Guadalupe Victoria, Mexico's first president, who was born in the state and whose name is part of the capital's official title.

The green water sits in a basin of scrub-covered hills and reddish crags, with prickly pear and yucca on the slopes. Canopied boats leave from the shore for loops around the reservoir, and anglers sit on the rocks by the dam wall. Trails wind through the hills, some rock faces are used for rappelling, and the food stands sell gorditas, coconuts with chili and micheladas. The villages on the way have no hotels, since they are practically part of the city, but there is a glamping site near the dam with beds, bathrooms and heating for anyone who wants to stay by the water.