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138-607: Sumidero Canyon ( Spanish : Cañón del Sumidero ) is a deep natural canyon located just north of the city of Chiapa de Corzo in the state of Chiapas , in southern Mexico . The canyon's creation began around the same time as the Grand Canyon in the U.S. state of Arizona , by a crack in the area's crust and subsequent erosion by the Grijalva River , which still runs through it. Sumidero Canyon has vertical walls which reach as high as 1,000 metres (3,300 ft), with
276-585: A Spanish-based creole language called Chavacano developed in the southern Philippines. However, it is not mutually intelligible with Spanish. The number of Chavacano-speakers was estimated at 1.2 million in 1996. The local languages of the Philippines also retain significant Spanish influence, with many words derived from Mexican Spanish , owing to the administration of the islands by Spain through New Spain until 1821, until direct governance from Madrid afterwards to 1898. Cofferdam A cofferdam
414-603: A considerable number of words from Arabic , as well as a minor influence from the Germanic Gothic language through the period of Visigoth rule in Iberia. In addition, many more words were borrowed from Latin through the influence of written language and the liturgical language of the Church. The loanwords were taken from both Classical Latin and Renaissance Latin , the form of Latin in use at that time. According to
552-522: A dramatic change in the pronunciation of its sibilant consonants , known in Spanish as the reajuste de las sibilantes , which resulted in the distinctive velar [x] pronunciation of the letter ⟨j⟩ and—in a large part of Spain—the characteristic interdental [θ] ("th-sound") for the letter ⟨z⟩ (and for ⟨c⟩ before ⟨e⟩ or ⟨i⟩ ). See History of Spanish (Modern development of
690-482: A first language by Spaniards and educated Filipinos ( Ilustrados ). Despite a public education system set up by the colonial government, by the end of Spanish rule in 1898, only about 10% of the population had knowledge of Spanish, mostly those of Spanish descent or elite standing. Spanish continued to be official and used in Philippine literature and press during the early years of American administration after
828-478: A long history in the territory of the current-day United States dating back to the 16th century. In the wake of the 1848 Guadalupe Hidalgo Treaty , hundreds of thousands of Spanish speakers became a minoritized community in the United States. The 20th century saw further massive growth of Spanish speakers in areas where they had been hitherto scarce. According to the 2020 census, over 60 million people of
966-648: A long process of disturbance in the Earth's crust with layers of limestone from the Upper Mesozoic , which contain fossils of marine creatures. During the Mesocretac Period , there was an elevation of ocean floor which formed much of the mountains of the area. The interior of the canyon has thirty rapids, five waterfalls, three beaches, two freshwater springs and a cofferdam three meters wide. The canyon contains endangered and threatened species such as
1104-508: A primarily Hassaniya Arabic -speaking territory, Spanish was officially spoken as the language of the colonial administration during the late 19th and 20th centuries. Today, Spanish is present in the partially-recognized Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic as its secondary official language, and in the Sahrawi refugee camps in Tindouf ( Algeria ), where the Spanish language is still taught as
1242-499: A restaurant. The most important conservation issue in the park is the contamination of the Grijalva River , which passes through the Sumidero Canyon proper. However, other threats to the park include human encroachment and other human activities. An estimated 1500 to 2000 hectares, or about six percent of the park total, have been encroached upon, mostly by illegal human settlements next to the city of Tuxtla Gutiérrez since
1380-617: A second language features characteristics involving the variability of the vowel system. While far from its heyday during the Spanish protectorate in Morocco , the Spanish language has some presence in northern Morocco , stemming for example from the availability of certain Spanish-language media. According to a 2012 survey by Morocco's Royal Institute for Strategic Studies (IRES), penetration of Spanish in Morocco reaches 4.6% of
1518-531: A second language, largely by Cuban educators. The number of Spanish speakers is unknown. Spanish is also an official language of the African Union . Spanish was an official language of the Philippines from the beginning of Spanish administration in 1565 to a constitutional change in 1973. During Spanish colonization , it was the language of government, trade, and education, and was spoken as
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#17327656966751656-459: A swimming area as well. These two docks host six tour cooperatives, with about 120 boats that can hold between ten and forty passengers each. As they take visitors from Chiapa de Corzo or Tuxtla Gutiérrez through the canyon and to the dam, they provide environmental, historical and cultural information. These are the most organized tourist activities in the park. A spate of accidents involving these boats occurred from late 2009 to early 2010, claiming
1794-433: A time using 32 boats from four of the tourist cooperatives. During the annual campaign to clean the canyon in 2005 more than 60,000 tons of trash was removed. Generally, about forty tons of garbage is collected each day during these campaigns. While the cleanup efforts have improved the situation in the canyon, the garbage reaccumulates especially during the rainy season. Part of the price that tourists pay for boat rides into
1932-400: A total of ninety species of vertebrates divided into four species of fish, one amphibian, 14 reptiles, 26 birds and 40 mammals. A 2005 study indicates 308 species with four species of fish, 15 amphibians, 195 birds, and 53 mammals. Between these two, there have been a number of other studies which also show the growth of the number of wildlife species in the park. Information about fish species
2070-403: A unit, or prefabricated panels can be joined during erection. When partial cofferdams are used, it may be necessary to compensate for hydrostatic pressure on the deck by shoring the decks. With both complete and partial cofferdams, there is usually a large free surface in the spaces being pumped. Sometimes this can be limited by dewatering one compartment at a time, or in groups, taking into account
2208-416: Is cognate to the root word of satisfacer ("to satisfy"), and hecho ("made") is similarly cognate to the root word of satisfecho ("satisfied"). Compare the examples in the following table: Some consonant clusters of Latin also produced characteristically different results in these languages, as shown in the examples in the following table: In the 15th and 16th centuries, Spanish underwent
2346-527: Is a result of the fast population growth of Tuxtla Gutiérrez and Chiapa de Corzo. The growth of these areas has led to land ownership disputes, loss of wild habitat and deforestation. In 2002, the federal and state government signed an accord to remove illegal human settlements and work to prevent further encroachment. Operations to evict illegal settlers have been carried out such as a 2005 operation which evicted about one hundred people and others that have prevented new settlements from getting established. However,
2484-505: Is a small museum which exhibits the traditional dress and native musical instruments of the state's indigenous peoples. The Area of Adventure takes visitors on a tour of the rainforest area, which include a suspension bridge. It also has a herpetarium , an aviary and enclosure for jaguars and one for crocodiles. The park was opened in 2009 at an initial cost of 120 million pesos . Extreme sports include mountain biking, rappelling , spelunking and more. Rappelling allows for access to many of
