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44-593: The word lagoon in English, and laguna in Spanish, generally describes a body of shallow brackish water , usually next to the sea. Thus despite the name, Laguna de Catemaco is not a lagoon, but an actual fresh water lake. Common usage in Mexico is Laguna de Catemaco , though scientific articles tend to use the correct and less ambiguous name of Lake Catemaco in English, and Lago Catemaco in Spanish. Laguna Catemaco

88-466: A WSW-ENE axis of 12,320 m). It contains 552,000,000 cubic metres (448,000 acre⋅ft) of water. The laguna is Mexico's eighteenth in size of water bodies, seventh in size of lakes and lagunas, third in size of lakes. Prevailing climate is hot and humid with average temperature of 23.4 °C (75 °F). Rainfall varies seasonally with averages of 2,068 mm (81.4 in) recorded at Catemaco and 4,614 mm (181.7 in) at Coyame . Winds from

132-447: A boat’ to produce a derived but unattested form *[ a ] ca [ l ] tema [ h ] co ‘at the place where boats are loaded’. Another but less likely idea is that Catemaco is from Nahuatl cal-temactli ‘a house/houses that is/are given to someone’. Caltemaco would then be the nonactive form of the verb. From the 16th century, the area was part of the province of Santiago Tuxtla , which became a municipality after Independence. The city itself

176-530: A gap in the lake shore road at the Tepeyaga peninsula. There are several volcanic islands within the lake. Several of these islands are stocked with native and imported monkeys as a University of Veracruz research project. This has led to more than 70 small boats scurrying tourists from Catemaco city across the lake to view the free ranging monkeys. The lake has been the backdrop for movies, including Sean Connery 's Medicine Man . Lagoon A lagoon

220-539: A lake is hu ( 湖 ), and a lagoon is xihu ( 潟湖 ). In the French Mediterranean several lagoons are called étang ("lake"). Contrariwise, several other languages have specific words for such bodies of water. In Spanish, coastal lagoons generically are laguna costera , but those on the Mediterranean coast are specifically called albufera . In Russian and Ukrainian, those on

264-422: A regular flow of fresh water an "estuary". Davis does state that the terms "lagoon" and "estuary" are "often loosely applied, even in scientific literature". Timothy M. Kusky characterizes lagoons as normally being elongated parallel to the coast, while estuaries are usually drowned river valleys, elongated perpendicular to the coast. Coastal lagoons are classified as inland bodies of water. When used within

308-640: A thousand registered fishermen. A perch-like fish called Oreochromis aureus was introduced from Africa, while a sardine like Topote , and the snail Tegogolo are the most common catches. According to Miller and Conner (1997) there are 14 species of fish in Lake Catemaco. Two species, Micropterus salmoides Lacepède and Oreochromis aureus Steindachner have been introduced into the lake, and another two species, Vieja fenestrata Günther and Ophisternon aenigmaticum Rosen & Greenwood, are widespread throughout eastern Mexico and Central America. Of

352-437: A thousand registered fishermen. Blue tilapia ( Oreochromis aureus ), a perch-like fish, was introduced from Africa, while a sardine-like Topote , and the snail Tegogolo are the most common catches. Laguna Catemaco has a surface area of 72.54 km (28.01 sq mi), is formed like an elliptical parabola and is almost square with maximum width and axis of a little more than 10 km (6.2 mi), (10,250 m width and

396-422: Is a public procession where each brujo and their followers process through the town, culminating in a public celebration involving traditional dance. The event was founded in the 1970s by former brujo mayor Gonzalo Aguirre and today attracts around 200 shamans, healers ( curanderos ), herbalists, psychics and fortune tellers. It also brings in as much as three million pesos to the local economy. The popularity of

440-521: Is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform , such as reefs , barrier islands , barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses . Lagoons are commonly divided into coastal lagoons (or barrier lagoons ) and atoll lagoons . They have also been identified as occurring on mixed-sand and gravel coastlines. There is an overlap between bodies of water classified as coastal lagoons and bodies of water classified as estuaries . Lagoons are common coastal features around many parts of

484-535: Is a tourist destination, with its main attractions being the lake, remnants of the region's rainforest and a tradition of sorcery/witchcraft that has its roots in the pre-colonial period and is mostly practiced by men. This tradition is well-known in Mexico and attracts clients from various walks of life, including businessmen and national-level politicians. Catemaco holds an annual event in March dedicated to sorcery, which can draw up to 5,000 visitors. The city of Catemaco

