Mexico— mountain state. Mountain ranges and ridges pass through the whole of Mexico from north to south, from the USA to Central America itself, creating indescribable landscapes and delighting the eyes of guests of the powers with their beauty. In total, Mexico has more than 2,000 large and small mountain peaks.
Only 42 peaks are considered active or extinct volcanoes. Their heights are very different, from 100 meters above sea level and up to 5.6 kilometers, like the Peak of Orizaba. Here we will present the six highest volcanoes in Mexico.
Orizaba Peak
Mexico's highest volcano — Orizaba Peak. Its second name — Citlaltépetl, or «star mountain» translated from the languages of the Nahuatl Indians. The volcano is located on the border of the states of Veracruz and Puebla, its height is 5636 meters. It is also Mexico's highest mountain peak.
This is an active stratovolcano with rudimentary signs of activity. The last active eruption dates back to 1687, however, it is the fifth most active among Mexico's volcanoes. For now, faint plumes of smoke can only be seen at the summit.
At the top of Peak Orizaba there is a real volcanic crater. And although the climb to the top is accessible only to professional climbers, there are many trails on the slopes of the mountain for amateur mountaineering. Beautiful nature, pine and oak forests, mountain rivers and clean air — here there is everything to feel the beauty and difference of the local nature.
The top of the volcano gives rise to numerous rivers descending from the snow-capped peak — Blanco, Cotaxtla, Jamapa, Metlac, Orizaba and Balsas. These rivers are considered an important source of water supply for settlements located at the foot of or near the volcano.
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Popocatepetl
Perhaps this is the most famous Mexican volcano, moreover, it is active and active. The name Popocatepetl means "smoking mountain" in Nahuatl. The volcano is located between the state of Mexico City and Puebla, its height is 5452 meters. The last active eruption of the volcano occurred in 2017, and the volcano has not calmed down for many years, regularly throwing out columns of ash and steam several kilometers high.
Due to activity, the area within a radius of 12 kilometers from the volcano crater is closed to visitors. There are several observation stations located on the slopes, monitoring the geological activity of the giant. Volcanic emissions are clearly visible not only from the city of Puebla, but also from the capital, Mexico City.
The volcano is located in the Iztaccihuatl-Popocatepetl National Park, which is famous for its biodiversity and the richness of its ecosystem.
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Iztaccihuatl
Legend has it that Iztaccíhuatl died after the Aztec princess Tlaxcaltec died in the arms of her lover. The name comes from two words in the Nahuatl language — «Iztac» (white) and «Cíhuatl» (woman), he is also known as «Sleeping Woman».
The height of this volcano is 5286 meters above sea level or 4740 from the foot to the top. Has four peaks. It is considered a dead volcano and the third highest in Mexico.
Iztaccihuatl is located in the Iztaccihuatl-Popocatepetl National Park, north of Popocatepetl and connected to it through the Paso de Cortes (Cortes Pass) mountain range with an altitude of 3600 meters. The peaks of the volcano are almost always covered with snow.
The volcano is accessible for mountaineering, but on its slopes hiking along mountain trails, observing flora and fauna, mountain biking, camping and other types of mountain sports are more developed.
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Nevado de Toluca
In addition, he is known as Xinantécatl, which in Nahuatl languages means “Naked Lord.” This is a giant volcano located just 43 km from the city of Toluca, in the state of Mexico City, and its height reaches 4680 meters.
The volcano has been dead for a long time; the last eruption occurred in the 14th century. A dirt road leads to the top; here there is a huge 1.5-kilometer flat crater, with two lakes constantly filled with water. The lakes are called Sun and Moon, and their crystal clear waters are home to rainbow trout. To engage in diving here, you need to have a special license, but in general, observation of flora and fauna, hiking and other active sports are developed in the Nevado de Toluca National Park.
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Colima
Volcano Colima — one of the most active volcanoes in Mexico. Despite the fact that its main peak, 4625 meters high, has long since rotted away and is always covered with snow, the lower peak — Volcán de Fuego de Colima («Fire Volcano») with a height of 3846 m — continues to be regularly active today. The last significant eruption occurred in 2017 with the release of ash and steam at a height of 2 km, and over the past 500 years more than 40 such eruptions have been recorded.
The volcano is located in central Mexico, in the state of Jalisco. The volcano is of some interest from the point of view of mountaineering, however, in terms of sporting attractiveness it is inferior to other volcanoes in Mexico.
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Malinche
The last on our list of the highest volcanoes in Mexico is the Malinche volcano, or Matlalcueyatl, located in the National Park of the same name between the states of Tlaxcala and Puebla. Its height reaches 4461 meters.
The name of the volcano in the Nahuatl language means «from that in blue skirts». The area around the volcano was declared a National Park in 1938.
Basic climbing routes to the volcano begin from the base camp of Centro Vacacional Malintzi, located at an altitude of 2800 meters. You can reach the camp via a dirt road. Here, flora and fauna observation, photography of picturesque mountain landscapes, hiking and mountain biking are also developed. Camping is considered popular for lovers of eco-tourism.
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