2622-554: Is an enclosure built within a body of water to allow the enclosed area to be pumped out or drained. This pumping creates a dry working environment so that the work can be carried out safely. Cofferdams are commonly used for construction or repair of permanent dams, oil platforms, bridge piers, etc., built within water. They also form an integral part of naval architecture . These cofferdams are usually welded steel structures, with components consisting of sheet piles , wales , and cross braces . Such structures are usually dismantled after
2760-429: Is done on the fittings inside the ship. This is more common in naval vessels where a cofferdam may fit several vessels of a class. The cofferdam is also used on occasion in the shipbuilding and ship repair industry, when it is not practical to put a ship in drydock for repair work or modernization. An example of such an application is the lengthening of ships. In some cases a ship is actually cut in two while still in
2898-506: Is enhanced by the activity of waterfalls such as the Árbol de Navidad, Cueva del Hombre, Cueva del Silencio, Cueva de Colón, Cueva de Colores and Cueva del Suspiro. A lesser known attraction is the archeological site called the Ruins of Berlin . The most important economic activity in the canyon is ecotourism . Most of the visitors are Mexicans. Weekends are busiest with local and regional visitors to bike, swim, hike, camp and picnic. The canyon
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#17327656966753036-454: Is estimated that about 486 million people speak Spanish as a native language , making it the second most spoken language by number of native speakers . An additional 75 million speak Spanish as a second or foreign language , making it the fourth most spoken language in the world overall after English, Mandarin Chinese, and Hindi with a total number of 538 million speakers. Spanish is also
3174-761: Is heavily influenced by Venezuelan Spanish. In addition to sharing most of its borders with Spanish-speaking countries, the creation of Mercosur in the early 1990s induced a favorable situation for the promotion of Spanish language teaching in Brazil . In 2005, the National Congress of Brazil approved a bill, signed into law by the President , making it mandatory for schools to offer Spanish as an alternative foreign language course in both public and private secondary schools in Brazil. In September 2016 this law
3312-604: Is located seven km from the Belisario Domínguez Bridge in Tuxtla on the edge of the river. It covers an area of 467 by 60 meters, bounded by small mounds surrounding patios. The original description of the site was undertaken in 1923 and 1932 by Becerra, who called it Chiapa Viejo, and stated it was the capital of the Chiapa people. However, Remesal in 1966 determined it was a secondary site. The last major survey
3450-483: Is located within the canyon area, which is accessible by boat from Chiapa de Corzo. The park is divided into three parts; Discover the Canyon, Colors of Chiapas, and Area of Adventure. The first is located in the dock area, with a demonstration of the history of the canyon and a video of its geological formation. There is also a souvenir shop here. The interior of the park contains a 300 meter long zip line. Colors of Chiapas
3588-488: Is no opening to the interior of the vessel, or the interior is pressurised in this area. The air space is at the pressure of the water surface at the bottom of the chamber. Open top cofferdams allow surface access to the work area below the waterline, and are at atmospheric pressure. Openings through the hull to the interior of the ship are possible. Portable cofferdams can be inflatable or frame and fabric cofferdams that can be reused. Inflatable cofferdams are stretched across
3726-732: Is related to Castile ( Castilla or archaically Castiella ), the kingdom where the language was originally spoken. The name Castile , in turn, is usually assumed to be derived from castillo ('castle'). In the Middle Ages , the language spoken in Castile was generically referred to as Romance and later also as Lengua vulgar . Later in the period, it gained geographical specification as Romance castellano ( romanz castellano , romanz de Castiella ), lenguaje de Castiella , and ultimately simply as castellano (noun). Different etymologies have been suggested for
3864-541: Is scarce but at least four protected species have been detected. According to a CONANP study in 2007, there are 12 species of reptile here under protection, including the river crocodile ( Crocodylus acutus ), and one threatened species, the Yucatán banded gecko ( Coleonyx elegans ). Birds are the most common type of animal in the park, with about 195 species documented. Six of these species are threatened and 17 are subject to special protection. One threatened bird species in
4002-844: Is spoken by very small communities in Angola due to Cuban influence from the Cold War and in South Sudan among South Sudanese natives that relocated to Cuba during the Sudanese wars and returned for their country's independence. Spanish is also spoken in the integral territories of Spain in Africa, namely the cities of Ceuta and Melilla and the Canary Islands , located in the Atlantic Ocean some 100 km (62 mi) off
4140-480: Is submerged, flooded spaces cannot be dewatered until all openings are sealed or the effective freeboard is extended above the high water level. One method of doing this is to build a temporary watertight extension of the entire hull of the ship, or the space to be dewatered, to the surface. This watertight extension is a cofferdam. Although they are temporary structures, cofferdams for this purpose have to be strongly built, adequately stiffened, and reinforced to withstand
4278-429: Is the canyon, several lookout points have been constructed on various parts of the rim. La Ceiba is closest to the city of Tuxtla Gutiérrez, only eight kilometres (5 mi) away. The Los Chiapas point is near where the canyon's walls rise highest from the river below, where according to legend, a number of Chiapa people preferred to commit suicide by jumping rather than submit to Spanish domination. This lookout also has
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4416-813: Is the de facto national language of the country, Spanish is often used in public services and notices at the federal and state levels. Spanish is also used in administration in the state of New Mexico . The language has a strong influence in major metropolitan areas such as those of Los Angeles , Miami , San Antonio , New York , San Francisco , Dallas , Tucson and Phoenix of the Arizona Sun Corridor , as well as more recently, Chicago , Las Vegas , Boston , Denver , Houston , Indianapolis , Philadelphia , Cleveland , Salt Lake City , Atlanta , Nashville , Orlando , Tampa , Raleigh and Baltimore-Washington, D.C. due to 20th- and 21st-century immigration. Although Spanish has no official recognition in
4554-819: Is the main water system in the area, beginning in the Cuchumatanes in neighboring Guatemala . The river then flows through Chiapas, including the 13-km length of the canyon, from south to north, then on to Tabasco before it empties into the Usumacinta River . This river basin is one of the two most important in Chiapas, and one of the most important in Mexico with a total river length of approximately 766 kilometres (476 mi), draining an area of 7,940 square kilometres (3,070 sq mi), with an average flow of about forty million cubic meters. In addition to
4692-467: Is the second most visited site in Chiapas, after Palenque . The park is visited annually by 300,000 people, about 80% of whom are from Mexico and the rest from abroad. During vacation times, the park may be visited by anywhere from 1,000 to 7,000 people per day, who either enter by car to go to the lookout points or by boat from Chiapa de Corzo . Entrance and boating fees can generate about 70,000 pesos per day for clean-up efforts. The number of visitors to