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528-458: Is actually the third-largest lake by area in the country. The brackish water lagoon may be thus explicitly identified as a "coastal lagoon" ( laguna costera ). In Portuguese, a similar usage is found: lagoa may be a body of shallow seawater, or a small freshwater lake not linked to the sea. Lagoon is derived from the Italian laguna , which refers to the waters around Venice ,

572-638: Is controlled by several dams which replaced historic waterfalls. The change in water level is more than can be explained by evaporation and outflow. Apparently the laguna sits upon fissures permitting water to percolate down. The Rio Grande de Catemaco is a tributary of the Papaloapan River , via the San Juan River . Eyipantla Falls ( Salto de Eyipanlta ) is a 45-meter high waterfall on the Rio Grande, located 11 kilometers downstream from

616-459: Is frequently crowded with both visitors and vendors, especially those selling charms and a local freshwater snail called tegogolo. The city's docks are located in the center of this area, classified as a fishing and tourism port by the federal government. Most of the boat traffic is for tourism, especially during vacation periods. The other main section of the city is the main plaza, popular with both residents and visitors. The main structure here

660-417: Is located in southern Veracruz, about 160 km from the port of Veracruz and 220 km from the state capital at Xalapa . It is located inland, extending 2.5 km along the shore of Lake Catemaco, a large freshwater lake, which is one of the city's main tourist attractions, along with its cuisine and its tradition of sorcery. Along the lake, the city has a 1.5 km breakwater / boardwalk , which

704-575: Is the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Veneration of this version of the Virgin Mary , the patroness of the municipality, began in the early colonial period, as a substitute for the local worship of Chalchiuhtlicue , the goddess of water and fishermen. This basilica contains an image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which has been credited with miracles. It is rivaled in devotion only by a shrine on an island in Lake Catemaco called El Tegal, where

748-438: Is the opening, on the first Friday of March. This begins with a “black mass” held at midnight, formerly held on the edge of Lake Catemaco by the “brujo mayor” (loosely translated as “high witch or sorcerer”), which has attracted up to 5,000 people. More recently this large public black mass has been replaced by private ceremonies held separately by each of the main brujos in the grounds of their own property. The next afternoon there

792-626: The Black Sea are liman ( лиман ), while the generic word is laguna ( Лагуна ). Similarly, in the Baltic , Danish has the specific Nor  [ da ] , and German the specifics Bodden and Haff , as well as generic terms derived from laguna . In Poland these lagoons are called zalew ("bay"), in Lithuania marios ("lagoon, reservoir"). In Jutland several lagoons are known as fjord . In New Zealand

836-510: The Gulf of Mexico enter the Catemaco watershed through an opening in the surrounding mountains located to the north of the town of Coyame, and cross the lake in a NE-SW direction, blowing strongly over the lake throughout the year. From February to October, northeast winds are dominant. Colder and faster northern winds blow from November to January. The tropical rainforest that once covered all

880-523: The Māori word hapua refers to a coastal lagoon formed at the mouth of a braided river where there are mixed sand and gravel beaches, while waituna , an ephemeral coastal waterbody, is neither a true lagoon, lake nor estuary. Some languages differentiate between coastal and atoll lagoons. In French, lagon  [ fr ] refers specifically to an atoll lagoon, while coastal lagoons are described as étang  [ fr ] ,

924-555: The Venetian Lagoon . Laguna is attested in English by at least 1612, and had been Anglicized to "lagune" by 1673. In 1697 William Dampier referred to a "Lagune or Lake of Salt water" on the coast of Mexico. Captain James Cook described an island "of Oval form with a Lagoon in the middle" in 1769. Atoll lagoons form as coral reefs grow upwards while the islands that the reefs surround subside, until eventually only

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968-458: The Wadden Sea , have strong tidal currents and mixing. Coastal lagoons tend to accumulate sediments from inflowing rivers, from runoff from the shores of the lagoon, and from sediment carried into the lagoon through inlets by the tide. Large quantities of sediment may be occasionally be deposited in a lagoon when storm waves overwash barrier islands. Mangroves and marsh plants can facilitate

