Popocatépetl

Puebla/Mexico State, Mexico

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Popocatépetl is an active stratovolcano on the border of the Mexican states of Puebla and México, roughly 70 kilometers southeast of Mexico City and about 45 kilometers southwest of Puebla city. Its name means “Smoking Mountain” in the Aztec Nahuatl language, reflecting its frequent emissions of steam, ash, and gas from a steep‑walled summit crater. Rising to about 5,400 meters, it is one of the highest and most active volcanoes in Mexico, sitting on the Trans‑Mexican Volcanic Belt and forming part of the famous “Sierra Nevada” with its twin peak Iztaccíhuatl. Popocatépetl has erupted repeatedly since pre‑Columbian times, with recorded explosions and ash plumes in recent centuries, and it remains closely monitored because tens of millions of people live within its hazard zone. The volcano also holds deep cultural significance in Mexican legend and is a striking, glacier‑capped landmark visible from miles away on clear days.