| Popocatépetl | |
|---|---|
 Popocatépetl from Amecameca (looking south-east) |
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| Elevation | 5,426 metres (17,802 ft) |
| Location | Mexico-Puebla, Mexico |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Type | Stratovolcano (active) |
| Volcanic arc/belt | Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt |
| Last eruption | 2008 (ongoing) |
| First ascent | 1289 by Tecuanipas tribe |
| Easiest route | rock/snow climb |
Popocatépetl (commonly referred to as Popo, El Popo or Don Goyo) (IPA: [popokaˈtepetɬ]) is an active volcano and, at 5,426 m. Amecameca de Juárez is a town and the seat of the municipio (municipality of Amecameca in México State, Mexico. In topography a summit is a point on a surface which is higher in Elevation than all points immediately adjacent to Mexico State or State of Mexico (often abbreviated to " Edomex " from Estado de México in Spanish) is a state in the Is a Mexican state located in the center east of the country to the east of Mexico City. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. Mountains can be characterized in several ways Some mountains are Volcanoes and can be characterized by the type of lava and eruptive history A stratovolcano, also called a composite volcano is a tall conical Volcano composed of many layers of hardened Lava, Tephra, and Volcanic A volcanic arc is a chain of volcanic islands or Mountains formed by Plate tectonics as an oceanic Tectonic plate subducts under A volcanic belt is a large volcanically active region Other terms are used for smaller areas of activity such as volcanic fields Volcanic belts are found above zones For other topics with the same name see " Sierra Nevada " Plate tectonics and hotspots Divergent plate boundaries At the 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common In Climbing, a first ascent (FA is the first modern recorded climb to reach the top of a Mountain, or the first to follow a particular Climbing route A climbing route is a path by which a climber reaches the top of a Mountain, rock or ice wall Plate tectonics and hotspots Divergent plate boundaries At the , the second highest peak in Mexico after the Pico de Orizaba (5,636 m). A mountain is a Landform that extends above the surrounding Terrain in a limited area with a peak The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. The Pico de Orizaba, or Citlaltépetl (from Nahuatl citlal(in = star and tepētl = mountain is a Stratovolcano, the highest Popocatépetl comes from the Nahuatl words popōca 'it smokes' and tepētl 'mountain', thus Smoking Mountain. Nahuatl ( is a group of related languages and dialects of the Aztecan or Nahuan branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family 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. Iztaccíhuatl (alternative spellings include Ixtaccíhuatl, or either variant spelled without the accent (istakˈsiwatɬ or as spelled with the x, iʃtakˈsiwatɬ The Paso de Cortés is the pass or saddle between the Popocatépetl and Ixtaccíhuatl volcanoes in central México For other topics with the same name see " Sierra Nevada "
Popocatepetl is one of the most active volcanoes in Mexico, having had more than 20 major eruptions since the arrival of the Spanish in 1519. Popo is currently active. A major eruption occurred in 1947 to begin this cycle of activity. Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Then, on December 21, 1994 the volcano spewed gas and ash which was carried as far as 25 km away by prevailing winds. Events 69 - The end of the Year of the four emperors: Following Galba, Otho and Vitellius, Vespasian Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) The activity prompted the evacuation of nearby towns and scientists to begin monitoring for an eruption. In December 2000, tens of thousands of people were evacuated by the government based on the warnings of scientists. The volcano then made its largest display in thousands of years.
Popocatepetl is only 70 km to the southeast of Mexico City, from where it can be seen regularly, depending on atmospheric conditions. Mexico City (in Spanish: Ciudad de México, México DF, México or simply Méjico) is the Capital city of Mexico The residents of Puebla, a mere 40 km east of the volcano, enjoy the views of the snowy and glacier-clad mountain almost all year long. The city of Puebla, officially Heroic Puebla de Zaragoza (nicknamed Angelópolis) is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Puebla. "Glacial" and "Glaciation" redirect here For the geological periods see Glacial period. The volcano is also one of the three tall peaks in Mexico to contain glaciers, with the others being Iztaccíhuatl and Pico de Orizaba. "Glacial" and "Glaciation" redirect here For the geological periods see Glacial period. Magma erupted from Popocatépetl is a mixture of dacite (65 wt % SiO2, two-pyroxenes + plagioclase + Fe–Ti oxides + apatite, 3 wt % H2O, P = 1·5 kbar, fO2 = NNO + 0·5 log units) and basaltic andesite (53 wt % SiO2, olivine + two-pyroxenes, 3 wt % H2O, P = 1–4 kbar).
