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DID YOU KNOW?
FACTS & FICTION WITH A MEXICAN TWIST
SEPTEMBER 2005Did You Know That...
...scientists first explored El Pico de Orizaba, Mexico's highest peak, as long ago as 1838? El Pico de Orizaba, or Citlaltépetl (= star), is Mexico's highest peak, with a summit 5,746 meters (18,853 feet) above sea level. The third highest peak in North America, it is also that region's highest volcano, responsible for major eruptions in 1569, 1613 and 1687.
Located east of Mexico City, some 30 kilometers (20 miles) northwest of the city of Orizaba, it is regularly climbed today by well-equipped groups, especially during the dry season, from December to April. Its classical cone shape masks an impressively large crater, which is more than 300 meters (1,000 feet) deep. The volcano and surrounding area were declared a national park by President Lázaro Cárdenas in 1936; the decree took effect the following January.
El Pico de Orizaba
Oswald's Summerland Sketches, 1880Among the first recorded ascents is that in August 1838 by a group of several European botanists: Henri Galeotti, Nicolas Funck, Auguste Ghiesbreght and Jean-Jules Linden...
By the time of the climb, Henri Guillaume Galeotti (1814-1858) had already written a landmark article about Lake Chapala, and made numerous botanical discoveries in Mexico. He went on to become Director of the Royal Botanical Gardens in Brussels, Belgium. Details of some of his many achievements can be found in an earlier Did You Know.
Less is known about...
© Copyright 2005 by Tony Burton. All rights reserved.
- Sombrero Books Page
Read the complete article, with more photos . . .
Did You Know Index
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