Lighthouses of Mexico: Tamaulipas

Mexico (officially the United Mexican States (Estados Unidos Mexicanos or EUM) is the second largest country of Latin America and the largest Spanish-speaking nation in the world. With an east coast on the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea and a long west coast on the Pacific Ocean it has by far the longest coastline in Latin America and, as a result, the largest number of lighthouses.

Mexico is a federal union of 31 states (estados) plus the capital district, and the states are subdivided into municipalities (municipios). This page describes lighthouses of the northeastern corner of Mexico in the state of Tamaulipas. This coast, facing east on the Gulf of Mexico, consists mostly of sandy barrier islands and beaches similar to the coast of neighboring southern Texas. The important ports of Altamira and Tampico are at the extreme southern end of Tamaulipas.

In Spanish the word for a lighthouse is faro, baliza is a beacon, isla is an island, cabo is a cape, punta is a promontory or point of land, péñon is a rock, arrecife is a reef, bahía is a bay, ría is an estuary or inlet, estrecho is a strait, río is a river, and puerto is a port or harbor.

Mexican lighthouses are managed by the National Maritime Authority Unit (Unidad de la Autoridad Maritima Nacional, UNAMAN). Many of the larger light stations are staffed by resident civilian keepers.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. CF numbers are from the Mexican Cuaderno de Faros (Handbook of Lighthouses). Admiralty numbers are from volume J of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. NGA Light List numbers are from NGA Publication 110.

General sources
Online List of Lights - Mexico - Gulf of Mexico
Photos posted by Alexander Trabas. Most of these photos were taken by Capt. Peter Mosselberger ("Capt. Peter").
Construcción
A Flickr.com folder of photos from the construction of new lighthouses in Tamaulipas by ISNI.
Lighthouses in Mexico
Photos by various photographers available from Wikimedia.
World of Lighthouses - Mexico
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Cuaderno de Faros 2023 - Golfo y Caribe
Official light list for the east coast, with tiny photos of each light.
Leuchttürme Mittelamerikas auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard images posted by Klaus Huelse.
Google Maps
Satellite view of the Tamaulipas coastline.


Tampico (Ciudad Madero) Light, Tampico, September 2023
Google Maps photo by David Sloat

Matamoros Lighthouses
Matamoros is a city on the south bank of the Río Bravo del Norte (Rio Grande) opposite Brownsville, Texas, in the U.S.A. The city has a population of more than half a million but it is not a seaport.

Río Bravo (Matamoros, Faro de Bagdad) (2)
2007 (station establishment date unknown). Active; focal plane 18 m (59 ft); white flash every 6 s. 16 m (52 ft) round cylindrical white concrete tower with gallery, and four ribs. The lantern was removed sometime in 2017-18. Rafael Axel has the 2021 photo at right, Leonel Muri has a 2017 photo, ISNI has a photo of the new lighthouse, Daniel Padilla has a 2018 photo, and Google has a satellite view and a distant street view across the mouth of the Río Grande. There is little or no navigation through the entrance, so the light is primarily a marker for the international border. Site status unknown. ARLHS MEX-037; CF-28-145; Admiralty J4229.5; NGA 15203.
Canal de Chávez
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); white flaash every 5 s. 10 m (33 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with gallery, painted white. 300 mm lens mounted on a short mast; no lantern. Daniel Padilla has a distant view, Miguel Ramos has a 2019 view, and Google has a satellite view. "Canal" suggests that the light is supposed to mark a channel through the barrier beach. In fact the satellite images show a former channel that has silted shut completely. The light does mark the easternmost bulge of the coastline. Although the light was dropped by the Admiralty it remains as active in the Cuaderno de Faros. Located on the beach 25 km (15 mi) south of the Río Bravo. Site open but not easy to reach, tower closed. ARLHS MEX-177; CF-28-140; ex-Admiralty J4229.55; NGA 15203.2.
* El Mezquital (2)
2013 (station establishment date unknown). Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. 26 m (85 ft) round cylindrical white concrete tower with lantern, gallery, and four ribs; lantern roof is red. Daniel Padilla has a fine 2018 photo, another 2018 photo is available, Google has a satellite view. ISNI has a photo of the nearly completed tower and another ISNI photo shows an early stage of construction of the tower. The original lighthouse was a skeletal tower reinforced with concrete legs. El Mezquital is a small fishing port and naval station at the northern end of the Laguna Madre; it is connected to the sea by a short canal through the barrier beach. Located at the end of highway 5 about 135 km (84 mi) south of the Río Bravo. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MEX-031; CF-28-135; Admiralty J4230; NGA 15203.1.

