Mexico's Volcanoes 2008
Climbing the main volcanoes in Mexico during the year 2008: Iztaccihuatl, La Malinche, Nevado de Toluca, and Sierra Negra
Idioma/Language: English Español - Visita también: Volcanes de México 2009 - Volcanes de México 2010
Climbing the main volcanoes in Mexico during the year 2008: Iztaccihuatl, La Malinche, Nevado de Toluca, and Sierra Negra
The Iztaccihuatl mountain, or Izta as is familiarly known, is an extinct volcano located in central Mexico. With a height of 5,220 m, Iztaccihuatl is the third highest mountain in the country, exceeded only by the Pico de Orizaba and the Popocatepetl. Of all the Mexico's volcanoes, Iztaccihuatl is perhaps the most interesting, since it has the most mountainous terrain.
According to the Aztec mythology, Iztaccihuatl means "The White Woman", because when viewing the mountain form the west (check this picture), the mountain resembles a woman lying down and the following parts of the mountain stand out:
In the following picture, although it has been taken from the East and from La Malinche and it is not the best perspective, the main parts of the Iztaccihuatl can be observed:
The Iztaccihuatl volcano can be climbed from various locations, but the best known is from La Joya, located seven kilometers from Paso de Cortés and at the feet of the Iztaccihuatl volcano. To climb is needed to register and pay a fee to access in the offices of the Parque Nacional Izta-Popo (Izta-Popo National Park) located in the town of Amecameca or in the hostel of the same Paso de Cortés. La Joya is reachable by car, but the driving must be careful, because the dirt road has holes that make it very difficult in some places.
The Paso de Cortés, a mountain pass located between the volcanoes Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl, is named because it is the place where the Spanish conqueror Hernan Cortés passed through on his way to the Valley of Mexico in 1520. The altitude of the Paso de Cortés is about 3,600 m.
In the Paso de Cortés there is a monument commemorating this fact:
Iztaccihuatl volcano is located about 55 km southwest of Mexico City. The access to the Paso de Cortés can be done from the west from the town of Amecameca by a paved road, or from the east from Santiago Xalitzintla by a dirt road that is not in very good condition in some parts.
At La Joya, we can park the vehicle which we come. On weekends we can meet some vendors of mountain equipment.
At first, the climbing is easy and smooth by a path that runs along the mountainside on the west slope:
Along the way we can find numerous crosses and commemorative plaques that remember some dead mountaineers:
Iztaccihuatl can be climbed in one (if no snow) or two days. If we choose to spend two days, we can pass the night in the "Albergue nº 19 del Grupo de los Cien", at 4,750 m (as a plate says on the door). Near the Aberge there is no water in winter and sometimes there is not enough snow to be melted to get water.
The Albergue is not guarded and has enough space for 20 people. A video taken at the "Albergue del Grupo de los Cien":
Unfortunately, we had to abandon the climb past the Albergue, as we found snow and we didn't carry the appropriate mountain material:
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