For a few years my wife, her cousin, and myself have developed a kind of trend that is slowly turning into a tradition: Just after New Years we like to go hiking to one of the mountains near Mexico City. At first it was the Nevado de Toluca, followed by la Malinche, and this year we went to visit the two volcanoes between Mexico City and Puebla: the Popocatépetl and the Iztaccihuatl.
El Paso de Cortés
Since the two volcanoes are located right next to each other, visiting one means visiting both. There is also a convenient pass between the two, named after Cortéz, since it was the route the Spanish conquistador took on his way to the Aztec capital Tenochtitlán, which became Mexico City. Today the Pass of Cortéz is part of the national park combining the two volcanoes, and it is the most scenic way to Puebla, which I always recommended to my WarmShowers guests cycling across the continent.
There are a number of hiking trails in the area, including up the two mountains, however there is a good chance that they may be closed, if the Popocatépetl shows signs of activity. Even the Iztaccihuatl, which is dormant, can only be accessed with a guide, who will make sure that the paying visitor is decently prepared and well equipped for such an endeavor. After all, the 5,230 m (17,160 ft) height can be dangerous, and I suppose it had taken too many victims already. The Popo is even taller and steeper, with 5,393 m (17,694 ft), so even on calm days a guide is imperative.
Mountains of Legends
The most interesting thing about these two volcanoes are the legends surrounding them. While there are countless versions, the basic story is quite similar: Iztaccihuatl, whose name means White Lady, was an Aztec princess, while Popocatépetl (meaning Smoking Mountain) was a warrior in love with her. Since Izta's father didn't like the young suitor, he sent him to fight in a war in Oaxaca, hoping that he would not return.
Depending on the version, due to some external circumstances news reached the princess that her lover had died, even though he had been victorious and was on his way home. Unable to bear the sadness, Iztaccihuatl died by the time Popocatépetl reached her. He laid her on a platform outside the city, and set down with his smoking torch next to her, guarding her body. The two of them became the iconic volcanoes, with Iztaccihuatl referred to as "the sleeping woman", and Popocatépetl still sad and angry, and thus prone to occasional eruptions.
Visiting a Waterfall
Since we didn't book a guide (and we probably didn't even have the right gear to scale the mountains), we settled for an easier hike, starting at the pass, and taking us toward the Iztaccihuatl, and down into a lush valley. The main attraction there was a waterfall, which was pretty enough to become the focal point of all the tourists in the area. While on the hike itself we barely saw anyone, around the waterfall there seemed to be a whole town, including locals offering to take visitors from the parking lot to the waterfall on horseback. Great! Still, the trip was worth it, ticking off all the bigger mountains around the city. So next year we may venture a bit further, possibly to Mexico's highest one, the Pico de Orizaba.