San Fernando Lighthouses
* La Carbonera (Carboneras) (2)
2010. Active; focal plane 12 m (38 ft); white flash every 6 s. 10 m (33 ft) round cylindrical white concrete tower with gallery; gallery painted blue. 300 mm lens mounted on a small lantern painted with red and white horizontal bands. Claudia Selene Reyes Hernandez has a 2025 photo, ISNI has a photo of the new lighthouse, and Google has a distant 2025 street view and an indistinct satellite view. Located off highway 20 on the waterfront of La Carbonera, a fishing village on the Laguna Madre about 60 km (38 mi) south of El Mezquital. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MEX-178; CF-28-130; Admiralty J4230.4; NGA 15206.

Río Bravo Light, Matamoros, July 2021
Google Maps photo by Rafael Axel
Punta Piedra (Punta de Piedra) (2)
2009. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 25 m (82 ft) round cylindrical white concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lantern roof is red. Jaime Rodriguez Gomez has a 2023 photo, ISNI has a photo of the completed lighthouse, Uriel Martinez has a 2019 photo, Karlita Davila has a 2021 photo, and Google has a satellite view. This new lighthouse replaced a light on a short post. Located at the end of a sandbar at Punta de Piedra, a village on the west side of the Laguna Madre at the end of highway 20. Accessible only by boat, but easily seen from the village waterfront. Site open, tower closed. CF-28-130.1; Admiralty J4230.5; NGA 15207.
Barra de Catan
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); white flash every 5 s. 7.5 m (25 ft) round white concrete post with gallery. No photo available but Google has a satellite view.The Admiralty location for this light is incorrect, placing the light on the wrong side of the inlet. Located on the south side of the entrance to Punta Piedra. CF-28-128; Admiralty J4230.7.

Soto la Marina Lighthouse
* La Pesca (2)
2009. Active; focal plane 18 m (59 ft); four white flashes every 16 s. 16 m (52 ft) cylindrical concrete tower with four large ribs, lantern and gallery. 375 mm lens. Tower painted white with blue trim, lantern red. Benigno Gómez Garza has a 2012 photo, Francisco Castellón Amaya has a 2020 photo, ISNI has a closeup of the top of the new lighthouse, and Google has the 2025 street view at right and a satellite view. A distant view of the original lighthouse is available. La Pesca is a small fishing port and beach resort. The lighthouse marks the southern entrance to the Laguna Madre. Located at the end of highway 52 in La Pesca; accessible by road from Soto la Marina and Ciudad Victoria. Site open; tower closed. ARLHS MEX-034; CF-28-110; Admiralty J4231; NGA 15208.

Aldama Lighthouses
Barra del Tordo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (6 ft); white flash every 6 s. 7 m (23 ft) white square pyramidal skeletal tower. No closeup photo available. Sergio Guerra has a distant view and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on the south side of the pass through the barrier beach at El Tordo. Site status unknown. CF-28-102; Admiralty J4231.9; NGA 15211.