4830-610: Is visible on the surface of the water, most is hidden underneath. As the solids flow along the Grijalva, they are constricted by the narrow channel of the canyon and then by the presence of the Chicoasén Dam. This is particularly true at a point called "El Tapón" (The Plug), where two currents of water meet just before the reservoir back up of water from the Dam. It is estimated that about 5000 tons of trash accumulate each year, and
4968-627: The Central American river turtle and the American crocodile , which can be seen on the riverbanks. The walls of the canyon contain numerous small caves, rock formations and other notable features. The best known of the area's caves is the Cueva de Colores ("Cave of Colors"). This cave gets its name from the filtration of magnesium , potassium and other minerals which form colors on the walls, especially shades of pink. It contains an image of
5106-657: The Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas (CONANP) and the Secretariat of Tourism in Chiapas, which extract twelve tons of garbage from the Grijalva river each day. Most of the season cleanup coincides with the rainy season, especially in September and October, when rains are heaviest. This seasonal effort has included local police, civil protections agencies, social organization, the army and individual volunteers. Efforts can involve up to 600 people at
5244-746: The Orchidaceae and Euphorbiaceae , each with 22 species, the family Convolvulaceae with 17 species, and the Cactaceae with 11 species. 122 species are considered valuable as ornamental plants with 46 having medicinal uses and 31 species valuable for logging. These mostly come from the rainforest areas. The rainforest vegetation is mostly deciduous , shedding leaves in the dry season. However, there are perennial rainforests, forests of pine and oak, grasslands (mostly induced) and areas with secondary vegetation. The three main vegetation classifications are low-height rainforest, medium-height rainforest (as per
5382-538: The Pan-American Highway runs, in the south and the Chicoasén Dam, 35 kilometres (22 mi) to the north. The rest of the park's borders extend into the municipalities of Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapa de Corzo, Osumacinta and San Fernando. This territory is mostly located in the Central Valley region of the state. The park is open 365 days a year. The park is divided into four sections by direction:
5520-568: The Spanish as a First Foreign Language (SAFFL) initiative in March 2005. Spanish has historically had a significant presence on the Dutch Caribbean islands of Aruba , Bonaire and Curaçao ( ABC Islands ) throughout the centuries and in present times. The majority of the populations of each island (especially Aruba) speaking Spanish at varying although often high degrees of fluency. The local language Papiamentu (Papiamento on Aruba)
5658-508: The Spanish–American War but was eventually replaced by English as the primary language of administration and education by the 1920s. Nevertheless, despite a significant decrease in influence and speakers, Spanish remained an official language of the Philippines upon independence in 1946, alongside English and Filipino , a standardized version of Tagalog . Spanish was briefly removed from official status in 1973 but reimplemented under
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5796-567: The Virgin of Guadalupe inside usually surrounded by fresh flowers and burning candles left by visitors. The Cueva de Silencio ("Cave of Silence") is so named because of a lack of echo or any other kind of resonance in its interior. In another small cave, there is a stalactite called the Caballito de Mar or "Seahorse" after its shape. Of the various seasonal waterfalls, the best known is the Árbol de Navidad ("Christmas Tree"). The "branches" of
5934-696: The Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe . Today, it is a global language with about 500 million native speakers, mainly in the Americas and Spain , and about 600 million when including second language speakers. Spanish is the official language of 20 countries , as well as one of the six official languages of the United Nations . Spanish is the world's second-most spoken native language after Mandarin Chinese ;
6072-608: The collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century. The oldest Latin texts with traces of Spanish come from mid-northern Iberia in the 9th century, and the first systematic written use of the language happened in Toledo , a prominent city of the Kingdom of Castile , in the 13th century. Spanish colonialism in the early modern period spurred the introduction of the language to overseas locations, most notably to
6210-404: The 2021–2022 school year alone. The local business process outsourcing industry has also helped boost the language's economic prospects. Today, while the actual number of proficient Spanish speakers is around 400,000, or under 0.5% of the population, a new generation of Spanish speakers in the Philippines has likewise emerged, though speaker estimates vary widely. Aside from standard Spanish,
6348-595: The 20th century, Spanish was introduced to Equatorial Guinea and the Western Sahara , and to areas of the United States that had not been part of the Spanish Empire, such as Spanish Harlem in New York City . For details on borrowed words and other external influences upon Spanish, see Influences on the Spanish language . Spanish is the primary language in 20 countries worldwide. As of 2023, it
6486-478: The 20th century, the canyon area was relatively unexplored. In 1895, three Frenchmen attempted to explore the canyon but were drowned in the river. An American came in 1932 but also perished. This gave rise to legends about witchcraft in the areas as well as the ferocity of the area's crocodiles. In 1960, an expedition of soldiers from the Mexican army , nicknamed the "red handkerchiefs" succeeded into crossing through
6624-465: The Americas. As a Romance language, Spanish is a descendant of Latin. Around 75% of modern Spanish vocabulary is Latin in origin, including Latin borrowings from Ancient Greek. Alongside English and French , it is also one of the most taught foreign languages throughout the world. Spanish is well represented in the humanities and social sciences . Spanish is also the third most used language on
6762-509: The El Roblar lookout point. This geography produces a channel for air flow from northwest to southeast as well as three main climates based on the Köppen system as modified for Mexico. These are hot and dry (where airflow is blocked), semi-hot and humid, and hot and humid. The average rainfall for the park is about 1,000 mm during the rainy season from May to October and 200 mm during
6900-654: The Equatoguinean education system and is the primary language used in government and business. Whereas it is not the mother tongue of virtually any of its speakers, the vast majority of the population is proficient in Spanish. The Instituto Cervantes estimates that 87.7% of the population is fluent in Spanish. The proportion of proficient Spanish speakers in Equatorial Guinea exceeds the proportion of proficient speakers in other West and Central African nations of their respective colonial languages. Spanish
7038-498: The Grijalva, there are other flows of water in the area in and around the canyon, many of which are seasonal. These consist of streams, some of which form waterfalls on the canyon's sides, and underground movements which have created caves and karst formations. The last important water formation in the area is the manmade reservoir of the Chicoasén Dam . The canyon proper is deep and narrow, characterized by vertical walls. As
