Presa Falcón

The Presa Internacional Falcón dams the Río Bravo a short way upriver from Mier, between Nueva Ciudad Guerrero in Tamaulipas and Starr and Zapata counties in Texas. It was dedicated in October 1953 by Mexican President Adolfo Ruiz Cortines and U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and it is run jointly by both countries through their boundary and water commission, for irrigation, flood control, water supply and hydroelectric power. Its reservoir is among the largest in Mexico.

For visitors, Falcón means fishing. Largemouth bass is the prize, and every year tournaments bring anglers from both sides of the border; there are also catfish, crappie and mojarra, and local fishermen often sell their catch by the road. People also come to boat or kayak on the open water, camp near the shore, and watch birds and the sunset over the brush country.

The lake's level depends on the rains upriver, and in recent dry years the shoreline has pulled far back from its old docks and ramps. That same drop is what brought the drowned town of Guerrero Viejo back into view, so a trip to Falcón can combine both.