Chapala is Mexico’s largest freshwater lake — Mexico News Daily

Lake Chapala in Mexico, located mainly in the state of Jalisco and partly in Michoacán, is the country’s largest freshwater lake by area. Its surface area is 1,116 km² and its capacity is 8.126 billion cubic meters, Mexico News Daily reports, citing data from the National Water Commission and the National Institute of Statistics and Geography.

The five largest lakes

Lake Cuitzeo ranks second. It is located mainly in the state of Michoacán but also extends into Guanajuato. Its area is 306 km² and its capacity is 920 million cubic meters. Chapala’s area is approximately 3.6 times larger than that of Cuitzeo. The publication notes that due to drought, Cuitzeo has lost significant volumes of water in recent years, with the situation being particularly difficult in 2021.

Third in terms of area is Lake Pátzcuaro, located in the municipality of the same name in the state of Michoacán. Its area is 97 km² and its capacity is 550 million cubic meters. The lake is home to endangered achoque salamanders. Janitzio Island, a popular destination during the Day of the Dead period, is located in the lake.

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Yuriria and Catemaco

Fourth place is held by the artificial Lake Yuriria in the state of Guanajuato. Its area reaches 80 km² and its capacity is 188 million cubic meters. The city of Yuriria, located in the south of the state, is a pueblo mágico.

The country’s fifth-largest freshwater lake is Catemaco Lagoon in the coastal state of Veracruz. Its area is 75 km² and its capacity is 454 million cubic meters. The city of Catemaco lies on the northwestern shore of the body of water and is known for sorcerers, called brujos in Spanish.