The People of the Delta: Yesterday and Today

Posted: 01-Mar-2003; Updated: 20-Aug-2003

South of the Mexican towns of Mexicali (pop. 760,000) and San Luis Rio Colorado (pop. 150,000), and Yuma, Arizona (pop. 63,000), some 200,000 people live in 1,100 communities in the delta region.  Most of these rural residents are fishermen and farmers, and many live in small settlements of less than 100 inhabitants. Many live on ejidos, communal farms established during Mexico's mid-twentieth century land reforms. Only 600 Native Americans still call the delta home. Of those, 200 are Cucupá Indians, the indigenous people of the delta who have lived in the area for more than 1,000 years.

Both Mexicali and San Luis Rio Colorado are experiencing rapid growth fueled by NAFTA and their close proximity to the U.S. border. The farmland that surrounds these cities use most of the limited amount of Colorado River water Mexico receives, but urban water demand is increasing as the populations grow.
  
The effects of damming and diverting large amounts of Colorado River water is felt heavily in the delta region. Before such development, the native Cucupá cultivated an endemic plant - Palmer's salt grass - that thrives in the intertidal marshes and was harvested for its protein content. Other crops in their flood-irrigated fields included corn, beans and pumpkin. Their diet included numerous fish species, waterfowl, small mammals and large game such as mule deer, wild boar and big horn sheep. Native plants and trees provided materials for tools, housing and canoes to navigate the landscape, a labyrinth of wetlands.

Without the vast amount of water historically in the delta, the remaining Cucupá are no longer able to practice their traditional sustenance. Hunting has disappeared along with the mammals that once inhabited the area. The estuary where the Colorado meets the Upper Gulf of California, shut off from annual freshwater floods, fails to provide the rich breeding grounds necessary for healthy fish populations. The combination of an inability to sustain themselves by traditional methods and the increasingly irresistible lure of prosperity in the municipalities to the north have led many people to leave the delta. As the Cucupá Indians flee the delta and mix with the diverse populations of the cities, their culture and ethnic identity risk being lost altogether.
 
As delta habitat is restored, the number of opportunities to work in the growing tourism industry will increase. Currently there are several tourist camps in the delta, located both in freshwater areas and on the shore of the Gulf. The main attractions for tourists are aquatic sports like water skiing and swimming, recreational fishing, hunting expeditions, and environmental and archeological hiking and exploration. Eco-tourism is also becoming more popular, and companies are beginning to take visitors on trips to the Cienega de Santa Clara, the islands of the Upper Gulf and the fishing village of El Golfo de Santa Clara. Tours include educational information about the local flora and fauna as well as the history and culture of the delta.

The people of the delta can no longer easily sustain themselves by harvesting the regions plentiful bounty as they did in the past. But if restoration gains of recent decades are not lost, with a little bit of creativity and adaptability, the delta may once again provide a desirable home for those wishing to live in the region. By providing viable alternatives to moving away to nearby urban areas, a unique and meaningful culture can be preserved and passed on for future generations to learn from and enjoy.

View our slideshow Hope for the Colorado River Delta

LEARN MORE

The Colorado River Delta
Once a Mighty Delta: History
The Delta's Remarkably Resilient Flora and Fauna
A Decades-Long Tug-of War over Water
The People of the Delta: Yesterday and Today
Restoring the Delta

Another Step Forward for Restoring the Colorado River Delta (10/22/2002 article)

Mapping Conservation Strategies in the Colorado River Delta: A State-of-Knowledge Workshop (October 15-17, 2002)
A Delta Once More (1999 report from Environmental Defense)

University of Arizona web site