Popocatepetl: Ashes over Mexico

Popocatepetl, one of Mexico's most active volcanoes, has been particularly lively in recent days. Lava eruptions of such magnitude were last observed in 2020. Now, the mountain is once again living up to its name: Popocatépetl means "smoking mountain" in Nahuatl. Indeed, the volcano has been belching out ash, steam, and gas at alarming rates in the past week.

The current period of eruptions of the Popocatepetl volcano has lasted since 2005. At regular intervals, the volcano ejects ash, lava, and smoke, as seen here in 2013 from the town of San Damian Texoloc. For years, a twelve-kilometer exclusion zone has been in effect around the volcano, which is over 5,400 meters high.

More than 7,000 soldiers are on duty patrolling the ash-covered streets of affected communities near the volcano, some 75 kilometers (47 miles) southeast of Mexico's capital. They are standing by for possible evacuations, should the current "yellow phase 3" warning level be raised to "red."

Atlixco, like many cities in the region, is covered in volcanic ash. About 25 million people live within 100 kilometers of the volcano. On Friday, numerous cities and towns in the state of Puebla closed their schools due to the blanket of ash.

With masks and hoods, these residents of Atlixco try to protect themselves against the volcanic ash. For days, the air has been choked with ash and smoke, placing an increasingy burden on locals' health.

Experts at the National Disaster Prevention Agency currently believe that the eruptions will be limited. Dozens of scientists follow every movement of the volcano during periods of increased activity using sophisticated monitoring systems based on cameras and special sensors.

With DW inputs