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#17327656966757176-705: The Iberian Peninsula. These languages included Proto-Basque , Iberian , Lusitanian , Celtiberian and Gallaecian . The first documents to show traces of what is today regarded as the precursor of modern Spanish are from the 9th century. Throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era , the most important influences on the Spanish lexicon came from neighboring Romance languages — Mozarabic ( Andalusi Romance ), Navarro-Aragonese , Leonese , Catalan/Valencian , Portuguese , Galician , Occitan , and later, French and Italian . Spanish also borrowed
7314-540: The Old Spanish sibilants) for details. The Gramática de la lengua castellana , written in Salamanca in 1492 by Elio Antonio de Nebrija , was the first grammar written for a modern European language. According to a popular anecdote, when Nebrija presented it to Queen Isabella I , she asked him what was the use of such a work, and he answered that language is the instrument of empire. In his introduction to
7452-535: The Osumacinta River. This reservoir is one of the most important in the country. The hydroelectric station is also one of the most important in the country with thirty generators with installed capacity of 3,928.48 megawatts . This is just over thirty percent of all hydroelectric energy produced in Mexico. The history of the area is connected to the Chiapa people , who occupied the Central Valley area before
7590-543: The Spanish-speaking world, Spanish is called not only español but also castellano (Castilian), the language from the Kingdom of Castile , contrasting it with other languages spoken in Spain such as Galician , Basque , Asturian , Catalan/Valencian , Aragonese , Occitan and other minor languages. The Spanish Constitution of 1978 uses the term castellano to define the official language of
7728-502: The U.S. population were of Hispanic or Hispanic American by origin. In turn, 41.8 million people in the United States aged five or older speak Spanish at home, or about 13% of the population. Spanish predominates in the unincorporated territory of Puerto Rico , where it is also an official language along with English. Spanish is by far the most common second language in the country, with over 50 million total speakers if non-native or second-language speakers are included. While English
7866-522: The U.S., Europe and Mexico. At the northern end of the Sumidero Canyon is the Chicoasén Dam , formally called the Manuel M. Torres Dam, is one of a number of dams which have been built along the Grijalva River for water storage and the generation of hydroelectric power. This dam and its reservoir is considered to be part of the Sumidero Canyon system. The Sumidero Canyon National Park is defined on
8004-440: The adjacent structure. There are two common types of dry chambers used in underwater ship husbandry. Open bottom cofferdams allow divers direct access to the enclosed hull area, system, or opening. The flange sides of the chamber secure and seal against the hull, acting as an airtight boundary. Open bottom cofferdams are typically used as diver work space for rigging or welding and ventilation for welding or epoxy cure, where there
8142-457: The administration of Ferdinand Marcos two months later. It remained an official language until the ratification of the present constitution in 1987, in which it was re-designated as a voluntary and optional auxiliary language. Additionally, the constitution, in its Article XIV, stipulates that the Government shall provide the people of the Philippines with a Spanish-language translation of
8280-525: The advancement of these illegal settlements as well. Despite this, a number of areas in the park are well-conserved, mostly due to the very rugged terrain. In addition to the illegal settlements, there are legal settlements and operations which affect the park. There are eight ejidos which border the parks and whose activities directly affect it: San Antonio Zaragoza, Venustiano Carranza, Francisco Sarabia, Gabriel Esquinca, Benito Juárez, Osumacinta, El Palmar, 16 de Septiembre and Nuevo Bochil. Established before
8418-432: The arrival of the Spanish. The origin of these people is not known, but theories have them migrating north from Nicaragua or even Paraguay . Their main settlement was in Chiapa de Corzo near the canyon, with a fortified area in the higher areas in the canyon for protection from invasions. The Chiapa fiercely resisted Spanish conquest and were not subdued until the arrival of Diego de Mazariegos in 1528. Their last refuge
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#17327656966758556-441: The beam strength loads on the ship induced by the load distribution. Small cofferdams are used for pumping or to allow salvors access to spaces that are covered by water at some stage of the tide. They are usually prefabricated and fitted around minor openings. Diving work on cofferdams often involves clearing obstructions, fitting, and fastening, including underwater welding, and where necessary, caulking , bracing and shoring
8694-407: The boats which ferry people through the canyon along the Grijalva River. Most of these boat tours operate out of Chiapa de Corzo and run along the river to the Chicoasén Dam for a distance of about 30 kilometres (20 mi). Chiapa de Corzo has two main docks for this activity. The largest and oldest is called Cahuare, with paved areas and a restaurant; the second smaller one also has restaurants and
8832-479: The canyon an ecological reserve to preserve its geology, history and wildlife and to allow for scientific study. For similar reasons, the park was taken over and enlarged to 21,789 hectares by the federal government in 1980. Most private landholders in the area were compensated for their lands, but not all resident persons or businesses were evicted. Since that time, the park has been under the administration of various agencies such as SAHOP , SEDUE and SEMARNAP , with
8970-423: The canyon as they claimed that pollution levels in the river posed a risk to swimmers’ health. The Comisión Nacional del Agua and the government of Chiapas disputed this, presenting their own test results stating that levels were below such levels. There are year-round and seasonal efforts to clean the river within the canyon and the area just upstream from it. Much of the daily effort is undertaken by workers with
9108-522: The canyon because of its narrowness, the convergence of water flows and the presence of the Chicoasén Dam. The Sumidero Canyon was formed by cracks in the Earth's crust along with erosion by the Grijalva River , which still flows through it. The process of its formation began about 35 million years ago, making the Sumidero contemporary with the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River . The Grijalva
9246-459: The canyon by boat over twenty km. This opened up the canyon to local exploration and exploitation, including rudimentary tourism and the hunting of crocodiles and other native fauna. There has been little archaeological work done in the area. The main site is called the Ruins of Berlin, named after German explorer Heinrich Berlin , who visited the area in 1946 and named the area "Sumidero". This site
9384-450: The canyon from boats which embark on the river from Chiapa de Corzo . The park borders Tuxtla Gutiérrez , the state's largest city, which has caused problems with human encroachment and settlement on park land. More importantly, the urban areas and logging industries upstream from the canyon have caused serious pollution problems, with up to 5000 tons of solid waste extracted from the Grijalva River each year. This waste tends to build up in
9522-543: The canyon pays for cleanup efforts, but the boat operators state that the canyon remains filled with trash. Conanp also states that cleanup efforts are insufficient. Mexico's federal environmental agency, the Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (Semarnat) states that it cannot get involved in the situation as it is the municipalities that have the responsibility for disposing of trash appropriately. However, many of these local governments do not have landfills or
