Cofre de Perote

Cofre de Perote, originally Naupa-Tecutépetl (from Nāuhpa-Tēuctēpetl in the Nahuatl language), is known also as Nauhcampatépetl. Both Nahuatl names mean something like 'Place of Four Mountain' or 'Mountain of the Lord of Four Places'. This extinct volcano is located in the Mexican state of Veracruz, at the point where the Trans-Mexican volcanic belt, home to all of Mexico's highest peaks, joins the Sierra Madre Oriental. This volcano is shaped very differently from the strato-volcanic Pico de Orizaba, which lies to the south of it, being broad and shield-shaped. A cofre is a 'coffer', and the name alludes to a volcanic outcropping like a boss on the shield, which constitutes the peak of the mountain. It is outlined against the clouds in...