Popocatépetl
Active stratovolcano and second highest peak in Mexico.
Popocatépetl is an active stratovolcano located in the states of Puebla, Morelos, and Mexico in central Mexico. It lies in the eastern half of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt and is the second highest peak in Mexico, after Citlaltépetl (Pico de Orizaba). It is one of the most active volcanoes in Mexico and the most famous, with numerous eruptions recorded since the arrival of the Spanish in 1519.
- Elevation
- 5,393 m (17,694 ft)
- Location
- States of Puebla, Morelos, and Mexico, central Mexico
- Type
- Active stratovolcano
- Prominence rank
- 89th by prominence
- Age
- About 730,000 years old
- Crater dimensions
- 400 m × 600 m (1,300 ft × 2,000 ft) wide
- Name meaning
- Smoking Mountain (from Nahuatl popōca 'it smokes' and tepētl 'mountain')
Quick Facts
- Etymology
- nah · popōcatepētl, Smoking Mountain
- Nickname
- es · Don Goyo
- Elevation M
- 5393
- Elevation Ref
- Sources vary widely, on the elevation of Popocatépetl, with most giving a value at or slightly above 5400 m. The 5393 m figure given here is from the Smithsonian Institution-Global Volcanism Program.
- Prominence M
- 3020
- Listing
- World most prominent peaks 89th · North America highest peaks 5th · North America prominent peaks 17th · Mexico highest major peaks 2nd
- Location
- Mexico-Puebla-Morelos, Mexico
- Last Eruption
- 2024
- Easiest Route
- rock/snow climb
- Mapframe
- yes
- Mapframe-Zoom
- 10
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The name Popocatépetl comes from the Nahuatl words popōca 'it smokes' and tepētl 'mountain', meaning Smoking Mountain. It is also affectionately referred to by Mexicans as El Popo, and the alternate nickname Don Goyo comes from the mountain's association with San Gregorio. Legend says that a villager met an old man on the slopes who introduced himself as Gregorio Chino Popocatépetl, a personification of the volcano's spirit who warns locals of impending eruptions. Every 12 March, the day of San Gregorio, locals bring flowers and food to the volcano to celebrate the saint.
Reader's Guide
Popocatépetl is significant as one of the most active volcanoes in Mexico and a prominent landmark visible from Mexico City, 70 km to the northwest. Its geological history includes multiple major eruptions, including three Plinian eruptions since the mid-Holocene, the most recent around 800 AD. The volcano's glaciers, once among three tall peaks in Mexico to contain them, disappeared by early 2001 due to warmer temperatures and increased volcanic activity. Popocatépetl is linked to the twin volcano Iztaccihuatl by the Paso de Cortés, and both are located within Izta-Popo Zoquiapan National Park. The volcano is monitored by the Deep Earth Carbon Degassing Project and has prompted evacuations, such as in December 2000 when tens of thousands were evacuated based on scientists' warnings. Its eruptions have included ash plumes, lava expulsion, and pyroclastic flows, with notable activity in 1994, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2012, and 2013. The early-16th-century monasteries on its slopes are a World Heritage Site.
Did You Know?
- Popocatépetl is the second highest peak in Mexico at 5,393 m (17,694 ft).
- Its glaciers disappeared completely around 2001.
- The volcano is linked to Iztaccihuatl by the high saddle known as the Paso de Cortés.
- The name Popocatépetl means 'Smoking Mountain' in Nahuatl.
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