La Pesca Light, Soto la Marina, May 2025
Google Maps street view
#Punta Jerez (1)
1904. Inactive since the early 1990s and destroyed in 2000. This lighthouse, a round French cast iron tower with ribs or buttresses, collapsed during Hurricane Keith in October 2000. Lighthouse Digest has a small photo by Hector de Luna Espinosa. A 2006 photo (no longer online) showed a single buttress still standing. Ruins of the keeper's houses also survive, as seen in Abimael Silva's 2022 photo and Google's satellite view. Punta Jerez, about 70 km (45 mi) north of Tampico, is not a cape but only a subtle bend in the barrier beach. The abandoned light station is located on the beach. Accessible only by boat. Site open.
Punta Jerez (2)
Early 1990s (station established 1904). Active; focal plane 24 m (79 ft); white flash every 6 s. 20 m (66 ft) cylindrical concrete tower with four buttresses, lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white; the gallery is blue. Two modern keeper's cottages. A 2019 aerial view is at right, a 2015 photo is available, Alejandro Aguilar has a 2019 photo, and Google has a satellite view. The new light station is located on the mainland about 650 m (0.4 mi) west of the original location. Accessible by 4WD. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MEX-058; CF-28-100; Admiralty J4232; NGA 15212.
Canal de Chavarria (Barra Morón) (2)
2012. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); white flash every 5 s. 7 m (23 ft) round concrete post with gallery, painted white with blue trim. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. The Admiralty location for this light is incorrect, placing the light on the wrong side of the inlet. Located on the south side of a dredged lagoon entrance at Barra Morón. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Active light: CF-28-098; Admiralty J4232.5; NGA 15213.

Punta Jerez Light, Aldama, May 2019
Facebook photo posted by City of Aldama

Altamira Lighthouses
Altamira is a relatively new industrial zone and port constructed on the north side of the Tampico metropolitan area. While the traditional wharves of Tampico continue to handle "loose" cargo, Altamira handles all the containerized shipments for northeastern Mexico.

*
Altamira
1985. Active; focal plane 42 m (138 ft); white flash every 6 s. 37 m (120 ft) octagonal building, with a 3-story base, a central tower, an octagonal harbor control room, and a light tower with lantern and gallery. Building painted white with red (formerly green) trim. Trabas has Capt. Peter's 2024 photo (seen at right), César Orta also has a photo, Martín Osuna has a 2022 photo, has a 2020 closeup, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse includes the headquarters and traffic control center for the port of Altamira. Site open, tower status unknown. Located on the north side of the harbor entrance. Owner/site manager: Puerto de Altamira. ARLHS MEX-097; CF-28-025; Admiralty J4233; NGA 15214.
#Altamira North Range Rear (1)
Date unknown. Removed in 2019-20. This was a 36 m (118 ft) square skeletal tower carrying a rectangular daymark painted red with a white vertical stripe. It has been replaced by a light on a mast (focal plane 16 m (52 ft); white light, 1 s on, 1 s off). The range has been relocated. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo of the new light and Google has a satellite view. Located on the north side of the dredged harbor of Altamira. Site and tower closed. CF-28-050.1; Admiralty J4233.71.
Altamira Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 37 m (121 ft); white light, 1 s on, 1 s off. 36 m (118 ft) square skeletal tower, painted with red and white horizontal bands and carrying a rectangular daymark painted red with a white vertical stripe. Trabas has Capt. Peter's 2024 photo and Google has a satellite view. The front light of this range is now on a post and the middle light is on a short skeletal tower. NGA lists the middle light erroneously as the rear light. Located in an oil tank farm about 500 m (0.4 mi) west of the end of the dredged harbor of Altamira. Site and tower closed. CF-28-035.2; Admiralty J4233.42.
Altamira South Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); white light, 1 s on, 1 s off. 36 m (118 ft) square skeletal tower carrying a rectangular daymark painted red with a white vertical stripe. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo and Google has an indistinct satellite view. The front light of this range is on a similar, shorter skeletal tower 11 m (36 ft) tall. Located in a forest on the south side of the dredged harbor of Altamira. Site and tower closed. CF-28-055.1; Admiralty J4233.81.

Altamira Light, Altamira, February 2024
photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberger; used by permission

Ciudad Madero Lighthouses
Altamira, Ciudad Madero, Tampico, and Pueblo Viejo are adjoining municipalities, part of the same metropolitan area. Ciudad Madero and Tampico are on the north bank of the Río Pánuco, the border between Tamaulipas and Veracruz states. Pueblo Viejo is on the south bank in Veracruz. the population of the metropolitan area is about 1 million.

