Mexico: "How Can We Diagnose Popocatéptl's Gastritis?" - UNAM Volcanologist

Last night NPR ran a short piece on Popocatéptl's activity. Today (05/14/2013) a short piece appeared in La Jornada that gives a succinct summary of the science behind Popo's activity. Besides, the title proved to be irresistible. Here's my translation.

La Jornada: Emir Olivares Alonso

Mexico City - With average emissions of 6,000 to 8,000 tons per day, and about 200,000 tons expelled during outstanding eruptions, Popocatepetl is one of five volcanoes in the world that emit the highest levels of sulfur dioxide.

So says a study undertaken by a team of scientists from the Institute of Geophysics of the National Autonomous University of Mexico [UNAM], who have for years monitored emissions of carbon dioxide and sulfur. The purpose of this monitoring is to understand its role in different types of eruptive  episodes, reported Hugo Delgado, researcher at the Department of Volcanology at the UNAM.

Monitoring data show that between 1994--the year in which Popo last erupted--and 2008, the volcano released 30 megatons of gases, and the trends indicate that it will register, at least, another five year period of intense activity.

"The good news," he said, "is that while the gases vent efficiently as they are today, there will be no serious problems."

Equipment for measuring, detecting and monitoring the concentration of gases around the colossus was installed for this project.

Scientific Network

This network consists Tlamacas, Chipiquixtle, Colibrí and Cruz Blanca stations that monitor the volcano 360 degrees around. The scientist explained that emissions are monitored from these four stations, which cover an area of ​​500 square kilometers located in the states of Puebla, Mexico and Morelos. Different methods are used to determine the concentrations of sulfur dioxide and carbon.

Delgado Granados emphasized that the gases play a primary role in the explosive activity of volcanoes. The study of how they are emitted and their trajectory inside provides data on whether or not the eruptions will be explosive, he explained during the talk "How Can We Diagnose Popocatéptl's Gastritis?" given in the auditorium of the Institute of Geophysics Tlayólotl.

The volcanologist commented that, at any given moment, volcanoes emit lava streams and suddenly change their eruptive style to 'explosive' , a phenomenon in which the gases act as the engine of the process, whose origin is still debated by experts.

"In Popo's case, there is controversy about whether [explosive episodes] are caused by hot material that evaporates the limestone rocks or by the magma beneath the volcano. It is a puzzle that must be solved in order to improve explanations of what actually takes place."

Spanish original

Still Curious?

Here's the CNN Mexico piece featuring interviews with people who live near the crater: Mexico: Popocatéptl's Eruptions are "Part of the Countryside" Say Neighbors Living on the Volcano's Flanks

Here are several Jenny's posts that discuss the impact of volcanoes and other natural phenomena on the culture of Mexico:

• Geography: Ground of Mexican Culture and History;
• Mexico's Volcanoes and Mesoamerican Mythology;
• Cuicuilco, Volcanes and the Fragility of Life in Mesoamerica;
• Mesoamerican Culture: The Human Bond with Nature.

Mexico: Popocatéptl's Eruptions Are "Part of the Countryside" Say Neighbors Living On Volcano's Flanks

Popocatéptl's increased activity has put the volcano in the local news. One expert said that his behavior now is similar to what occurred before his last eruption in 1994. So here's the latest information based on my translation of a CNN Mexico article that appeared today. Links are to stories that CNN reporter Elvia Cruz filed, and I translated, last year at this time.

Popocatéptl Venting Ash Viewed from Puebla (Photo: Elvia Cruz)

CNN Mexico: Elvia Cruz

Santiago Xalizintla, Puebla - For José Cortés Agustín, listening to the roar of the volcano Popocatépetl is common. Observing the launch of incandescent material at night, "is part of the beautiful landscape" of his community, Santiago Xalitzintla, a town located less than twelve kilometers [7.5 miles] from the crater.

This Sunday as authorities prepared to evacuate residents near Don Goyo, as the volcano is also known, if it becomes necessary, the 75-year-old continued his normal activities.

"I would rather die here (in Xalitzintla) than leave. It frightens those from the city. The fear does not exist over there, he (Popocatépetl) would not hurt us. He gives us beautiful images so there is no reason to be frightened. No one can predict the day of his eruption (...) They say on the news that there is to be an alert, but his tremors and thunder are part of his business and also of those who live near him," he tells CNN México.

This weekend the Civil Protection "alert" went from Yellow-Phase 2 to Yellow-Phase 3, which means explosions of growing intensity with possibilities of pyroclastic flows--a mixture of gases and hot solids--of moderate range, according to the National Commission for Disaster Prevention (CENAPRED).

In the predawn hours of Sunday morning, the government of the state of Puebla, in the center of Mexico, implemented the Popocatépetl Operation Plan, which means outfitting shelters, the deployment of at least 2,000 emergency crew to the communities closest to the volcano to be prepared in case they have to evacuate the residents.