9660-483: The canyon's small caves which are not accessible any other way. The dam area has recreational fishing with an annual tournament. One major annual event is the Copa Mundo Fino swimming marathon. An Australian base jumper plunged to his death in 2006 after jumping off an 800-meter cliff in the canyon. The accident occurred during a sanctioned event sponsored by an energy drink maker with jumpers from Australia,
9798-554: The case of Avro Lancaster ED603 , which was recovered from the IJsselmeer in 2023 using a cofferdam, allowing for close examination of the wreckage, as well as to locate and repatriate the remains of its crew. A 100-ton open caisson that was lowered more than a mile to the sea floor in attempts to stop the flow of oil in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill has been called a cofferdam. A cofferdam over 1 mile long
9936-684: The classic hispanus or hispanicus took the suffix -one from Vulgar Latin , as happened with other words such as bretón (Breton) or sajón (Saxon). Like the other Romance languages , the Spanish language evolved from Vulgar Latin , which was brought to the Iberian Peninsula by the Romans during the Second Punic War , beginning in 210 BC. Several pre-Roman languages (also called Paleohispanic languages )—some distantly related to Latin as Indo-European languages , and some that are not related at all—were previously spoken in
10074-500: The consonant written b (a bilabial with plosive and fricative allophones). In modern Spanish, there is no difference between the pronunciation of orthographic b and v . Typical of Spanish (as also of neighboring Gascon extending as far north as the Gironde estuary , and found in a small area of Calabria ), attributed by some scholars to a Basque substratum was the mutation of Latin initial f into h- whenever it
10212-460: The construction work is completed. The origin of the word comes from coffer (originally from Latin cophinus meaning 'basket') and dam from Proto-Germanic * dammaz meaning 'barrier across a stream of water to obstruct its flow and raise its level'). For dam construction, two cofferdams are usually built, one upstream and one downstream of the proposed dam, after an alternative diversion tunnel or channel has been provided for
10350-401: The contents of one or both of the compartments. The cofferdam would be kept empty at all times and the ship may have sensors within it to warn if it has begun to fill with liquid. If two different cargoes that react dangerously with each other are carried on the same vessel, one or more cofferdams are usually required between the cargo spaces. When all or part of the main deck of a sunken ship
10488-404: The country's constitution. In recent years changing attitudes among non-Spanish speaking Filipinos have helped spur a revival of the language, and starting in 2009 Spanish was reintroduced as part of the basic education curriculum in a number of public high schools, becoming the largest foreign language program offered by the public school system, with over 7,000 students studying the language in
10626-621: The current managers being the Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas and the Secretaría de Educación Pública . In 2004, the park came under the protection of the Ramsar Convention due to the importance of its ecology and water systems. It was also named a Región Prioritaria Terrestre and an Área de Importancia para la Conservación de las Aves by the Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (CONABIO) in 2000. In 2005 and 2006, this agency enlarged
10764-451: The dry season from November to April. Average annual temperature is 26 °C. The rugged terrain also forms a number of microclimates. Most of the park's vegetation, especially around the canyon, is dense tropical rainforest . Most species found in the park are members of the family Fabaceae with 59 species and the family Asteraceae with 25 species, which reflect the abundance of these families statewide. Other important families include
10902-740: The dry season, there are some that retain them year-round. Maximum height of trees varies between 25 and 30 meters. The density of the tree cover in these areas is enough to lower temperatures on the ground in the summer rainy season due to the maximum foliage which occurs at this time. The tree cover is composed of the following species: breadnut ( Brosimum alicastrum ), guanacaste ( Enterolobium cyclocarpum ), totoposte ( Licania arbórea ), jocotillo ( Astronium graveolens ), cedar ( Cedrela odorata ), cuaulote blanco ( Luehea candida ), hormiguillo ( Platymiscium dimorphandrum ), chicozapote ( Manilkara zapota ), tempisque ( Mastichodendron capiri ) and various types of amate fig trees ( Ficus spp.). Under
11040-452: The encroachment of human settlements into the park from the city of Tuxtla Gutiérrez has been so damaging that a 2007 report states that there is no other alternative than to deregulate this section of the park and work to prevent further incursion. However, the situation has not been helped by the fact that there are disputes over the boundaries of the park as decreed in 1980. Since 2009, there have been further efforts by park management to stop
11178-433: The engineering contractors can carry out their works. After the construction project is complete the sheet piles can then be removed and the area behind them rewetted. A cofferdam is a space between two watertight bulkheads or decks within a ship. It is usually a void (empty) space intended to ensure that the contents of nearly adjacent tanks cannot leak directly from one to the other which would result in contamination of
11316-683: The following table: Spanish is marked by palatalization of the Latin double consonants ( geminates ) nn and ll (thus Latin annum > Spanish año , and Latin anellum > Spanish anillo ). The consonant written u or v in Latin and pronounced [w] in Classical Latin had probably " fortified " to a bilabial fricative /β/ in Vulgar Latin. In early Spanish (but not in Catalan or Portuguese) it merged with
11454-466: The former British colony of Belize (known until 1973 as British Honduras ) where English is the sole official language, according to the 2022 census, 54% of the total population are able to speak the language. Due to its proximity to Spanish-speaking countries and small existing native Spanish speaking minority, Trinidad and Tobago has implemented Spanish language teaching into its education system. The Trinidadian and Tobagonian government launched
11592-461: The gap changes direction as much as 90 degrees in places, it separates the Meseta de las Animas mesa in the west from the Meseta de Ixtapa mesa in the east. The width of the canyon varies from 1 to 2 kilometres (3,300 to 6,600 ft). Most of the canyon's walls are between 200 and 700 metres (660 and 2,300 ft) high, reaching 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) at their highest point. These walls expose
11730-400: The geography of a dam site, in some applications, a U-shaped cofferdam is used in the construction of one half of a dam. When complete, the cofferdam is removed and a similar one is created on the opposite side of the river for the construction of the dam's other half. Cofferdams are used in ship husbandry to allow dry access to underwater equipment and to close underwater openings while work
11868-604: The grammar, dated 18 August 1492, Nebrija wrote that "... language was always the companion of empire." From the 16th century onwards, the language was taken to the Spanish-discovered America and the Spanish East Indies via Spanish colonization of America . Miguel de Cervantes , author of Don Quixote , is such a well-known reference in the world that Spanish is often called la lengua de Cervantes ("the language of Cervantes"). In
