[2] It is named after Spanish conquistador Juan de Grijalva who visited the area in 1518.

[4] Río Grande de Chiapas rises into Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, Huehuetenango;[5] in Guatemala receives the name "Selegua River" and also is a large river.

After flowing from Nezahualcoyotl Lake, an artificial lake created by the hydroelectric Malpaso Dam, Grijalva River turns northward and eastward, roughly paralleling the Chiapas-Tabasco state border.

It flows through Villahermosa (where, in 2001, a new cable-stayed bridge was constructed to cross the river) and empties into the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 10 km (6.2 mi) northwest of Frontera.

The river is navigable by shallow-draft boats for approximately 100 mi (160 km) upstream.