Chontalpa

Chontalpa is an area in the Mexican state of Tabasco, which consists of four municipalities in the northwest of the state. Although the name refers to the state’s Chontal Maya population, modern Chontalpa is a subregion of the Grijalva Region, and formed with economic concerns in mind. A large percentage of the state’s Chontal Maya population does live here, with the municipality of Nacajuca having the largest concentration of indigenous, with the next largest concentration found just east of the region in the Villahermosa area. The subregion’s economy is based on agriculture, especially livestock production as well as oil drilling, which have been at odds with each other because of severe degradation of the environment since the mid 20th century. Chontalpa is also home to Tabasco’s two main archeological sites, La Venta and Comalcalco, along with numerous smaller sites.

The Chontalpa is officially a subregion of the Grijalva, which is defined as lands in Tabasco reliant on the Grijalva River and related surface water. It consists of the municipalities of Huimanguillo, Cárdenas, Comalcalco and Paraíso, with its capital as the city of Comalcalco. It is the second largest of Tabasco’s subregions with an area of 7,482.12km2, representing 31.08% of the state. Chontalpa borders the Gulf of Mexico to the north, the state of Chiapas to the south, the state of Veracruz to the west and the municipalities of Centla, Centro (Villahermosa) and Jalpa de Méndez to the east.

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