The volcano is located on the border of the states of Puebla, Mexico and Morelos.

According to the official report, the three communities closest to the crater that would have to be evacuated are San Pedro Benito Juárez, Atlixco, San Nicolás de los Ranchos and Santago Xalitzintla, where more than 11,000 people live.

"We are prepared for everything"

Nestor Torres, who has spent twenty years teaching in the Benito Juárez Elementary School in the village of Santiago Xalitzintla, agrees with José: living on the slopes of Popocatépetl, "does not present a problem".

The 48-year old teacher believes that now the people of this town are "more prepared" in case they have to evacuate.

"The families know that when the bells ring, they have to gather on the plaza in order to be taken to shelters. What must be recognized is that there are stubborn people who would not accept leaving their homes."

Nestor recalls the last time Popocatépetl erupted in December 1994.

"At that time, we were definitely frightened. My students weren't sure what to do, and neither was I. I just remember that the Army came and took us to a hostel. Everyone was scared. The people said that the end of the world had arrived. Fortunately, there were no losses to mourn. Now, we are all very used to Popo's noises", he told CNNMéxico.

He adds that the tremors caused by Don Goyo, shake "very strongly" the windows of the classrooms where he teaches, but that does not interrupt classes.

"At school we are prepared for any contingency. In case of expulsion of lava, ash, stones, the children know how to evacuate and get to the hostel at the high part of Xalitzintla," Araceli Jiménez, teacher responsible for civil protection at Benito Juárez Elementary School.

The high activity that Popocatépetl has sustained since last Tuesday should not be minimized either by the authorities or by the population, says volcanologist, Alejandro Rivera Domínguez.

Right now the volcano presents "a stage of interior pressure followed by forming a dome"; thus, he expects that the expulsion of ash, incandescent material and light stones would continued in the next few hours, or even weeks, says the specialist.

"There is a serious danger that small dense clouds of hot ash and might reach populated areas, so it is important to be vigilant," he says.

The Tradition of Don Goyo

According to the tiempero, Antonio Analco, Popocatépetl has told him that he will not erupt. The tiempero is the person chosen ... to talk with the volcano. He had his last "encounter" with Don Goyo on May 3, when the volcano told him that there will not be major danger.

"He also told me that so much movement bothers him. He doesn't like it that you are afraid. So much commotion by the government and the journalists make him nervous," he says.

The 68-year old man has the belief that Don Goyo will inform him through "a dream" at what point "he will seriously wake up" but "not right now that he only throws ash and lava."

In order to ask the volcano "not to misbehave", Analco says that in the first three days of May, a group of people from Xalitzintla repeated the ritual they did a year ago: they brought a charro suit, band music, mole with turkey meat, bread, fruit, bottles of tequila and candles.

"It is true that we are used to living with him, and every year we ask him that our life together may continue to be healthy," says the tiempero. Spanish original

Jenny's Postscript

The tiempero Antonio Analco may be on to something. According to volcanologist Hugo Delgado Granados and other experts from the UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico), so long as the volcano continues to spew gases, "there will not be serious problems" [reported today in the weekly magazine Proceso, 05/13/2013].

Still Curious?

Here are several Jenny's posts that discuss the impact of volcanoes and other natural phenomena on the culture of Mexico:

• Geography: Ground of Mexican Culture and History;
• Mexico's Volcanoes and Mesoamerican Mythology;
• Cuicuilco, Volcanoes and the Fragility of Life in Mesoamerica;
• Mesoamerican Culture: The Human Bond with Nature.

Volcano Update 4: We Just Watched Popocatéptl Blow His Top!

About half an hour ago, Reed and I were sitting in the living room enjoying a glass of wine with cheese and crackers when all of a sudden, Reed exclaimed,

"Oh, my god!  Look at that! Popo is blowing his top! A minute ago, there was nothing, and now look!"

Popocatéptl 'exhalation' or eruption
August 6, 2012, at about 6:00 PM Central Time
Photo: Reed

We literally watched over the next five or ten minutes as the plume continued to rise straight up.

CENAPRED is the government agency that monitors Mexico's volcanoes and issues daily bulletins. When I checked just a few minutes ago, nothing had yet appeared.

You heard it here first!  How's this for an answer to that great question, "But what do you and Reed do in Mexico?" Let me put it this way: We're never bored!

Update: 10:00 PM

CENAPRED just issued its 8:00 PM Report, which emphasized that 'el coloso' registered nine 'exhalations' during the last twelve hours, adding that the one that occurred at 5:58 PM was of 'Considerable' intensity, such that CENAPRED warned of possible ash fall in several pueblos -- all downwind of us in Coyoacán.

This is the photo that accompanied the 8:00 PM Report. It was taken at the beginning of the 'exhalation'. Reed's photo (above) was taken a few minutes later from a different angle. Wild, no?