12006-532: The ground or in streams, especially from Chiapa de Corzo and Tuxtla Gutiérrez due to the lack of environmental awareness according to Conanp. The quantity of this trash reaches its height during the rainy season, when runoff and swollen streams can carry more of it into the Grijalva. While bottles and other plastic are what the casual visitor generally notices, other indicators include the overgrowth of water lilies (due to high levels of fecal matter) and dead animals. However, this accounts for only about five percent of
12144-442: The hydrostatic and other loads that they will have to withstand. Large cofferdams are normally restricted to harbor operations. Complete cofferdams cover most or all of the sunken vessel and are equivalent to extensions of the ship's sides to above the water surface. Partial cofferdams are constructed around moderate-sized openings or areas such as a cargo hatch or small deckhouse. They can often be prefabricated and installed as
12282-506: The internet by number of users after English and Chinese and the second most used language by number of websites after English. Spanish is used as an official language by many international organizations , including the United Nations , European Union , Organization of American States , Union of South American Nations , Community of Latin American and Caribbean States , African Union , among others. In Spain and some other parts of
12420-549: The language's hegemony in an intensely centralising Spanish state were established from the 18th century onward. Other European territories in which it is also widely spoken include Gibraltar and Andorra . Spanish is also spoken by immigrant communities in other European countries, such as the United Kingdom , France , Italy , and Germany . Spanish is an official language of the European Union . Today,
12558-450: The lives of six tourists and hurt sixty two others. The accidents occurred on decrepit boats, many of which were operating without permission with underage or unlicensed crew members. There were no ambulance boats and no first aid services on shore. Two of the cooperatives, Ángel Albino Corzo and Nandiume were suspended and fined for the accidents, taking about sixty boats out of operation. These boating accidents caused significant problems for
12696-694: The majority of the Spanish speakers live in Hispanic America . Nationally, Spanish is the official language—either de facto or de jure —of Argentina , Bolivia (co-official with 36 indigenous languages), Chile , Colombia , Costa Rica , Cuba , Dominican Republic , Ecuador , El Salvador , Guatemala , Honduras , Mexico (co-official with 63 indigenous languages), Nicaragua , Panama , Paraguay (co-official with Guaraní ), Peru (co-official with Quechua , Aymara , and "the other indigenous languages"), Puerto Rico (co-official with English), Uruguay , and Venezuela . Spanish language has
12834-485: The minerals. Much of the environment damage come from runoff from mining waste which winds up in the Grijalva River. However the dust and smoke have produced a distinct white coating on surrounding flora. Via the Grijalva River, the wastewater of about 552,000 people in seventeen municipalities finds its way through the canyon according to park director Edda González del Castilla, with most coming from Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapa de Corzo , Berriozábal and Chicoasén . Much of
12972-562: The most damaged by such in Mexico from 2009 to 2011. Many of these were started by human activity in or near the park such as one fire set on a nearby farm in May 2011. In addition to this, there are lime and other extraction operations within the park's borders. They exist legally because they had been there well before the park was established. However, these operations have destroyed about 2,600 hectares. These operations produce noise, smoke, dust and small tremblers from explosions used to extract
13110-521: The north end of the river by this dam and the Belisario Domínguez Bridge on the south. The dam was constructed between 1974 and 1980. The reservoir covers an average of 2,193 hectares, and the complex employs about 600 workers. The Chicoasén Dam produces electricity and manages the flow of the Grijalva river along with the Hondo River and the Muñiz, El Jardín and El Cacao streams, which converge to form
13248-467: The northwest includes medium-height, somewhat deciduous rainforest as well as some lowland rainforest and grassland, found in the municipalities of Osumacinta and San Fernando; the western section has similar vegetation, and is located entirely in San Fernando; the eastern section has forests of pine as well as medium-height semi-deciduous rainforest and grasslands, and is found in Chiapa de Corzo; and
13386-734: The northwest of the African mainland. The Spanish spoken in the Canary Islands traces its origins back to the Castilian conquest in the 15th century , and, in addition to a resemblance to Western Andalusian speech patterns, it also features strong influence from the Spanish varieties spoken in the Americas, which in turn have also been influenced historically by Canarian Spanish. The Spanish spoken in North Africa by native bilingual speakers of Arabic or Berber who also speak Spanish as
13524-462: The northwest of the park in the highest altitudes, covering about 87 hectares (210 acres). They are part of the same type of forest found in the Soyaló region it is adjacent to. They are found at an altitude of 1,200 masl and above in areas that receive precipitation of about 1500 mm annually. The most common species is the oak Quercus acutifolia (syn. Quercus conspersa ), often found mixed with
13662-654: The other hand, currently uses the term español in its publications. However, from 1713 to 1923, it called the language castellano . The Diccionario panhispánico de dudas (a language guide published by the Royal Spanish Academy) states that, although the Royal Spanish Academy prefers to use the term español in its publications when referring to the Spanish language, both terms— español and castellano —are regarded as synonymous and equally valid. The term castellano
13800-430: The park again with the expropriation of lands in the municipalities of San Fernando and Tuxtla Gutiérrez, adding a total of 1,660 hectares (4,100 acres). It remains, however, smaller than most other national parks in Mexico. The center of the park is the Sumidero Canyon and the Grijalva River that runs from south to north through it. The park's borders on this river are marked by the Belisario Domínguez Bridge, over which
13938-529: The park area. For this reason, there is a lack of information about species, habitats and water flow. There is also relatively little information about how human activities affect the park. As the park is located in the Central Valley of Chiapas and borders the Northern Mountains region, altitudes vary from approximately 600 metres (2,000 ft) above sea level in the municipality of Chiapa de Corzo to 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) above sea level at
14076-411: The park hit a peak in 2003 with about 196,500. Commercial activity in the park is limited to those which serve tourists, sales of food and Mexican handcrafts and folk art . Tour operators are organized into cooperatives, with food and craft vendors working independently. These merchants must receive an annual permit in order to operate within the park's borders. The most important of these businesses are
14214-482: The park is the great curassow ( Crax rubra ). Relatively abundant species include Actitus macularia , Dendrocygna autumnalis , Egretta caerulea , Egretta thula , Tachybaptus dominicus and Coragyps atratus , all of which are associated with bodies of water. There have been 53 species of mammals detected recently in the park, of which two are considered threatened, two in danger and two subject to special protection. Endangered and threatened species include
