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Location Information:
Popocatépetl is an active volcano
the second highest peak in Mexico
after the Pico de Orizaba (5,636
m/18,491 ft). Popocatépetl is linked
to the Iztaccíhuatl volcano to the
north by the high saddle known as
the Paso de Cortés, and lies in the
eastern half of the Trans-Mexican
volcanic belt.
The name Popocatépetl comes from the
Nahuatl words popōca 'it smokes' and
tepētl 'mountain', thus Smoking
Mountain; the name Don Goyo comes
from the mountain's association in
the lore of the region with San
Gregorio (St. Gregory), "Goyo" being
a nickname-like short form of
Gregorio.
Popocatépetl is 70 km (43 mi)
southeast of Mexico City, from where
it can be seen regularly, depending
on atmospheric conditions. The
residents of Puebla, a mere 40 km
(25 mi) east of the volcano, enjoy
the views of the snowy and
glacier-clad mountain almost all
year long. The first Spanish ascent
of the volcano was made by an
expedition led by Diego de Ordaz in
1519. The early 16th-century
monasteries on the slopes of the
mountain are a World Heritage Site.
The glacier-clad stratovolcano
contains a steep-walled, 400 m × 600
wide crater. The generally
symmetrical volcano is modified by
the sharp-peaked Ventorrillo on the
NW, a remnant of an earlier volcano.
At least three previous major cones
were destroyed by gravitational
failure during the Pleistocene,
producing massive debris avalanche
deposits covering broad areas south
of the volcano.
Local
Weather:
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