Popocatépetl

Mexico's most dangerous volcano is making news

Depending on who you ask, there are somewhere between 46 and 48 active volcanoes in Mexico, and hundreds of inactive or extinct ones. The country of Mexico lies comfortably within the Ring of Fire - a ring defined by the rim of the Pacific Ocean, running up from South America along the entirety of South, Central and North America, and then across to the Kamchatka peninsula of Russia, and down through a variety of island chains in the Western Pacific. The Ring of Fire is a region of great seismic and volcanic activity, the result of plate tectonics - specifically the Pacific Plate, a lithospheric plate whose movements have resulted in a continuous series of subduction zones along it's rim.

The Ring of Fire

Of the 46 (or 48) active volcanoes in Mexico, the most active - and therefore, most dangerous - is Popocatépetl (pronounced poh - poh - kah - teh - peh - tl), a volcano that straddles the states of Puebla and the State of Mexico (where Mexico City is located). And if you have been following the news, you may have heard that Popocatépetl is threatening to erupt again, posing a risk to millions of inhabitants in Puebla and the densely populated State of Mexico.

Some background on Popocatépetl

Popocatépetl is approximately 730,000 years old. It is the second highest peak in Mexico, at approximately 17,700 feet (5,400 meters) - the highest peak being Pico do Orizaba (Citlaltépetl, also an active volcano, and also the tallest volcano in North America). Popocatépetl is a mere 43 miles (70 kilometers) southeast of Mexico City and 28 miles (45 kilometers) from the city of Puebla, which is the capital city of the state of Puebla.

Popocatépetl is a Nahuatl name meaning smoking mountain. Mexicans today often refer to Popocatépetl by the diminutive El Popo. Popocatépetl is linked by the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt to the dormant volcano Iztaccíhuatl, which is Mexico's third tallest peak. Both peaks are visible from Mexico City on clear days (vista occluding skyscrapers notwithstanding).

Popocatépetl, Iztaccíhuatl, and Pico de Orizaba are (or were) the only peaks in Mexico with glaciers (all three are capped with snow year-round). In recent years, volcanic activity on Popocatépetl has melted all of it's glaciers, leaving only Iztaccíhuatl and Pico de Orizaba with glacial fields.

Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl are separated from one another by a distance of 10 miles (16 kilometers). Their close proximity gave rise to an Aztec origin story reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet. In this story, Iztaccíhuatl is the daughter of a Tlaxcala chieftain. Iztaccíhuatl falls in love with one of the chieftain's greatest warriors, Popocatépetl. Popocatépetl asks the chieftain for permission to marry his daughter, a request the chieftain grants on the condition that Popocatépetl returns victoriously from a war the chieftain is waging against the Aztecs. While Popocatépetl is away at war, a suitor jealous of Iztaccíhuatl's pending marriage to Popocatépetl falsely tells Iztaccíhuatl that Popocatépetl has died in battle. Iztaccíhuatl dies of grief, and when Popocatépetl returns, he himself is overcome with grief at finding his love dead. He carries her body away to a tomb he has built for her; he places her body on this tomb and kneels down next to her. He remains kneeling for centuries, and the gods cover them both with snow and soil until they become the volcanoes we see today. Iztaccíhuatl is dormant, but Popocatépetl's rage at the loss of his lover is manifested by the fire and smoke that Popocatépetl continuous to spew.

Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl also serve as the titular "volcano" in Malcolm Lowry's masterpiece of English literature Under the Volcano. In Lowry's story, these looming volcanoes are constant sentinels, overshadowing the human tragedy unfolding below.

Popocatépetl Today

For the past several months, Popocatépetl has been spewing rock and ash into the skies above Puebla and the State of Mexico. And in the last few weeks, Popocatépetl's activity has increased dramatically. Over the centuries, Popocatépetl has erupted numerous times. For much of the 20th century, Popocatépetl maintained a state of relative peace, broken in 1994 by its first eruption in nearly 70 years. Since then, it has been quite active, with evacuations in nearby towns and flight cancelations in and out of Mexico City's airports being somewhat regular occurrences.

Although evacuations haven't yet taken place for Popocatépetl's recent activity, regional and federal governments have put many towns in the shadows of Popocatépetl on warning that evacuations may be imminent. The danger that the volcano poses is largely due to the unhealthy air quality that it's spewing ash and toxic gases cause, as well as to the damage to crops and food stores that the ash entails. Even now, many towns around the base of Popocatépetl are becoming covered in ash, and residents are being advised to wear protective eye coverings and respiration filters when outdoors. Prevailing winds right now are steering the majority of ash and gas away from the 22 million residents of the State of Mexico, and toward less populated towns in Puebla. But the wind directions are expected to change in June, which means that the population of Mexico City may be at risk soon.

If you are planning a trip to Puebla soon, it would be a good idea to reconsider. And if you are planning a trip to Mexico's capital, please do take into consideration what the volcano is doing as your trip approaches.

While a major lava eruption is unlikely (it has been centuries since Popocatépetl released a significant amount of lava), geologists are watching the ash and glowing rocks being flung from the volcano's crater with concern. Unfortunately, the passage of centuries has failed to soften Popocatépetl's anger at the treachery that robbed him of a life with his intended. More safety alerts and evacuations may be the fallout of his unappeased rage.

The Mexican army patrols the ash-covered streets of the town of Santiago Xalitzintla, Puebla on May 22, 2023