Tehuantepec Isthmus

The Gulf of Tehuantepec opens onto the Pacific south of the narrow isthmus that separates it from the Gulf of Mexico. Here a break in the mountains allows air from the north to rush across the land and out to sea. These powerful Tehuano winds can raise dangerous waves and drive tongues of cool water far into the Pacific. Along the curved shore, rivers and coastal lagoons interrupt the sandy plain beneath the highlands.