Popocatépetl, << `paw` paw kah TEH `peht` uhl or `poh` puh KAT uh `peht` uhl, >> is a volcanic mountain that lies about 45 miles (72 kilometers) southeast of Mexico City. Popocatépetl is one of the highest mountains in North America. It rises 17,887 feet (5,452 meters) above sea level. Denali, the highest mountain on the continent, is only 2,423 feet (739 meters) taller than Popocatépetl. The summit of Popocatépetl is covered with snow. Evergreen forests grow on its lower slopes.
Since at least the 1300’s, Popocatépetl has erupted from time to time, spewing out gas, steam, smoke, and ash. Because of these periodic eruptions, the Aztec who lived nearby named the volcano Popocatépetl, which means smoking mountain. Popocatépetl is often called simply “Popo.”
During the 1520’s, soldiers in the army of Spanish conqueror Hernán Cortés entered Popocatépetl’s crater to obtain sulfur to make gunpowder. Some mining for sulfur has taken place since then. Popocatépetl has become a popular mountain-climbing site.
