TEHUANTEPEC, ISTHMUS OF

Spanish Istmo De Tehuantepec, isthmus in southern Mexico, between the Gulf of Campeche on the Gulf of Mexico, to the north, and the Gulf of Tehuantepec on the Pacific Ocean, to the south. From gulf to gulf the isthmus is 137 miles (220 km) wide at its narrowest part; and it is 120 miles (193 km) from the Gulf of Campeche to the head of Laguna Superior, an inlet on the Gulf of Tehuantepec. The isthmus is a broad, plateau-like ridge, hot and malarial except on open elevations, where Pacific winds render it comparatively cool and healthful. The northern side is swampy and densely covered with jungle; the Pacific slopes on the south are drier. Although the Isthmus has been considered a favourable transportation route since the days of the conquistador Hernn Corts, it was rejected as an interoceanic canal site because construction of the canal would have been too costly. Instead, a railroad extending 192 miles (310 km) from Coatzacoalcos on the Gulf of Campeche to Salina Cruz on the Gulf of Tehuantepec was opened in 1907. Rail connections to Veracruz, Mexico City, and the Guatemalan border have been completed. Salina Cruz is a free port with large dry docks. The town of Tehuantepec is the cultural centre of the Tehuana Indians, whose social organization is matriarchic and whose gold jewelry is especially distinctive.