14352-552: The park was established. It is estimated that about 15,000 people live within the park's borders. Most of these illegal constructions belong to the very poor who have migrated to the city from elsewhere. The demand for living space has created an industry of illegal subdivisions which are then sold without the proper title to victims. Three of the main neighborhoods to develop in this way are the Patria Nueva Alta , Arroyo Blanco , La Esperanza and Las Granjas. The encroachment
14490-399: The park, there are still five ejidos and three human settlements established within, Libertad Campesina (population 495), Nueva Esperanza (139), La Unión (329), El Paraíso (134), Tierra Colorada (199), La Candelaria / Triunfo Agrarista (631). As of 2005, the total population within the park's borders was 1927. Because of human activity, this park is one of the most susceptible to wildfires, and
14628-758: The park, with some in the east towards the La Chacona Cañada. These occupy a territory of 4,404 hectares (10,880 acres) in the park. Tree heights extend from four to ten meters with some as high as 15 meters. Non-tree species are not as common and mostly consist of succulent species such as Agave , Opuntia , Stenocereus and Cephalocereus . Other important species include Alvaradoa amorphoides , Bursera simaruba , Ceiba acuminate , Bursera bipinnata , Bursera excels , Cochlospermum vitifolium , Haematoxylon brasiletto , Piscidia piscipula , Swietenia humilis , Acacia collinsii and Pseudobombax ellipticum . Pine–oak forests exist in
14766-436: The park. Throughout the history of the area, especially since it was definitively explored in the 1960s, the area's wildlife diversity has been severely negatively impacted by human encroachment in the form of settlements, agriculture and hunting. However, since the federal park was established in the 1980s, wildlife diversity has increased. In 1986, the federal Secretaría de Agricultura y Recursos Hidráulicos (SARH) reported
14904-533: The population. Many northern Moroccans have rudimentary knowledge of Spanish, with Spanish being particularly significant in areas adjacent to Ceuta and Melilla. Spanish also has a presence in the education system of the country (through either selected education centers implementing Spain's education system, primarily located in the North, or the availability of Spanish as foreign language subject in secondary education). In Western Sahara , formerly Spanish Sahara ,
15042-404: The river flow to bypass the foundation area of the dam. These cofferdams are typically a conventional embankment dam of both earth- and rock-fill, but concrete or some sheet piling also may be used. Usually, upon completion of the dam and associated structures, the downstream coffer is removed and the upstream coffer is flooded as the diversion is closed and the reservoir begins to fill. Depending on
15180-557: The river is considered to be one of the five most polluted in Mexico. 3700 tons of solids were extracted from the canyon area in 2010 alone. Many fish have died off or have developed abnormally due to contamination by fertilizers, pesticides and other chemicals. This threatens the native American crocodiles as the agrochemicals kill off and poison the fish they need to eat. In May 2011, the Fédération Internationale de Natation decided cancel its annual swim marathon in
15318-564: The river turning up to 90 degrees during the 13-kilometre (8 mi) length of the narrow passage. The canyon is surrounded by the Sumidero Canyon National Park , a federally protected natural area of Mexico which extends for 21,789 hectares (53,840 acres) over four municipalities of the state of Chiapas. This park is administered by the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (CONANP). Most of
15456-414: The separation of recyclables. The scenery of the canyon has become a major tourist attraction for the state, with developments for eco tourism and extreme sports. The navigable part of the Grijalva River is mostly used to ferry visitors into the canyon area. The park has six lookout points accessible by land called La Ceiba, La Coyota, El Roblar, Tepehuaje, Los Chiapas and Manos. In the rainy season, tourism
15594-506: The sewage comes into the Grijalva via the Sabinal River , which carries most of the waste water of the city of Tuxtla Gutiérrez. In addition, trash and raw sewage makes its way into the river from the various tributary streams. Agricultural waste comes from the farms that line the river and its tributaries. The most obvious pollution is garbage, especially plastic containers, which mostly comes from area homes and businesses tossed onto
15732-406: The ships sinking and becoming impossible to repair. Several types of structure performing this function can be distinguished, depending on how they are constructed and how they are used. In civil and costal engineering applications cofferdams are usually made from interlocking steel sheet piles which are driven deep into the bed of the water source in order to create a temporary dam behind which
15870-471: The sides of the canyon in contact with the Grijalva River. Many of these patches are less than one hectare in size, as they are located on small areas of flat land at altitudes between 1000 and 2,500 masl. The soils are rich in undecomposed plant matter which holds in moisture. Low-height deciduous rainforest is mostly found around the La Ceiba and La Coyota lookout points in the south and southeast sections of
16008-515: The size of the trees), pine-oak forest and meadows. Medium-height deciduous rainforest is mostly located on either side of the canyon, in the north and east of the part towards San Fernando and in the Cañada Muñiz at altitudes of between 150 and 1250 masl. It is mostly found in areas with basalt or granite rock and where there are lime deposits, covering an area of 11,382 hectares (28,130 acres) in total. While many plants here loose leaves in
16146-469: The southeast has most of the sides of the canyon itself and a navigable section of the Grijalva River, but only remnants of medium-height rainforest and pachycaulous vegetation. The main land access into the park is from Tuxtla Gutiérrez north through Osumacinta then past the Chicoasén Dam. Another access point is from Chiapa de Corzo by boat from the Cahuaré Docks. As the main attraction of the park
16284-402: The spider monkey ( Ateles geoffroyi ), jaguarundi , ocelot , lowland paca , white-tailed deer , anteater ( Tamandua tetradactyla ) and buzzard ( Sarcoramphus papa ). The most abundant species include the bat Artibeus jamaicensis and the rat Peromyscus mexicanus . The Sumidero Canyon National Park has its origins in a Chiapas state decree issued in 1972, which made the area around
16422-537: The term español (Spanish). According to the Royal Spanish Academy, español derives from the Occitan word espaignol and that, in turn, derives from the Vulgar Latin * hispaniolus ('of Hispania'). Hispania was the Roman name for the entire Iberian Peninsula . There are other hypotheses apart from the one suggested by the Royal Spanish Academy. Spanish philologist Ramón Menéndez Pidal suggested that
16560-444: The theories of Ramón Menéndez Pidal , local sociolects of Vulgar Latin evolved into Spanish, in the north of Iberia, in an area centered in the city of Burgos , and this dialect was later brought to the city of Toledo , where the written standard of Spanish was first developed, in the 13th century. In this formative stage, Spanish developed a strongly differing variant from its close cousin, Leonese , and, according to some authors,
16698-640: The third most used language on the Internet , after English and Chinese. Spanish is the official language of Spain . Upon the emergence of the Castilian Crown as the dominant power in the Iberian Peninsula by the end of the Middle Ages, the Romance vernacular associated with this polity became increasingly used in instances of prestige and influence, and the distinction between "Castilian" and "Spanish" started to become blurred. Hard policies imposing
