Mt. Popocatepetl

One of North America's most active volcanoes, Popocatepetl has received worship since before the Aztecs built shrines on his slopes, associated with the war god Huitzilopochtli and, through legend, with the tragic warrior who lost his love.

Shrine ruins at 12,000 feet on Popocatepetl predate the Aztecs, proving that whoever inhabited the Valley of Mexico before them also climbed toward the Smoking Mountain with offerings. The volcanic activity that makes modern approach impossible was present then too—perhaps less intense, perhaps accepted as part of what made the mountain sacred.

The Aztecs elaborated what they inherited. They associated Popocatepetl with Huitzilopochtli, the war god who demanded blood and granted victory. The volcano's fire matched the god's nature. Emperor Moctezuma sent warriors to investigate the smoke's source, initiating contact with power that could not be ignored.

The legend emerged from this context. A warrior named Popocatepetl loved the princess Iztaccihuatl. Her father sent him to war expecting his death; a jealous rival sent false news of his fall; she died of grief before he could return victorious. Finding her dead, he carried her body beyond the city and knelt in vigil that became transformation. The gods covered them with snow and changed them into mountains—she sleeping, he smoking, their love and grief made permanent.

Spanish conquest suppressed the most dramatic forms of worship—the human sacrifices that historical sources describe—but could not eliminate relationship with a mountain that continued smoking regardless of religious regime. Colonial and modern periods have seen continuous ceremonies in communities near the volcano, practices that blend Catholic forms with pre-Hispanic content.

Since the volcano's activity intensified in the 1990s, the relationship has necessarily changed. Climbing is prohibited. Approach is restricted. But watching continues, and watching thirty million strong constitutes its own form of attention. Popocatepetl does not need human approach to maintain his presence; he broadcasts it across two states every day.