The first Spanish ascent of the volcano was made by an expedition led by Diego de Ordaz in 1519. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The early 16th-Century monasteries on the slopes of the mountain are a World Heritage Site. There are several monasteries near the Popocatépetl volcano in central Mexico which were built in the 16th century by members of the Franciscan, A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex
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The legend of Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl
cited article: Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl
In Aztec mythology, Popocatépetl was a warrior who loved Iztaccíhuatl. "Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl" refers to a number of mythical and folkloric explanations of the origins of the Volcanoes Popocatépetl The Aztec civilization recognized a polytheistic mythology which contained the many gods (over 100 and supernatural creatures from their religious beliefs Iztaccíhuatl (alternative spellings include Ixtaccíhuatl, or either variant spelled without the accent (istakˈsiwatɬ or as spelled with the x, iʃtakˈsiwatɬ Iztaccíhuatl's father sent Popocatepetl to war in Oaxaca, promising him his daughter as his wife if he returned (which Iztaccíhuatl's father presumed he would not). The Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), in Spanish phonemically /oa'xaka/ named for its largest city, is one of the Iztaccíhuatl's father told her that her lover had fallen in battle and she died of grief. When Popocatépetl returned, and discovered the death of his lover, he committed suicide by plunging a dagger through his heart. The gods covered them with snow and changed them into mountains. Iztaccíhuatl's mountain was called "La Mujer Dormida, (the "Sleeping Woman"), because it bears a resemblance to a woman sleeping on her back. Popocatépetl became the volcano Popocatépetl, raining fire on Earth in blind rage at the loss of his beloved. EARTH was a short-lived Japanese vocal trio which released 6 singles and 1 album between 2000 and 2001
A different tale was told by the Nahuatl-speakers of Tetelcingo, Morelos, according to whom Iztaccíhuatl (or Istācsohuātl, as they pronounce the name) was the wife of Popo, but the Nevado de Toluca wanted her, and he and Popocatepetl hurled rocks at each other in anger. Nevado de Toluca is a large Stratovolcano in central Mexico, located about west of Mexico City near the city of Toluca. This was the genesis of the rocky mountain ranges of the continental divide and the Trans-Mexican volcanic belt that lie between the two mountains. For other topics with the same name see " Sierra Nevada " Finally Popocatepetl, in a burst of rage, flung an enormous chunk of ice, decapitating the Nevado de Toluca. This is why the Nevado is flat-topped, with wide shoulders but no head. Conceivably this legend preserves the memory of catastrophic eruptions. (Pittman 1954:59)
The most popular legend about Iztaccíhuatl and Popocatépetl comes from the ancient Náhuas. As it comes from an oral tradition, there are many versions of the same story. There are also poems and songs telling this beautiful story.
Many years before Cortés came to Mexico, the Aztecs lived in Tenochtitlán, today's Mexico City. The chief of the Aztecs was a famous Emperor, who was loved by all the natives. The Emperor and his wife, the Empress, were very worried because they had no children. One day the Empress said to the Emperor that she was going to give birth to a child. A baby girl was born and she was as beautiful as her mother. They called her Iztaccíhuatl, which in Náhuatl means "white lady".
All the natives loved Izta and her parents prepared her to be the Empress of the Aztecs. When she grew up, she fell in love with a captain of a tribe, his name was Popoca. One day, a war broke out and the warriors had to go south to fight the enemy. The Emperor told Popoca that he had to bring the head of the enemy chief back from the war, so he could marry his daughter.
After several months of combat, a warrior who hated Popoca sent a false message to the Emperor. The message said that his army had won the war, but that Popoca had died in battle. The Emperor was very sad when he heard the news, and when Izta heard she could not stop crying. She refused to go out and did not eat any more. A few days later, she became ill and she died of sadness.
When the Emperor was preparing Izta's funeral, Popoca and his warriors arrived victorious from war. The Emperor was taken aback when he saw Popoca, and he told him that other warriors had announced his death. Then, he told him that Izta had died.
Popoca was very sad. He took Izta's body and left the town. He walked a long way until he arrived at some mountains where he ordered his warriors to build a funeral table with flowers and he put Izta lying on top. Then he kneeled down to watch over Izta and died of sadness too.
The Gods were touched by Popoca's sacrifice and turned the tables and the bodies into great volcanoes. The biggest volcano is Popocatépetl, which in Náhuatl means "smoking mountain". He sometimes throws out smoke, showing that he is still watching over Iztaccíhuatl, who sleeps by his side.
Another tale is much like the one before. Some warriors who did not want Popoca to be with Izta, since they liked her themselves, sent a message to the emperor saying that Popoca died. Izta was very sad. She then died of sadness. When Popoca returned he heard about Izta's death. He was also very sad. He went out of town with Izta's body and ordered his soldiers to make a mound for him and Izta. He put Izta's body on one mound and got onto the other with a smoking torch. He stays there forever looking after Izta. Over time dirt, snow, rocks, and Mother Nature covered them turning them into great mountains. Popoca's torch is still smoking as a reminder of what happened.
Picture gallery
 The north side of Popocatépetl viewed from Paso de Cortés |
 Popocatépetl at sunrise, looking west, from Puebla |
 Popocatépetl, the Paso de Cortés, and Ixtaccíhuatl |
References
- Pittman, Richard S. The Paso de Cortés is the pass or saddle between the Popocatépetl and Ixtaccíhuatl volcanoes in central México The city of Puebla, officially Heroic Puebla de Zaragoza (nicknamed Angelópolis) is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Puebla. The Paso de Cortés is the pass or saddle between the Popocatépetl and Ixtaccíhuatl volcanoes in central México Iztaccíhuatl (alternative spellings include Ixtaccíhuatl, or either variant spelled without the accent (istakˈsiwatɬ or as spelled with the x, iʃtakˈsiwatɬ (1954). A grammar of Tetelcingo (Morelos) Nahuatl. Language (journal of the LSA) 30. The Linguistic Society of America (LSA is a professional society for linguists 1 (Part 2), 67 pp.
- Secor, R. J. (2001). Mexico's Volcanoes: A Climbing Guide (3rd ed. ). Mountaineers Books, 160 pp. The Mountaineers is an outdoor recreation and awareness group based in Seattle, Washington and is the third largest group of its kind in the country ISBN 0-89886-798-3.
- Yarza de la Torre, Esperanza (1971). Volcanes de México. Aguilar, 237 pp. (in Spanish)
See also
External links
- National Geographic News
- Popo-Cam: live picture, updated every two minutes
- Popo-Cam's best recent pictures
- Daily time-lapse animations of the Popo-Cam
- Did 750 AD Eruption of Popo Force Natives to Migrate to Southeastern U.S.A.?
- Popocatépetl Photos
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