The
Río Grande de Santiago is one of the longest rivers in
Mexico, measuring up long. The river begins at
Lake Chapala and continues roughly north-west through the
Sierra Madre Occidental, receiving the Verde, Juchipila, Bolaños, and other tributaries. At
La Yesca, the
La Yesca Dam was completed in 2012 and the
El Cajón Dam was completed downstream in 2007. Below El Cajón, the
Aguamilpa Dam was completed in 1993, creating a reservoir covering a large part of the territory of the municipality of
El Nayar in
Nayarit. From Aguamilpa, the river descends to the coastal lowlands, passing by
Santiago Ixcuintla and empties into the
Pacific Ocean, northwest of
San Blas, in
Nayarit. The river is viewed by some sources as a continuation of the
Lerma River, which flows into
Lake Chapala.