'Exhalation' from Popocatéptl at 5:58 PM
Photo: CENAPRED stationary camera

El Tiempero, 'The One Who Sees and Speaks Nicely with Popocatéptl'

This first-person profile of 'El Tiempero', the one who sees and speaks with the volcano Popocatéptl, is remarkable for the window it opens on Mexico's traditions, myths and legends. Reed has said, "Myths arise when man encounters the forces of nature."   

I have tried hard to preserve the flavor of the original Spanish which, at times, approaches the biblical. Popocatéptl has many nicknames, 'Popo'  is one, but he is most commonly referred to as Don 'Goyo' — the nickname for Gregorio. Click on the original Excelsior article for great photos and a videoclip.

Excelsior: SANTIAGO XALITZINTLA, Puebla, April 23 - The face of Antonio Analco betrays annoyance at the sight of outsiders wandering around his community, just because Don Goyo is "making a little noise."

A man with white hair under a hat he seldom removes and skin burned by the sun, he has spent more than six decades at the feet of the volcano Popocatépetl, listening to him purr, observing the winds and clouds. He says he doesn't understand why there is such alarm by exhalations and ashes, "if nothing is going to happen here."

Don Antonio Analco, El Tiempero, from the pueblo of Santiago Xalitzintla, a mere 12 miles (19 kilometers) from the volcano's crater. 

In the community he is known as El Tiempero, the one who can see and talk with Don Goyo, as did his father, Pedro Analco, his grandfather, Encarnación Analco, and his father and grandfather before him. His voice is the one that will announce to the people (those closest to the volcano) the moment when they will have to leave their lands, their fields and their work tools to take refuge in foreign territory.

"I am the only one who can speak with the volcano. Sometimes in dreams, and other times when he appears to me on the mountain. He has told me that I might be calm, not to alarm ourselves like the strangers who have come to our land. When 'The Creator' notifies him [Don Goyo] that the hour has come for him to get up [erupt], then the volcano will tell me in a dream. 

"He will tell me to go out with my people, to take my wife, children and animals and leave these lands. I already told those who came frightened from other pueblos that nothing is going to happen, that the bells did not ring, and that it will not be necessary to go out to the shelters," he says.

Don Toño chats with this reporter with the same calmness with which the women cross in front of his shop and greet him. Down the sidewalk skinny dogs roam with children trailing them. The music of a band, hired by the father of a teenage girl to celebrate her quinceañera (fifteenth birthday), makes it seem that Saturday might be a holiday.

Any little boy of Santiago Xalitzintla who might cross the path of a stranger knows where Don Antonio lives. Don Antonio Analco, the one who speaks with the volcano. Among little boys there is still curiosity about men with video cameras on their shoulders and institutional trucks prowling around City Hall. But in adults there is weariness and distrust. They do not understand how the National Center for Disaster Prevention — "with all its little machines" — can figure out if Don Goyo will stand up [erupt]. They know that it takes two: Antonio Analco and the volcano itself.

"In 1994 there were eruptions," recalls El Tiempero, "many police came and took many people by force. When I found out, I went to the officers and asked them very annoyed, 'Has Don Goyo appeared to you in dreams? Do you know what size it is? Would you say something? And then?' And they returned my people to me."

The man closes his little shop and accompanies this reporter on a walk. Twelve miles from the village, black smoke is observed leaving from the mouth of the volcano. The sound of the exhalation is similar to the sound an airplane makes if it passes close. It puts to work the camera crew that arrived last week from the Federal District. El Tiempero looks at them and smiles:

"Do they have more years than I? Do they know more about volcanoes?"

He also says that he was given his relationship with the volcano when he was in the womb.

"As a child I had dreams that I did not understand. Until one day I was bringing some cows to the mountain when an enormous man with snow-white hair appeared to me. He told me that his name was Gregory Chino Popocatépetl, that I was very small but that when I grew older I would have a wife and children, and that my destiny would be to communicate with him in order to serve as a messenger to my people."

He states that recently [the man] appeared. He asked if I was scared.

"I said 'no', and then he told me that I was to tell my people that they might be calm. I have told everyone, but those coming from Mexico City arrived with fear in the head."

And if the bells of the church ring? The question must be repeated several times in the ear of Juan Castro, of eighty and many yesterdays, holding a cane that he never puts down.

Sitting at the kiosk in Santiago Xalitzintla, Juan Castro mentions that he knew Pedro Analco, Antonio's father,

"a solid gold Tiempero. I knew him to speak nicely with Don Goyo. Like the time when a drought was wilting the corn, and we got together so Don Pedro might ask the volcano for favors. He asked us to come back with tequila, pulque, cigarettes and food, and we went up to Popocatépetl to make an offering. We hadn't yet made it down the mountain when a rain saved the crops. Or the other, when a cloud full of hail threatened our corn yet the ominous threat disappeared. Only those who speak with the volcano can do this."

