View of Citlaltepetl from Fortin de las Flores, Veracruz
by David Tuggy and used under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike License 2.5
Citlaltépetl, also known as Pico de Orizaba, is the tallest mountain in Mexico, and the third highest in North America. Its name Citlaltépetl means "Star Mountain" and comes from the Nahuatl words citlal meaning "star" and tepetl meaning "mountain". Citlaltépetl is 5,636 meters (18,490 feet) above sea level and is located on the eastern end of the Eje Volcánico Transversal mountain range, on the border between the states of Veracruz and Puebla. Like most of the tall peaks in Mexico, Citlaltépetl is a volcano. And like the two lower peaks of Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, Citlaltépetl is permanently clad in snow and has glaciers running down its slopes. Although currently dormant, Citlaltépetl has erupted before, the last occuring in 1687.
Citlaltépetl overlooks a valley and the city of Orizaba, and that's why it is also called Pico de Orizaba. The Nahuatl name Citlaltépetl, however, is not used by the Nahuatl people of Orizaba. There, they call it Iztactépetl, meaning "White Mountain".
Citlaltépetl is said to be the second most prominent volcanic peak in the world, after Africa's Mount Kilimanjaro. Although it is 75 miles inland, to the west of Veracruz, it is still visible by ships approaching Veracruz in the Gulf of Mexico. When the light of dawn strikes Citlaltépetl, Veracruz is still in the shadows.
Six kilometres to the southeast of Citlaltépetl is the lower peak of Sierra Negra. At 4,640 metres (15,223 ft), Sierra Negra is far shorter than Citlaltépetl. However, it is still taller than any of the peaks in the 48 contiguous states of the US. It also has the highest road in North America, leading to the Large Milimeter Telescope at the top.
The summit and foothills of Citlaltépetl are now part of a national park.
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