This photograph was captured by an astronaut onboard the International Space Station (ISS) as the spacecraft orbited over the city of Nuevo Casas Grandes and the surrounding Chihuahuan Desert. Located in north-central Mexico, this area has a rich history of agriculture and possesses several ancient settlements, including Casas Grandes located just outside the extent of this photo.
Meandering rivers carve into the valley floor and distribute water to the otherwise arid and mountainous region. The San Miguel River flows just west of Nuevo Casas Grandes (bottom right). The city is located on the broader Mexican Plateau (also known as the Mexican Altiplano) that is bounded by the Sierra Madre Oriental and Sierra Madre Occidental mountain ranges.
Agriculture is one of the primary land-use practices within this region. Maize has been grown in north-central Mexico for over 3,000 years and its production was critical in the spread of agricultural settlements north to what is now the American Southwest. Although an arid environment, the fertile flood plains around the San Miguel River are conducive to maize and other agricultural production. Major crop cultivars that have historically rooted settlements like Casas Grandes include maize, beans, and squash.
Read More: NASA Earth Observatory
The fertile flood plains around the San Miguel River are conducive to maize and other agricultural production. (Photo Credit: NASA Earth Observatory)