Under the Ritual

Inhabitants of pueblos near Popocatépetl report that since ancient times, an old man who personifies the volcano and calls himself Gregory Chino Popocatépetl, usually appears in the area.

In a loving manner, he is called Don Goyo and, in agreement with residents of the area, it is he who appoints The Tiempero, who every year leads the birthday celebrations for Don Goyo, to whom are brought various gifts, such as food and drink, especially a gourd full of pulque.

This festival is held every March 12, which is the fiesta day of St. Gregory the Great. The ritual is also part of a ceremony in preparation for the formal request for rain, which is held on May 2.

Because of this year's volcanic activity, the gifts and offerings for Popocatepetl have been exceptionally bountiful.

On the Slopes

Santiago Xalitzintla is part of the municipality of San Nicolás de los Ranchos and is the town closest to the crater of Popocatépetl, twelve kilometers (a little over seven miles) away. Spanish original

Still Curious?

CNN Mexico ran a delightful article about the villagers' annual spring pilgrimage to a cave on the volcano's slopes in order to request the rains needed for good harvests and for protection against crop-destroying hailstorms. Given 'Popo's' increasing restiveness, this year the villagers' petitions carry special urgency: Maintaining tradition, villagers present offerings to calm Popocatéptl.

The interplay between human life and natural forces begins here: Geography: Ground of Mexico Culture and History. (All-time Reader Rank #2)

Cuicuilco is the site of perhaps the first ceremonial center in the Valley of Mexico; when the volcano Xitle erupted, Cuicuilco was buried:  Cuicuilco, Volcanoes and the Fragility of Life in Mesoamerica.

Poetry, science and mythology—this post is a Top-Ten All-time Reader Favorite: Mexico's Volcanoes and Mesoamerican Mythology.

We find the bond with nature right in our Coyoacán (Mexico City) neighborhood: Mesoamerican Culture: The Bond with Nature.

And: Mesoamerican Worldview: Nature and Spirit.

Still more....

Blogspot continues to update this template. On the right side of the screen are Tabs that open when you pass your cursor over them. The Topics tab lists all topics. Click to open all posts relating to a topic. Click on 'natural world', for example, for posts similar to those listed above.

Maintaining Tradition, Villagers Present Offerings to Calm Popocatépetl

Today is the Fiesta of Cruz Verde. Regardless of the fiesta's religious significance, it is also undoubtedly a traditional a May Day festival of renewal celebrating the mid-point of spring—falling, as it does, midway between the Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice.  

From the pueblo of Xalitzintla on the slopes of the volcano Popocatéptl, the people make an annual pilgrimage to a cave on the volcano's slopes in order to ask for rains to provide a good harvest and for protection against the hail that can damage houses and destroy crops. Caves are traditional symbols of fertility and wealth. Tlaloc (god of water) was believed to live in a cave. 

As Popocatéptl has become increasingly active, the villagers have modified their petition. To her credit, the reporter allows the people to narrate the event. The original CNN story in Spanish has a series of memorable photographs.

CNN Mexico:  Elvia Cruz

PUEBLA - A charro suit [elaborate, traditonal cowboy attire], band music, a pot of turkey meat with mole, bread, fruit and two bottles of tequila are part of the offering brought to the volcano by residents of Santiago Xalitzintla, a village on the slopes of Popocatépetl. The villagers brought the offering to the volcano to "calm" his increasing restiveness since April 13.

Turkey meat with mole to calm Popocatéptl

Led by Antonio Analco, the tiempero (person able to speak nicely to the volcano known as Don Goyo), community elders left at 5:00 AM on Wednesday from the town square. Riding in two buses they arrived at  the Pass of Cortés, which is the main access road to the volcano's slopes. 

They parked the buses and walked for nearly three hours until they arrived at the 'umbilicus' of the volcano, a cave located two kilometers from the Colossus, on the side facing Puebla. About 80 people, mostly adults, participated in the ceremony, according to the count taken by Gregorio Fuentes, mayor of Santiago Xalitzintla.

The people of this community, located in the municipality of San Nicolás de los Ranchos, in the western part of Puebla state, believe that by bringing him a little food and music, Popo becomes "content".

"All he (Popocatepetl) needs is a little company, so we decided to go. Usually we celebrate his birthday on March 12th—at the fiesta of St. Gregory the Great—and we take advantage of the occasion to ask him for a good rainy season for the crops. But this time we also asked him to calm down, that he not frighten our people, although most everyone is already accustomed to his noise," explained Analco.

The volcano became active again on Wednesday after almost a week of calm, reported the National Center for Disaster Prevention (CENAPRED).

The alert remains at Yellow-Phase 3, which means that travel within a 12 kilometer (7.5 miles) radius of the crater is prohibited, and that shelters and evacuation routes and facilities remain ready.

