Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl

If you have ever seen this picture and wondered what the story behind it was, you are in luck. This is a legend of a love that couldn’t be and heartbreak, kind of like a version of Romeo and Juliet which includes a rumor of death. These 2 are represented by two volcanoes in Mexico.

Popocatépetl (Left), Iztaccíhuatl (Right)

Popocatépetl is Strato Volcano and North America’s third highest volcano. It is also formed of what is left from an old volcano and is currently still active. Since the volcano is surrounded by ice and glaciers it is susceptible to lahars in case of eruption in which lava begins to spew out. Also since it is so close to several cities including Mexico City, some towns have had to be evacuated due to warnings of pyrolastic flows and tephra in case of an explosion. Iztaccíhuatl is a dormant volcano which is adjacent to the great Popocatépetl and is usually just referred to as a mountain. Legend says that when Iztaccíhuatl wakes up both volcanoes will erupt. An eruption would be devastating to Mexico City because of its’ proximity to the volcano.

http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1401-09=

http://www.volcanolive.com/popocatepetl.html

http://climbing.about.com/od/mountainclimbing/a/Iztaccihuatl.htm

Mexico: More Than What You See On The News

Picture of a Chalupa in Xochimilco

(yes your Taco Bell chalupa is named after a raft)

Welcome to my first post,

My name is Noemi Urena and I am a History Major. This is my third year at UCD and I have loved everything I have learned thus far. I am emphasizing in American History, but one of my favorite places to study is Mexico and its history. My parents are both from Mexico, but I have never had the opportunity to travel any deeper into Mexico other than its border city Juarez, Chihuahua (which is one of the towns that have been hit the hardest with the drug violence/drug war). The media’s emphasis on the drug war in Mexico is another one of the reasons that I have chosen it. We have been so caught up in all the bad things going on there that we forget all the amazing things that Mexico has to offer. Mexico is astonishing from the amazing ice volcano Popocatepetl to the floating gardens of Xochimilco. Also the Aztec ruins and how this civilization decided to build their main city on a lake (which is now slowly sinking). I’m excited about this blog and the things I will discover about Mexico. I truly hope you all enjoy it.