river in Guanajuato estado (state), north-central Mexico. After rising in the Sierra Madre Occidental near San Felipe (Doctor Hernandez Alvarez), the Laja arches eastward and then southeastward through the central plateau, past the cities of Dolores Hidalgo, San Miguel de Allende, Comonfort, and San Miguel Octopan. It joins the Apaseo River, a tributary of the Lerma River, 3 miles (5 km) southeast of Celaya. A portion of the Mexico City–Piedras Negras railroad parallels the river's lower course. The Laja is about 85 miles (135 km) long.