But the villagers of Xalitzintla set aside the recommendation not to approach the colossus and walked to within two kilometers (1.25 miles) of the crater.

"We come because we trust him. I talked to him (volcano) on Tuesday night, a day before our visit, and he told me everything was fine. Look, he just 'exhales' but he  doesn't do anything. He will not do anything to us because he knows that we love him, and we will bring his offering that he might be content," said the tiempero.

"[The tiemperos] have been chosen by the volcano and by the water spirits to control the rain and hail; in order to bring rain when needed and move away storms that damage crops and people," explained Analco, who is the tiempero in Santiago Xalitzintla.

Gregorio Fuentes, mayor of the community, said they left a black Charro "bridegroom" suit for Don Goyo, "that he might have a change, we know that he is fussy about his appearance and that he likes to appear well-dressed."

The mayor said that on May 3 they will also visit the Volcano Iztaccíhuatl next to Popocatépetl. This extinct volcano, at an altitude of 5,222 meters [17,132 feet], is also known as Woman Asleep or White Woman. According to Aztec legend, the two volcanoes are lovers.

In addition to this love story, the people of the region believe that another two mountains—located on the same mountain range and visible from outside Xalitzintla—are lovers: the volcanoes La Malinche [indigenous woman given to Hernán Cortés] and Pico de Orizaba, the highest peak in Mexico [5,636 meters (18,491 feet)].

"She [Iztaccíhuatl] is the bride of Don Goyo, but since she is always asleep, he goes with La Malinche, who also has an affair with the Pico de Orizaba. In ancient times, Pico and Popo threw incandescent stones because of La Malinche, but Izta never realized it, because she was always asleep," related the tiempero. Spanish original

Still Curious?

Excelsior, another Mexican newspaper, profiled El Tiempero, which I also translated. Once again, the reporter let the people tell their story. The result provides insight into an important segment of Mexican culture: El Tiempero, the one who sees and speaks nicely with Popocatéptl.

Last year we were in Pátzcuaro for the Fiesta of Cruz Verde. 

Volcano Update 3: Popocatéptl Blows His Top

Milenio: Mexico City, April 28 • President Felipe Calderón reported that at 6:00 AM this morning,  Popocatépetl registered an eruption accompanied by incandescent material that traveled a thousand meters (slightly more than half a mile) to the east. 

Popo blowing his top

After the event, the volcano returned to a "stable, low level of activity." 

Meanwhile, the government of Puebla began distributing leaflets describing emergency evacuation procedures to inhabitants of the municipality of San Nicolas de los Ranchos, located on the volcano's slopes. 

"During our tour of San Nicolas de los Ranchos we heard the worries of the neighbors," tweeted the secretary of state of Puebla, Fernando Manzanilla. Spanish original

CENAPRED saw it coming....

Last night CENAPRED posted this incredible photo, including stars...
A reader wrote that Popo's activities remind her of The Little Prince with his 'three volcanoes that he cleaned every day'  

Milenio. Mexico, April 27 PM • Popocatépetl volcano is relatively calm with a slight emission of water vapor and gas to the southeast. The alert remains at Yellow-Phase 3, reported the National Center for Disaster Prevention (CENAPRED). 

The agency said that in recent hours, the giant had nine low-intensity exhalations accompanied by emissions of water vapor, gas and small amounts of ash. 

In its 7:00 am report, CENAPRED indicated that the largest exhalations occurred Thursday night and early Friday morning. The agency also predicted the likelihood of explosive activity at a 'high to intermediate' scale. 

It envisages the growth of domes and possible expulsion of lava, explosions of increasing intensity and notorious ash fall on towns near the volcano. It recommended that inhabitants of the communities surrounding Popocatépetl avoid crossing the buffer zone of 12 kilometers, maintain controlled traffic between Santiago and San Pedro Nexapa Xalitzintla via Paso de Cortés and be aware of the operations of the Civil Protection authorities.  Spanish original

Volcanoes: Destructive and Creative Forces 

I'd not thought about volcanoes as other than destructive forces of nature until I read this description on the CENAPRED web site. The author is reflecting on why humans have settled close to volcanoes. One possibility is that there might have been an absence of evidence suggesting that a volcano had the potential to become active.

Volcanoes can remain inactive for extremely long periods of time—centuries, if not millenia—so when one again becomes active following an extremely long period of inactivity, which is what happened with Popocatéptl in 1994, human settlements are taken by surprise.

But the scientists suggest that this isn't the primary reason for human settlement on land close to volcanoes (my translation).

In contrast with other natural phenomena of destructive character, volcanic activity is one of the factors that has made our planet habitable. Among the positive effects of volcanic action, we can say that it has been a fundamental factor (among others) for the beginning of life on our planet. The volcanic release of gases from the planet's interior modified the atmosphere in ways that made possible life for beings whose metabolisms are based on carbon.

