Boquillas del Carmen
(Boquillas) | |
|---|---|
 View of Boquillas from Big Bend National Park | |
  Boquillas del Carmen Location in Mexico | |
| Coordinates: 29°11′16″N 102°56′8″W / 29.18778°N 102.93556°W | |
| Country |  Mexico |
| State | Coahuila |
| Municipality | Ocampo |
| Founded | 1890s |
| Elevation | 564 m (1,850 ft) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 202[1] |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central Time Zone) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (Central Daylight Time) |
Boquillas del Carmen, frequently known simply as Boquillas (Spanish pronunciation: [bo-ki-ʝas]), is a village in northern Mexico on the banks of the Rio Grande. It is the northernmost populated place in the municipality of Ocampo, which lies within the Mexican state of Coahuila.
The village lies immediately west of the northern part of the Sierra del Carmen mountain range and at the south-west end of the Rio Grande's Boquillas Canyon. Boquillas del Carmen was founded as a mining town in the late 19th-century, after valuable minerals were found in the nearby mountains. Mining ceased in 1919 and the population rapidly declined.
Boquillas del Carmen lies adjacent to the Mexico–United States border and visitors on foot from the United States can enter the village via the Boquillas Port of Entry. Situated just next to Big Bend National Park, tourism is the principal industry in Boquillas. After the September 11 attacks, the United States closed the border and the economy of Boquillas was severely affected and the population fell by nearly 50%. In 2013, the border was re-opened and the economy and population subsequently rebounded. From 2020 to 2021, the crossing was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.