| Iztaccíhuatl | |
| Elevation M: | 5,230 |
| Prominence M: | 1,530 |
| Prominence Ref: | [1] |
| Location: | México and Puebla, Mexico |
| Map: | Mexico#North America |
| Relief: | 1 |
| Label Position: | right |
| Coordinates: | 19.1789°N -98.6417°W |
| Coordinates Ref: | [2] |
| Volcanic Arc/Belt: | Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt |
| Last Eruption: | Holocene |
| First Ascent: | 1889 by James de Salis |
| Easiest Route: | rock/snow climb |
Iztaccíhuatl or Ixtaccíhuatl (both forms also spelled without the accent) (in Nahuatl languages pronounced as /istakˈsiwat͡ɬ/ or, as spelled with the x, in Nahuatl languages pronounced as /iʃtakˈsiwat͡ɬ/) is a 5230m (17,160feet)[2] dormant volcanic mountain in Mexico located on the border between the State of Mexico and Puebla within Izta-Popo Zoquiapan National Park. It is the nation's third highest, after Pico de Orizaba at 5636m (18,491feet), and Popocatépetl at 5426m (17,802feet).
The name "Iztaccíhuatl" is Nahuatl for "White woman", reflecting the four individual snow-capped peaks which depict the head, chest, knees and feet of a sleeping female when seen from east or west. Iztaccíhuatl is to the north of its twin Popocatépetl, to which it is connected by the high altitude Paso de Cortés. Depending on atmospheric conditions Iztaccíhuatl is visible much of the year from Mexico City some 70km (40miles) to the northwest. The first recorded ascent was made in 1889, though archaeological evidence suggests the Mexica and previous cultures climbed it previously. It is the lowest peak containing permanent snow and glaciers in Mexico.
The summit ridge of the massive 450km3 volcano is a series of overlapping cones constructed along a NNW-SSE line to the south of the Pleistocene Llano Grande caldera. There have been andesitic and dacitic Pleistocene and Holocene eruptions from vents at or near the summit. Areas near the El Pecho summit vent are covered in flows and tuff beds post-dating glaciation, approximately 11,000 years ago. The most recent vents are at El Pecho and a depression at 5100m (16,700feet) along the summit ridge midway between El Pecho and Los Pies.[2]
See main article: Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl.
In Aztec mythology, Iztaccíhuatl was a princess who fell in love with one of her father's warriors, Popocatépetl. The emperor sent Popocatépetl to war in Oaxaca, promising him Iztaccíhuatl as his wife when he returned (which Iztaccíhuatl's father presumed he would not). Iztaccíhuatl was falsely told that Popocatépetl had died in battle, and believing the news, she died of grief. When Popocatépetl returned to find his love dead, he took her body to a spot outside Tenochtitlan and knelt by her grave. The gods covered them with snow and changed them into mountains. Iztaccíhuatl's mountain is called "White Woman" (from Nahuatl "white" and "woman") because it resembles a woman lying on her back, and is often covered with snow — the peak is sometimes nicknamed Spanish; Castilian: La Mujer Dormida, "The Sleeping Woman". Popocatépetl became an active volcano, raining fire on Earth in blind rage at the loss of his beloved.[3]
Iztaccihuatl is usually listed at 5286m (17,343feet), but SRTM data and the Mexican national mapping survey assert that a range of 5220to is more accurate.[4] [5] The Global Volcanism Program cites 5230m (17,160feet).[2]