Volcanic products have always been essential for the formation of great quantities of fertile soil on great swathes of Earth. The restoration and remineralization of soil that occur with volcanic deposits is particularly evident throughout the densely populated volcanic areas that encircle our planet.  CENAPRED - Frequently Asked Questions about Popocatéptl

I recall that farmers in Michoacán within a 22-mile radius of the volcano Paricutín were unable to grow crops for the nine years that Paricutín was actively erupting, but farmers slightly farther away reported exceptionally bountiful crop yields during those same years, when the ash fell lightly on their fields.

So that concludes Jenny's Volcano Update for today!  I'm assuming you get the idea—we're never bored!

Volcano Update: 'Don Goyo' is still breathing....

Reed says we have 'Rear Orchestra' seats for monitoring Popocatéptl's activity. Of course, we're not alone.

CENAPRED (National Center for Prevention of Disasters), run by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), monitors the kinds of natural events that seem to abound in Mexico: earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes and cyclones, and the heavy rains that can cause flooding.

At first I thought CENAPRED is misnamed, but then I realized that their task is to provide the information that enables civil protection agencies and the general public to prepare itself to 'weather' extreme natural events. Popocatéptl, for example, is the most scrupulously monitored volcano in the world.

Multiple cameras photograph the volcano every 60 seconds. Here's a particularly dramatic shot captured in the early in the predawn hours of today by one of CENAPRED's cameras:

Popocatéptl lights up
Photo: CENAPRED

On a flight to D.F. from Florida last weekend, U.S. businessmen on their way to Mexico City anxiously queried Reed, "We've heard a volcano is about to erupt; is there any danger?"

The answer is, no, not really—at least, not for us here in Coyoacán. Nearly 40 miles from the volcano, most of Mexico City is upwind from 'Don Goyo' as he is familiarly and affectionately known locally, which means that the probability of ash blowing this way is minimal.

The colonial city of Puebla, however, is downwind from 'Popo'—yet another of the volcano's nicknames—and has been on the receiving end of falling ash.

But people know how to protect themselves—wear masks over nose and mouth to prevent inhaling the tiny particles; sweep roofs regularly to prevent the ash build-up sufficient to cause roofs to collapse; don't use water to flush ash—wet ash takes on the weight of cement!  And dispose of ash in plastic bags—ash clogs drains. Yes—ash falls are potentially a very big deal!

Regular news reports warn against becoming over-confident and urge the citizenry to stay alert for changes. Yesterday one report stated that a lava dome is forming in Popocatéptl that sooner or later  will erupt, but no one can predict when or—and I found this fascinating—how.

Every once in awhile folks in the U.S. ask us what we do in Mexico. Our usual answer is that we walk out our front door and...life happens...Mexican style!

But now our answer is a little different. After at least ten days of being pretty darned socked in, two days ago the air...and the skies...cleared, and we have been treated to ever-changing views of our two volcanoes:  Popocatéptl (active) and Iztaccíhuatl (extinct).

Yesterday afternoon, Reed spent the better part of an hour—or more!—capturing on film Popocatéptl's plume at dusk.

Popocatéptl's Plume at Dusk, Monday April 23, 2012
Photo: Reed

The CENAPRED web site is well-organized, attractive—including a list of Frequently Asked Questions that give important information in highly readable, easy-to-understand Spanish. The last point is "Seek out reliable information—neither believe nor repeat rumors."

Stay tuned!

Volcanic Alert: Popocatéptl Increasingly Active

We've lived in Mexico City for eight months. From our living room window we've watched with fascination the "smoking mountain", Popocatéptl, live up to his name—sending gassy plumes into the sky. Recently, we've noticed that Popo—as he is familiarly called—seems to be belching rather more than usual.

Following activity on April 16, 2012, the National Disaster Prevention Center raised the warning system from Yellow-Phase 2 to a Yellow-Phase 3, because the volcano had been intermittently spewing incandescent rocks—glowing rocks! A snowstorm the previous night held the flow of ash, water and molten rocks to about a quarter of a mile.

Yellow-Phase 3 indicates the probability of observing explosive activity at intermediate to high levels, the growth of domes and possible explosions of lava, as well as ash falls over the surrounding countryside.  

Beginning at 6:30 AM on April 18, 2012, Popo began emitting a "train" of expulsions that lasted for two and a half hours. But el Coloso (the Colossus) wasn't quite through making his statement for the day.

Popocatéptl's smokey plume, April 18, 2012 (CNN). This photograph was probably taken from east of the volcano, perhaps near Puebla. In Mexico City, the smog is so thick we can't see Popocatéptl during the day. This morning at dawn, I saw both volcanoes through 'haze'.

At 10:07 AM Popo generated an earthquake registering 3.4 on the Richter scale. The tremors continued for 40 minutes.  Although the quake's intensity was relatively low, it seems that 40 minutes is a very long time to feel the ground moving under your feet.

