Laguna de Metztitlán

The Laguna de Metztitlán lies at the north end of the Metztitlán valley, about 15 kilometers from town. It is a natural lake: long ago a limestone landslide blocked the river at a spot now called Los Sótanos, and the water backed up behind it. The closest villages are San Cristóbal, in Metztitlán, and San Juan Hualula, across the water in Eloxochitlán.

Its size changes dramatically. Usually it covers around 600 to 700 hectares and is 9 to 10 meters deep, but in wet years it floods thousands of hectares of farmland, as it did in 1999, and in droughts it has nearly dried out. People have tried to drain it since colonial times; two tunnels through the hill of El Tajo, first dug in 1872 and rebuilt in the 20th century, still carry overflow away.

The lake is part of the biosphere reserve and has been a Ramsar wetland of international importance since 2004. From about November to February, pelicans arrive from the north to spend the winter, joining herons and many other migratory birds, and local fishermen work the water for tilapia and carp.