At dawn this Saturday, the Popocatepetl volcano registered an explosion that generated a column of steam, gases and low ash content 1200 meters high, in addition to adding 128 exhalations in 24 hours, reported the National Civil Protection Coordination ( CNPC ) .
Through his Twitter account, he detailed that the explosion, reported at 1:34 am this Saturday, threw incandescent fragments a short distance from the crater.
However, at 10 o’clock, the CNPC announced that Popocatepetl produced another exhalation, which generated a column of steam, gases and ash 1,600 meters high.
The activity of the volcano was reported at 9:16 a.m. and, therefore, he asked the population not to approach the area and to stay informed. The Warning Traffic Light is in Yellow Phase 2.
For its part, the National Center for Disaster Prevention ( CENAPRED ) explained that in the last 24 hours the volcano has accumulated 128 exhalations, 753 minutes of tremor and an explosion.
The CNPC and Cenapred, recommended to the population not to approach the colossus and respect the 12-kilometer security radius. For its part, State Civil Protection indicated that the winds could disperse the ash towards the communities located in Puebla and this entity.
What does Popocatépetl mean and what is his tragic history with Iztaccíhuatl?
Don Goyo is a geologically young volcano, as it is barely 730,000 years old, with which it has formed endless stories, legends, and data that make it one of the most interesting to explore.
September never ceases to surprise and scare Mexicans. It seems like a kind of curse that every start of the national month is an omen that something bad is going to happen to nature.
In just 12 days, the country has already suffered the ravages of a 7.1-degree earthquake, floods in various states, the entry of several hurricanes, and, as if that were not enough, a new awakening by the Popocatépetl volcano.
Earlier this Saturday, Don Goyo registered multiple exhalations that intensified throughout the day until causing walls of smoke and an explosion that caused the fall of ashes and incandescent material.
However, Popo is not just a volcano that has existed in Mexico for more than 730 thousand years, because around it there is a whole series of data and legends that make it very interesting for all people who want to know its history.
The residents of Santiago Xalitzintla baptized the Popo as Don Goyo, and every March 12 they celebrate it (Photo: Twitter @raulcarranco)
Why is it called Popocatepetl?
Popocatépetl derives from the Nahuatl language and is made up of two words: Popoca, which means “ that smokes ”, and Tepetl, which means “ Mountain ”. This linguistic construction shows that since pre-Hispanic times it has been active and, surely, causing some scares among the inhabitants.
His nickname is also very popular. Known as Don Goyo, this peculiar way of calling him, very Mexican, comes from the town of Santiago Xalitzintla, located in Puebla.
It is said that a man named Gregorio Chino Popocatepétl appeared to one of its inhabitants, identified as Antonio, while he was walking through the volcano. In this encounter, Gregorio warned him about the explosion and assured him that he would appear whenever this disaster was to occur.
From that moment on, Antonio became the first tempero and began to create the Analco family lineage. One of its members is the one to whom the spirit of the volcano appears to give him messages, which he must transmit.
For this reason, the inhabitants of Xalitzintla baptized the Popo as “Goyo”, after the name of the personification that appeared to Antonio. Because of this, every March 12, the day of Saint Gregory the Great, there is a pilgrimage to Popocatepetl to provide him with offerings of flowers and food to keep him happy and peaceful.
Popoca had a tragic end with his beloved Mixti (Photo: REUTERS / Oswaldo Cantero)
Legend of Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl
Before being the second and third highest mountains in Mexico, only behind the Citlaltépetl or Pico de Orizaba, Popo and Izta were a loving couple who lived a tragic end.
Legend says that Iztaccíhuatl, or Mixtli, was the most beautiful Tlaxcala princess. Thanks to her gifts, she was wanted by one of the cruelest warriors in the region, Axooxco, who at all costs sought her heart without knowing that she already belonged to Popocatépetl, or Popoca, a handsome and noble fighter.
The Tlaxcalteca people lived under the yoke of the Aztecs, but the chief decided once and for all to end this domination and decided to wage a battle for the freedom of his people
Popoca, as a good warrior and lover, decided to ask the chief for the hand of his daughter Mixtli. This would not be easy, because to consummate the marriage he proposed to go to war against the Aztec empire and return safe, sound and victorious.
Faced with this request, and with a heart full of love and courage, Popoca accepted. Soon after he left for the battlefield, but not before upholding his promise with Iztaccihuatl to return and consummate his love on the altar.
Iztaccíhuatl volcano, formed by an eternal love promised to Popocatépetl (Photo: Cuartoscuro)
However, as soon as he noticed her absence, a jealous Axooxco deceived the princess by telling her that her beloved Popoca had succumbed in combat. Heartbreak seized her, a victim of deception, she died of sadness knowing that she could never see her loved one again.
Shortly after, Popoca returned victorious to fulfill the promise he made with the chief. However, he was greeted by the sad and tragic death of Iztaccíhuatl. Faced with this, Popocatépetl undertook the search for the best way to honor the love that both had.
For this reason, he ordered the construction of a tomb in which 10 hills would join to raise a huge mountain. Once finished, he took the body of his lover, laid her on the highest point of the building, gave her a kiss and stayed by her side, kneeling for all eternity with a torch in hand.
Face to face, they were blending with the environment. Between the rocks and the snow, they became a mountain, the most solid and immortal way to stay together. In that way they remained united to this day, and will continue to do so until the world ends.