16836-469: The total tonnage of waste that comes into the river each year. Somewhere between 80 and 90% of the waste solids found in the river is branches, wood, rocks, sediment and other debris from legal and illegal logging, which cause deforestation . These mostly come into the river during the rainy season, especially from the Villa Flores and Villa Corzo municipalities. Only a small part of the solid waste
16974-443: The tourism industry. For those who choose to see the canyon from the lookout points above, there are restaurants and other food service places as well as camping and picnicking facilities. The other two attractions of the park are general ecotourism and extreme sports. The park has hiking paths and sports fishing is allowed sporadically by permit. There are some locations that rent kayaks and other boats. The Amikúu Ecological Park
17112-508: The tree cover, there is significant plant diversity, including palms and araceas. Epiphytes (air plants) are abundant as well, along with orchids, Bromeliaceae and cactus . Cactus are primarily found on the vertical walls of the canyon and belong to the Acanthocereus family. In the 1970s, tree area in a good state of conservation amounted to 3,818 hectares (9,430 acres), or 17.72% of the total land area. From 1988 to 1993, this amount
17250-620: The two kinds of rainforest found in the park. Air plants are common here as well as bromeliads, orchids and plants from the Maxillaria , Lycaste , Cattleya and Laelia groups. Grassland is not naturally occurring but rather exists due to human activities such as farming and livestock raising. It is seen on the north and south sides of the canyon and is usually associated with secondary vegetation such as Tecoma stans , Gliricidia sepium , Plumeria rubra and Acacia collinsii , occupying an area of 6,539 hectares (16,160 acres) in
17388-475: The vegetation in the park is low- to medium-height deciduous rainforest , with small areas of mixed pine-oak forest and grassland. At the north end of the canyon is the Chicoasén Dam and its artificial reservoir, one of several on the Grijalva River, which is important for water storage and the generation of hydroelectric power in the region. The canyon and national park is the second most important tourist site in Chiapas, drawing mostly Mexican visitors who see
17526-559: The water, and a new section of ship is floated in to lengthen the ship. The cutting of the hull is done inside a cofferdam attached directly to the hull of the ship; the cofferdam is then detached before the hull sections are floated apart. The cofferdam is later replaced while the hull sections are welded together again. As expensive as this may be to accomplish, the use of a drydock might be even more expensive. Cofferdams are also used in some marine salvage operations. Cofferdams have been used to recover aircraft from water as well, as in
17664-585: The whole of Spain, in contrast to las demás lenguas españolas (lit. "the other Spanish languages "). Article III reads as follows: El castellano es la lengua española oficial del Estado. ... Las demás lenguas españolas serán también oficiales en las respectivas Comunidades Autónomas... Castilian is the official Spanish language of the State. ... The other Spanish languages shall also be official in their respective Autonomous Communities... The Royal Spanish Academy ( Real Academia Española ), on
17802-506: The world's fourth-most spoken language overall after English , Mandarin Chinese, and Hindustani ( Hindi - Urdu ); and the world's most widely spoken Romance language. The country with the largest population of native speakers is Mexico . Spanish is part of the Ibero-Romance language group , in which the language is also known as Castilian ( castellano ). The group evolved from several dialects of Vulgar Latin in Iberia after
17940-552: The Árbol are made by deposits from the waterfall which have been covered in moss. During the rainy season, when the waterfall is active, the water and the light change the colors of the "branches" and make the formation stand out. The park was a candidate in 2009 as one of the Seven New Natural Wonders of the World . Despite its biological, ecological and cultural diversity, there have been few studies performed in
18078-544: Was built to permit the construction of the Livingstone Channel in the Detroit River. See main article at Stony Island . The museum battleships USS Alabama (BB-60) and USS North Carolina (BB-55) have had cofferdams since 2003 and 2018, respectively. This saves much money compared to towing and dry docking them after the tow and this also provides additional security so there is a low chance of
18216-634: Was developed in the cities of Toledo , in the 13th to 16th centuries, and Madrid , from the 1570s. The development of the Spanish sound system from that of Vulgar Latin exhibits most of the changes that are typical of Western Romance languages , including lenition of intervocalic consonants (thus Latin vīta > Spanish vida ). The diphthongization of Latin stressed short e and o —which occurred in open syllables in French and Italian, but not at all in Catalan or Portuguese—is found in both open and closed syllables in Spanish, as shown in
18354-622: Was distinguished by a heavy Basque influence (see Iberian Romance languages ). This distinctive dialect spread to southern Spain with the advance of the Reconquista , and meanwhile gathered a sizable lexical influence from the Arabic of Al-Andalus , much of it indirectly, through the Romance Mozarabic dialects (some 4,000 Arabic -derived words, make up around 8% of the language today). The written standard for this new language
18492-511: Was done in 1976 by Alejandro Martínez, discovering that there are 24 individual sites of which nine are mounds and fifteen are in caves. One of these contains cave paintings which indicate that the area has been occupied since at least the very early Pre Classic period . Spanish language Spanish ( español ) or Castilian ( castellano ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from
18630-713: Was followed by a vowel that did not diphthongize. The h- , still preserved in spelling, is now silent in most varieties of the language, although in some Andalusian and Caribbean dialects, it is still aspirated in some words. Because of borrowings from Latin and neighboring Romance languages, there are many f -/ h - doublets in modern Spanish: Fernando and Hernando (both Spanish for "Ferdinand"), ferrero and herrero (both Spanish for "smith"), fierro and hierro (both Spanish for "iron"), and fondo and hondo (both words pertaining to depth in Spanish, though fondo means "bottom", while hondo means "deep"); additionally, hacer ("to make")
18768-475: Was in the fortified area, now known as the archeological site of the Ruins of Berlin . Here the last of the Chiapa held out from 1528 to 1535 after the Spanish took over the main city. Legend states that when this last fortification fell, the remaining Chiapa committed collective suicide by jumping into the canyon. Since then, the canyon has served as a boundary marker between the Zoque and Tzotzil peoples . Until
18906-470: Was reduced to 1,107 hectares (2,740 acres), or 5.35%. From 1990 to 2000, it is estimated that eight percent of the remaining forests and 38% of the rainforests were damaged. Many of the areas in good condition are broken up by disturbed areas. Most of the damage is due to illegal logging and the clearing of land for pasture or agriculture. Medium-height perennial rainforest (also known as evergreen cloud forest ) exists only in small dispersed patches, mostly on
19044-462: Was revoked by Michel Temer after the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff . In many border towns and villages along Paraguay and Uruguay, a mixed language known as Portuñol is spoken. Equatorial Guinea is the only Spanish-speaking country located entirely in Africa, with the language introduced during the Spanish colonial period . Enshrined in the constitution as an official language (alongside French and Portuguese), Spanish features prominently in
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