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Tampico Escollera Norte (North Breakwater)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); red flash every 5 s. 6 m (20 ft) square pyramidal concrete tower, painted white, topped by a square pyramidal skeletal tower. Fernando Martínez's 2022 photo is at right, Gael Ortiz Meza also has a 2022 photo, Trabas has Capt. Peter's 2016 photo, Ranulfo Martinez has a 2019 photo, Omar Fernando Vilchis Zárate has a street view, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the north breakwater at the entrance to the Río Pánuco and Tampico's traditional harbor. Accessible by walking the breakwater. Site open, tower closed. CF-28-005; Admiralty J4240; NGA 15232.
* Tampico (Faro de la Barra, Ciudad Madero) (2)
1883 (station established 1865). Active; focal plane 43 m (141 ft); three white flashes every 6 s. 40 m (131 ft) hexagonal pyramidal skeletal tower with central cylinder, lantern and gallery. Entire lighthouse painted white. A 2023 photo by David Sloat is at the top of this page, Emmanual Faz has a good photo, Trabas has Capt. Peter's 2016 photo, Huelse has posted a postcard image, and Google has a 2024 street view and a satellite view The lighthouse was designed by U.S. engineers and prefabricated in Pittsburgh. It is the only surviving example of its design. The U.S. Library of Congress has a historic photo of the lighthouse taken before 1897. Locally the lighthouse is also called El Faro de Madero, the name of the seaside city adjacent to Tampico, or El Faro de la Barra, the same name used at Tuxpan (see below) and at many other places in Latin America. Located in an industrial area on the north side of the entrance to the Río Pánuco, about 1200 m (3/4 mi) from the open Gulf of Mexico. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MEX-033; CF-28-010; Admiralty J4236; NGA 15220.

Escollera Norte Light, Tampico, July 2022
Google Maps photo by Fernando Martínez
Tergosa Range Front
Date unknown. Active (privately maintained); focal plane 16 m (52 ft); white flash every 3 s. 16.5 m (54 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. Trabas has Capt. Peter's 2016 photo and Google has a satellite view. This range guides vessels on the Río Pánuco on the west side of Tampico. Located in an industrial area on the east side of the confluence of the Río Tamesí with the Río Pánuco. Site status unknown. CF-028-615.3.1; Admiralty J4245.5.
Tergosa Range Rear (2)
Date unknown. Active (privately maintained); focal plane 22 m (72 ft); white light, 1 s on, 1 s off. 22 m (72 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo. and Google has a satellite view. Located in an industrial area on the east side of the confluence of the Río Tamesí with the Río Pánuco, about 180 m (600 ft) west northwest of the front light. Site status unknown. CF-028-615.3; Admiralty J4245.3.
Cemex Range Front (2)
Date unknown. Active (privately maintained); focal plane about 16 m (52 ft); white flash every 3 s. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. Trabas has Capt. Peter's 2016 photo and Google has a street view and an indistinct satellite view. Located in the Cemex cement plant west of the Río Tamesí. Site and tower closed. CF-28-615.4; Admiralty J4245.2.
Cemex Range Rear (2)
Date unknown. Active (privately maintained); focal plane about 25 m (82 ft); white light, 1 s on, 1 s off. Approx. 22 m (72 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. Trabas has Capt. Peter's 2024 photo and Google has the street view seen at right and a satellite view. Located in the Cemex cement plant west of the Río Tamesí, about 240 m (800 ft) west of the front light. Site and tower closed. CF-28-615.5; Admiralty J4245.1.

Cemex Range Rear Light, Tampico, June 2024
Google Maps street view

Information available on lost lighthouses

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: USA: South Texas | South: Northern Veracruz

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Posted December 2004. Checked and revised April 16, 2026. Lighthouses: 21. Site copyright 2026 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.