Coyoacán is about 35 miles west of Popocatéptl. We didn't feel the movement.

Mexico's Vulnerability to Natural Forces

We've written before about Mexico's vulnerability to natural forces, but now seems a good time to review the current challenges:

• March 20 Earthquake: Aftershocks continue, some are substantial.
• Severe Drought: Northern states, including Chihuahua and Zacatecas, are facing severe shortages that are forecast to persist for some time. 
• Volcanic Activity:  Popocatéptl has become increasingly active.
• Hurricane Season: June to November puts Mexico's Gulf states and the Yucatán Peninsula in the front line of possible hurricanes.
• Floods: When the heavy, tropical rains arrive, they bring the threat of floods, especially to the Gulf states. 

Today state and federal governments made a show of preparedness in anticipation of additional volcanic activity.

don Goyo o Serafín

About 68,000 people live in pueblos on the flanks of Popocatéptl. So far, inhabitants appear to be maintaining the normal routines of daily life, albeit with eyes and ears attuned to the volcano. It is said that there are elders in this indigenous communities whose special relationship with the volcano enables them to know when it is about to erupt.

Before the arrival of the Spanish, a cult was dedicated to exclusive worship of the god of the volcano, who is today known as don Goyo or Serafín, in his post-Spanish indigenous personification.  A small, symbolic cult survives today. Its members are known as tiemperos del volcán Popocatéptl, or temperos of the volcano Popocatéptl.

Tiempero refers to 'readiness of the soil for planting', so the tiemperos of Popocatéptl are those who celebrate rites in the sacred sanctuaries, located in the rivers, streams and forested areas on the volcano's flanks. Rituals are performed not only to seek the blessing of the life-sustaining rain but to ask the deity's protection against the threat of the hail that can fall like knives, shredding corn and bean crops in the fields.

This primal link to an ancient god of water, Tlaloc, is noteworthy. Water in all its forms is arguably the very foundation of spiritual thought throughout the lands and peoples of Mesoamerica. In Pátzcuaro, I was told that to this day los ancianos (the Elders) say, El agua es vida (Water is life).

We were taken aback by a chance remark made by our artist friend Debra Breckeen, who lives in Zirahuén, near Pátzcuaro, Michoacán — words to the effect that, "Water will be the next battle." Sadly, this is an under-reported global battle whose opening skirmishes are being felt even today in the Southwest United States.

What's the situation in Coyoacán-Mexico City?

We're about 35 miles northwest of the volcano. The expulsions are blowing east/northeast, so we're fine. We're hoping that the air will clear—which it will as soon as the rains arrive in earnest—so we can see what's happening.

Photo from space. Directionality is 'off' 90-degrees: North is to the right; West is straight up. Arrows point to Popo and to the drift of Ash Cloud north; Mexico City is west of the volcano (up). Left click to enlarge image.

It's hard to believe, but in 1994, when Popocatéptl also erupted, I was on a two-year contract with Pemex, the Mexican Oil Company.  Perhaps I can be forgiven for wondering whether I really am la patrona de la mala suerte (patroness of bad luck), as a taxista in Pátzcuaro dubbed me a couple of years ago!  This linked post is one of my all-time favorites because it is muy mexicano—very Mexican!

Still Curious?

Popocatéptl—Recent Activity:

• This report from The Inquisitr is objective, factual and cites other reputable news sources.
• UTube video (2:04) of Popo's 'plume' shot from a commercial airliner—have a little patience as the video shot by this amateur cameraman tends to go in and out of focus.  
• Internet report includes satellite photo. 

Impact of Volcanic Activity on Mexico's People:

• Cuicuilco (Valley of Mexico)
• Volcanic Activity & Mesoamerican Mythology
• Mexico's Fascinating Geography: Where it all begins....
• In Mexico a Volcano Rumbles, But Few Flinch:  Damien Cave is the New York Times Mexico correspondent. His articles shows how much he enjoys Mexico. For this article Damien ventured out to the pueblos on the flanks of Popocatéptl and spoke with inhabitants, whose point of view is unique!  Unfortunately, Damien is misinformed about the so-called Maya 'prophecy' that the world is to come to an end on December 21, 2012 — but not to worry, here's Jenny's earlier post describing the archaeology and the history behind the 'prophecy'. 

Mesoamerican Culture: The Human Bond with Nature

Waking at sunrise one morning, I walked into the front room to check on the volcanoes Iztaccíhuatl and Popocatéptl. Checking the volcanoes has become my new morning ritual — akin to checking to see whether Mt. Rainier was 'out' when I lived in Seattle. On this day my curiosity was rewarded by seeing their outlines etched against the early morning sky.

