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19-656: The range forms, with the Sierra de Tres Picos range, the northwestern foothills of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas that straddle the states of Oaxaca and Chiapas. The range runs east−west. The Sierra Atravesada consist mostly of metamorphic and granite rocks, and forms the most important division of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec . The main peaks of the Sierra Atravesada are: On its eastern slope waters flow into

38-679: A 1,500 km (930 mi) km row, arranged NW to SE, parallel to the Pacific Ocean coast of Central America , known as the Central America Volcanic Arc , formed by an active subduction zone along the western boundary of the Caribbean Plate . The agricultural valley at its NNE foothills is covered with thick deposits of lahars . From its headwaters in Guatemala, the valley drains through Mexico to

57-668: A line well south of the range, where over twenty volcanoes form five clusters. Between the Sierra Madre and the Volcanic line lies a central plateau. Volc%C3%A1n Tacana The volcano Tacaná is the second highest peak in Central America at 4,060 metres (13,320 ft), located in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas of northern Guatemala and southern Mexico . It is also known in Mexico as Volcán Tacina . The volcano

76-569: A way through the Sierra Madre at the bottom of deep ravines. On the eastern side a number of the rivers of the Atlantic slopes attain a considerable volume and size. The Sierra Madre moist forests ecoregion covers the southern slopes of the mountains. The mountains intercept winds from the Pacific, creating fog, clouds, and orographic precipitation that sustain the ecoregion's cloud forests. The Central American pine–oak forests ecoregion covers

95-582: Is a major mountain range in Central America . It is known as the Sierra Madre de Chiapas in Mexico. It crosses El Salvador , Guatemala , Mexico and Honduras. The Sierra Madre is part of the American Cordillera , a chain of mountain ranges that consists of an almost continuous sequence of mountain ranges that form the western "backbone" of North America , Central America , and South America . The range runs northwest–southeast from

114-643: Is located within the Tacaná municipality of the San Marcos Department in Guatemala; and within the Cacahoatán and Unión Juárez Municipalities of Chiapas state in Mexico. Its last known eruption was registered in 1986 — a small phreatic eruption in May — but it is still considered as dangerous to more than 250,000 people residing in the area. Tacaná is the first of hundreds of volcanoes in

133-580: The Coatzacoalcos , one of the largest rivers in Mexico. Rain in this area is very abundant, being in the path of humid winds blowing south from the Gulf of Mexico. Rainfall varies between 2,800 and 4,000 mm/year, depending on the slope. The relatively high temperatures (with an annual average of 25 °C) and the high amount of sunshine make the entire region a good example of a tropical rainforest. Sierra Madre de Chiapas The Sierra Madre

152-525: The Central American Core volcanic chain, which contains fragile ecosystems and rich biodiversity of cultural, scientific, economic and biological relevance, particularly in the high mountain ecosystem. Its landscapes and volcanic edifice present geophysical features of great scientific and aesthetic value. Consequently, it has been included in UNESCO 's World Network of Biosphere Reserves of

171-663: The Man and Biosphere Program (MAB). The summit of Tacaná can be reached in about 10 hours. There are two approaches to the mountain. One is from Finca Navidad, south of the volcano, passing through Tojquián Grande, on the Guatemalan side, and moving parallel to the border with Mexico. The second route is from the Mexican side, from El Carmen, Talismán bridge, Cacahoatán, and Unión Juárez by vehicle, and from there on foot. This route crosses into Guatemala and has been described as one of

190-443: The Mexican frontier, but has a more southerly trend, especially towards El Salvador. The base of many of the volcanic igneous peaks rests among the southern foothills in the southern region of the range. It is, however, impossible to subdivide the Sierra Madre into a northern and a volcanic chain; for the volcanoes are isolated by stretches of comparatively low country; at least thirteen considerable streams flow down through them, from

209-404: The Pacific Ocean. Consequently, mudflows from future eruptions could be dangerous to those in their path in both countries. Tacaná is a stratovolcano (composite volcano) that is surrounded by deeply dissected plutonic and metamorphic terrain. It has a 9 km (5.6 mi) wide caldera , with its elongated summit dominated by several lava domes and three large calderas breached to

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228-666: The Rio Uxpanapa system, which flows into the Gulf of Mexico, while the main collector of its western slope is the Rio Chimalapa, which flows into the Pacific Ocean. The Rio Negro, a tributary of the Grijalva , rises on the eastern slope of this mountain range. Other rivers of importance that have their origins in the Sierra Atravesada are the rivers Salado, Chivela, Chichigua and the Sarabia , all of which are tributaries of

247-549: The Sierra Madre from the Chiapas Plateau , the Guatemalan Highlands , and Honduras' interior highlands. The range forms the main drainage divide between the Pacific and Atlantic river systems. On the Pacific side the distance to the sea is short, and the streams, while very numerous, are consequently small and rapid. A few of the streams of the Pacific slopes rise in the Guatemalan Highlands , and force

266-399: The Sierra's high peaks and northern slopes. It is known near Guatemala city as the Sierra de las Nubes, and enters Mexico as the Sierra de Istatan. Its summit is not a well-defined crest, but is often rounded or flattened into a table-land. The direction of the great volcanic cones, which rise in an irregular line above it, is not identical with the main axis of the Sierra itself, except near

285-722: The main watershed to the sea. Viewed from the coast, the volcanic cones seem to rise directly from the central heights of the Sierra Madre, above which they tower; but in reality their bases are, as a rule, farther south. East of Volcán Tacana (4,092 metres) which marks the Mexican frontier, the principal volcanoes are Tajumulco (4,220 meters); Santa Maria (3,777 meters), which erupted in October 1902, after centuries of quiescence, in which its slopes had been overgrown by dense forests; Atitlan (3,557 meters), overlooking Lake Atitlan ; Acatenango (3,976 meters); Fuego (i.e. "fire," 3,763 metres), which received its name from its activity at

304-405: The most interesting hikes in Central America, leading up winding paths through lush rainforests, subsistence farming villages, up ancient magma flows, and rock-filled temperate forests before reaching the top of the lowest caldera. From there the final stretch to the summit provides panoramic views high above the clouds as the tree-line gradually diminishes with altitude. Several major volcanos within

323-541: The south. Mild phreatic eruptions of Tacaná took place in historical times. Its most powerful known explosive activity, which included pyroclastic flows , occurred at about 70 AD (± 100 years). That large explosion has resulted in Tacaná being classified with a volcanic explosivity index of 4 by the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History 's Global Volcanism Program . Tacaná is part of

342-591: The state of Chiapas in Mexico , across western Guatemala , into El Salvador and Honduras . Most of the volcanoes of Guatemala, part of the Central America Volcanic Arc , are within the range. A narrow coastal plain lies south of the range, between the Sierra Madre and the Pacific Ocean . To the north lie a series of highlands and depressions, including the Chiapas Depression, which separates

361-458: The time of the Spanish conquest; Agua (i.e. "water," 3,765 meters), so named in 1541 because it destroyed the former capital of Guatemala with a deluge of water from its flooded crater; and Pacaya (2,550 metres), a group of igneous peaks which were in eruption in 1870. East of the Guatemalan border, the range forms the boundary between El Salvador and Honduras. In El Salvador, the volcanoes form

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