1012-779: The vihuela and double bass . Other landmarks in the city include the Statue of the Fisherman, the Torre del Reloj (Clock Tower), the Brizuela Absalón House, the Gasca Blanco House and the Herrera García House. The Casa de los Tesoros is a large gift shop, which offers bagels , bizcochos and Mexican handcrafts and folk art . There is a bus station principally connecting the city with

1056-577: The Catemaco area as residents move to other places such as Ciudad Juárez to work. Although the sorcery is a main attraction, it is not promoted as part of Halloween or Day of the Dead . The main event for practitioners is the annual Congreso Nacional de Brujos de Catemaco (officially called the Ritos, Ceremonias y Artesanías Mágicas because of objections from the Catholic Church) . The main event

1100-525: The Mono Blanco Mountain that rises above it. These magical practices are an uneasy mix of Catholic rite, especially the invocation of saints and pre-Hispanic beliefs and rituals. Though many tourists are simply amused by the kitschy T-shirts of witches or other souvenirs or attractions, some do take the practice seriously. There are practitioners of both “white” and “black” magic, with the white version being more acceptable. Those who practice

1144-510: The Virgin Mary is said to have appeared. The current structure was begun in 1799 but was not finished until 1961. The church is a combination of Baroque and Neoclassical with a cupola 21 meters high. The surrounding stained glass windows depict the lives of Jesus and Mary. Each year, Our Lady of Mount Carmel is celebrated at this basilica, a launching of boats in procession to Agaltepec Island and traditional music including danzón , Son Jarocho and other tropical music, using guitars, violins,

1188-483: The accumulation of sediment in a lagoon. Benthic organisms may stabilize or destabilize sediments. Catemaco Catemaco ( Spanish: [kate'mako] ) is a city in the south of the Mexican state of Veracruz . It serves as the municipal seat for the municipality of the same name . The city is located on Lake Catemaco , with the municipality stretching north to the Gulf of Mexico . Catemaco

1232-536: The black version charge more. Sorcery is one of the main attractions of Catemaco. The belief in magical practices has attracted people from all walks of life, from waiters and taxi drivers to national-level politicians. Veracruz governor Fidel Herrera Beltrán even pushed for a national school for sorcery in Catemaco, without success and is a regular at the annual event. Visitors usually seek limpias (ritual cleansings), healing or something to give them an edge in business. These magical practices have also migrated out of

1276-458: The brujos and the event has created problems as well. Many con artists have taken advantage of the situation, making the finding of genuine practitioners difficult. There have been disputes among the practitioners over clients, tourism, and who leads the rites at the annual gathering. There has also been controversy related to those who sacrifice animals or petition Santa Muerte or the Devil. In

1320-626: The context of a distinctive portion of coral reef ecosystems, the term "lagoon" is synonymous with the term "back reef" or "backreef", which is more commonly used by coral reef scientists to refer to the same area. Many lagoons do not include "lagoon" in their common names. Currituck , Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds in North Carolina , Great South Bay between Long Island and the barrier beaches of Fire Island in New York , Isle of Wight Bay , which separates Ocean City, Maryland from

1364-523: The early pre Hispanic period, the area was dominated by the Olmecs , but the name is derived from Nahuatl, meaning "place of the burned houses". This name is probably in reference to an eruption of the San Martin Volcano. However, the assumed meaning “place of the burned houses” is grammatically impossible per Nahuatl. Consider Alexis Wimmer’s basic form ācaltēma to mean ‘load (something) into

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1408-489: The generic word for a still lake or pond. In Vietnamese, Đầm san hô refers to an atoll lagoon, whilst Đầm phá is coastal. In Latin America, the term laguna in Spanish, which lagoon translates to, may be used for a small fresh water lake in a similar way a creek is considered a small river. However, sometimes it is popularly used to describe a full-sized lake , such as Laguna Catemaco in Mexico, which

1452-630: The lagoon. Lagoons with little or no interchange with the open ocean, little or no inflow of fresh water, and high evaporation rates, such as Lake St. Lucia , in South Africa , may become highly saline. Lagoons with no connection to the open ocean and significant inflow of fresh water, such as the Lake Worth Lagoon in Florida in the middle of the 19th century, may be entirely fresh. On the other hand, lagoons with many wide inlets, such as

