la cañada

Quote: Originally posted by pauldavidmena

Todos Santos, where I will be visiting soon, features a space called "La Cañada del Diablo". I know what diablo means, but looking up "la cañada" on the Google Translate yields "glen", while SpanishDict.com offers "gully", "ravine" and "stream" in addition to "glen". Does anyone know how the word is commonly used in Mexico (and specifically BCS)?

Quote: Originally posted by RnR

Quote: Originally posted by pauldavidmena   Todos Santos, where I will be visiting soon, features a space called "La Cañada del Diablo". I know what diablo means, but looking up "la cañada" on the Google Translate yields "glen", while SpanishDict.com offers "gully", "ravine" and "stream" in addition to "glen". Does anyone know how the word is commonly used in Mexico (and specifically BCS)? Your question just popped up while I was talking to a local Mexican friend in La Ventana. So I asked him on the spot ---- His explanation - La cañada - a smaller gully or ravine caused by local rain runoff typically with sloping earthen sides. El cañon - a much larger canyon typically with higher rock walls on each side. So I asked him what the difference was between a cañon and an arroyo. El arroyo - an arroyo is the big, wide sandy drainage path downstream from the mouth of the canyon (cañon). The key here seemed to be "wide and sandy" and a depositional area rather than an erosional area.

Thanks for the reply! Given the context, that makes total sense. In any case, it's good to watch one's step while walking.