Carpenter's Lagoon, Natural lagoon in Tampico, Mexico

Carpenter's Lagoon is a natural body of water in Tampico surrounded by walking paths. An extensive network of trails runs around the water, offering routes for walkers and runners to explore the area.

The lagoon and its mangrove once covered three times their present area; residents filled the water with rubbish until it reached today's size. From the early 1970s the basin gave off a foul smell, and in the early 1990s a civil trust, the Patronato Pro-Desarrollo de la Laguna del Carpintero, cleaned and restored the water. In 2018 the Supreme Court of Justice ruled to protect the mangrove after citizens denounced tree felling for a theme park.

The name has been used for about two hundred years. One version tells of a carpenter who lived on the shore and drowned crossing the lagoon to reach his burning sweetheart's house; another says he took his own life after being rejected; the simplest holds that woodpeckers lived among the lagoon's birds.

The lagoon has several entry points to access the trails and offers parking areas with rest spots along the routes. You can choose to walk a short section or explore the full length depending on your time and interest.

The lagoon's name has been in use for about two hundred years. One popular account tells of a young carpenter who lived on the shore and drowned swimming across to reach his burning sweetheart's house when his boat was unusable; another says he took his own life after being rejected. A simpler explanation points to the woodpeckers once common among the local birds.