Iztaccíhuatl (Sleeping Woman) reclines at the left. Her head nearly touches the left margin. A dip under her chin is followed by her breasts and folded arms, then her knees and finally her feet sticking up. Beyond her feet is a long, low ridge linking her to her warrior-suitor Popocatéptl (Smoking Mountain) at the right. At 17,167 ft. Iztaccíhuatl is the third highest mountain in Mexico. Popocatéptl's Sulphur plume is colored pink against the early morning light.

Here's a close up of Popocatéptl, don Gregorio, don Goyo.  

Standing guard over Iztaccihuatl is her unrequited lover, snow-capped Popocatéptl (Smoking Mountain) in all his glory! At 17,800 ft., Popocatéptl is the second highest mountain in Mexico and rises about 10,000 ft. above the Valley of Mexico (altitude: 7,000 ft.).  Photo courtesy of Reed

Like other agricultural peoples around the world, Mesoamerican culture regarded man as inextricably linked to the land, Mother Earth, and to the naturaleza (natural world). The geography of Mexico is such that early peoples were subjected to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes from the East (Caribbean) and cyclones from the West (Pacific Ocean), floods and drought.

It is little wonder, then, that vulnerability to the vicissitudes of nature gave rise to and reinforced a profound dependency on the seasonal arrival of las lluvias (the rains) to assure the corn crop. A widely-repeated dicho (saying) captures this traditional wisdom:

Sin maís no hay país (Without corn there is no country).

A short walk around the corner from our apartment yielded yet another discovery. Growing in a protected space in the middle of Escocia [Scotland] Street is a specimen of the national tree of Mexico, the Montezuma Cypress (Taxodium mucronatum).

This Montezuma Cypress grows practically in front of our neighborhood Tiendita de Abarrotes (Grocery Store).

The Montezuma Cypress occupies a unique place in Mexican cultural consciousness. These words, written recently to introduce a paper discussing Mexico's national tree, capture not only its symbolism, but its emotional power as well:

"Old Man of the Water...what would our country and our culture be without you; endearingly Mexican [emphasis in the original], you bury your roots in the depths of the soil in order to extract from it the vital essence that gives you life." 

The phrase 'vital essence' refers to the Mesoamerican concept of the Life-Force, believed to give life's energy not only to the natural world but to the seres humanos (human beings) who are its inhabitants. It is believed that water carries this Life-Force, as epitomized in this traditional dicho (saying):

El agua es vida  (Water is life).

In Mesoamerican culture, work was traditionally regarded with pleasure, even considered to be a privilege, because it enabled human beings to maintain a harmonious relationship with the land and with the natural world. A Purhépecha friend, relating stories of her childhood spent helping her father in their fields, expressed this pleasure when she observed,

"Those days in the fields were fiesta days; we were always exploring something."

Today, the Montezuma Cypress is harvested and used for wood beams and furniture, among other uses. Based on the testimony of my friend, it is reasonable to believe that today's artisan woodworkers maintain this ancient connection. Contemporary legends about how artisans approach their work support this view.

Water was sacred in the Mesoamerican cosmology; it was believed to carry the Life-Force to the natural world — plants, animals and man. Cypress trees generally require a lot of water; many times they grow in swamps.  But because of its adaptability to many of Mexico's different ecosystems, the Montezuma Cypress is found throughout Mexico — from sea level in Montemorelos, Nuevo León, to Mexico City at 7,000 ft.

The sacred role of water in the Mesoamerican cosmology draws our attention to the writer's use of the nahuatl (language of the Aztecs) word ahuehuete, which translates as 'Old Man of the Water'. It is probably not too much of a stretch to imagine that 'Old Man' is a veiled reference to the ancient water god. In any event, the writer's reference to it demonstrates the value accorded to the ancient meaning by contemporary Mexican cultural sensibility.

The Tule Tree is named for the town where it grows, Santa Maria de Tule, Oaxaca; it is probably the most famous Montezuma Cypress. Scientists estimate that it is more than 2,000 years old. With a diameter of 37.5 ft, 35 people holding hands can barely encircle it. It is said that five hundred people can be sheltered in the shade provided by the canopy of the Tule Tree.

Here is the classic photograph of the Tule Tree. With a 14-meter diameter and a circumference of more than 45 meters, encircling the leafy juniper requires more than 30 people holding hands, as shown in the image.

With the sacred ceiba tree (Tree of Life in Maya cosmology), the ahuehuete is an element of the natural world inextricably linked to Mexican culture stretching from prehispanic to modern times.

To the Aztecs, the combined shade of an āhuēhuētl (Montezuma Cypress) and a pōchōtl (Ceiba pentandra) metaphorically represented a ruler's authority. As a demonstration of the power and presence of government, the Aztecs planted Montezuma Cypress trees along important avenues traveled by their kings.

These magnificent trees are not uncommon in our new neighborhood of Coyoacán (Mexico City). Whenever we come upon one, we smile at each other — mutual recognition of the irrepressible vitality of the Life-Force.