1496-404: The lake. The lake is polymictic (water turns over more than twice a year), well oxygenated, and contains excessive nutrients ( eutrophic ) because of fertilizer runoff from the neighboring farms and nurseries. Because of the excessive nutrients, Laguna Catemaco is one of the more productive lakes in Mexico, up to 1,800 tons annually. Large netting is prohibited to assure the livelihood of more than

1540-556: The land along the coast). Coastal lagoons do not form along steep or rocky coasts, or if the range of tides is more than 4 metres (13 ft). Due to the gentle slope of the coast, coastal lagoons are shallow. A relative drop in sea level may leave a lagoon largely dry, while a rise in sea level may let the sea breach or destroy barrier islands, and leave reefs too deep underwater to protect the lagoon. Coastal lagoons are young and dynamic, and may be short-lived in geological terms. Coastal lagoons are common, occurring along nearly 15 percent of

1584-408: The ports of Veracruz and Coatzacoalcos . Catemaco is known in Mexico for its community of brujos and brujas , which can be translated as 'witches' or 'sorcerers', as most are men but some are woman. The history of magical practices here extends back to the pre-Hispanic period and may have survived because of its relative isolation, but Lake Catemaco is said to emit a kind of energy, along with

1628-407: The reefs remain above sea level. Unlike the lagoons that form shoreward of fringing reefs, atoll lagoons often contain some deep (>20 m (66 ft)) portions. Coastal lagoons form along gently sloping coasts where barrier islands or reefs can develop offshore, and the sea-level is rising relative to the land along the shore (either because of an intrinsic rise in sea-level, or subsidence of

1672-556: The remaining 10 species, five are endemic to the lake and five may represent undescribed species endemic to the lake (Miller and Conner 1997, Meyer and Schartl 2003). Endemic species include the Catemaco characin ( Bramocharax caballeroi ), Heterandria tuxtlaensis , Catemaco molly ( Poecilia catemaconis ), Catemaco livebearer ( Poeciliopsis catemaco ), and Xiphophorus milleri . Non-endemic native fish species include Pseudoxiphophorus bimaculatus and Xiphophorus hellerii . Biologically, Eyipantla Falls effectively isolates

1716-627: The rest of Worcester County, Maryland , Banana River in Florida , US, Lake Illawarra in New South Wales , Australia, Montrose Basin in Scotland , and Broad Water in Wales have all been classified as lagoons, despite their names. In England, The Fleet at Chesil Beach has also been described as a lagoon. In some languages the word for a lagoon is simply a type of lake: In Chinese

1760-460: The rest of the Papaloapan basin from the lake. The high rate of endemicity suggests that Lake Catemaco has been biogeographically isolated for some time, possibly since its origin up to 2 million years ago. Because of the excessive nutrients, Laguna Catemaco is one of the more productive lakes in Mexico, up to 1,800 tons annually. Large netting is prohibited to assure the livelihood of more than

1804-439: The watershed of the lake has been severely decimated in the last few decades. Consequently, sedimentation has greatly increased, affecting the clarity of its waters and if left uncontrolled will possibly fill in the lake in the far future. The shoreline is irregular, with remnants of several volcanic cones and its perimeter is about 50 km (50,000,000 mm). The lake is almost completely circumnavigated by roads, except for

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1848-522: The world's shorelines. In the United States, lagoons are found along more than 75 percent of the Eastern and Gulf Coasts . Coastal lagoons can be classified as leaky, restricted, or choked. Coastal lagoons are usually connected to the open ocean by inlets between barrier islands. The number and size of the inlets, precipitation, evaporation, and inflow of fresh water all affect the nature of

1892-582: The world. Lagoons are shallow, often elongated bodies of water separated from a larger body of water by a shallow or exposed shoal , coral reef , or similar feature. Some authorities include fresh water bodies in the definition of "lagoon", while others explicitly restrict "lagoon" to bodies of water with some degree of salinity . The distinction between "lagoon" and "estuary" also varies between authorities. Richard A. Davis Jr. restricts "lagoon" to bodies of water with little or no fresh water inflow, and little or no tidal flow, and calls any bay that receives

1936-544: Was formed millennia ago, when lava flow from San Martin Tuxtla volcano blocked its current northern end, and stands now at 340 m (1,115 ft) above sea level. It is shallow, averaging 7.6 m (25 ft), with a maximum depth of 22 meters located in the channel between Isla Agaltepec and the city of Catemaco . The circulation pattern is clockwise. The laguna drains via the Rio Grande de Catemaco and its water level

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