Balsas River

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For the city in Brazil, see Balsas (Maranhão).

For Ecuadorian canton, see Balsas, Ecuador.

The Balsas River is a river in south-central Mexico that drains the large Balsas Basin (a graben). At 771 kilometres long it is one of Mexico's longest rivers. The Balsas River originates at the confluence of the San Martin and Zahuapan Rivers in the state of Puebla. From there it flows southwestward and then westward through the state of Guerrero, forming the border between Guerrero and the state of Michoacán. The river empties into the Pacific Ocean at Mangrove Point, adjacent to the city of Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán.

The river has a number of different names along its length, including the Atoyac River in Puebla and the Mezcala in Guerrero. There are a number of rapids along the length of the Balsas, and it is used as a source of hydroelectric power and for irrigation.

The Balsas dry forests occupy much of the Balsas Basin.