Cofre de Perote, also known by its

Nahuatl Nahuatl ( ; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahuas, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller popul ...

names Naupa-Tecutépetl (from ''Nāuhpa-Tēuctēpetl'') and Nauhcampatépetl, both meaning something like "Place of Four Mountains" or "Mountain of the Lord of Four Places", is an inactive

volcano A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most oft ...

located in the Mexican state of

Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...

, at the point where the

Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (), also known as the Transvolcanic Belt and locally as the (''Snowy Mountain Range''), is an active volcanic belt that covers central-southern Mexico. Several of its highest peaks have snow all year long, and dur ...

, home to all of Mexico's highest peaks, joins the

Sierra Madre Oriental The Sierra Madre Oriental () is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico. The Sierra Madre Oriental is part of the American Cordillera, a chain of mountain ranges (cordillera) that consists of an almost continuous sequence of mountain ranges that ...

. With an elevation of above sea level, Cofre de Perote is Mexico's eighth highest mountain summit. Cofre de Perote is a

shield volcano A shield volcano is a type of volcano named for its low profile, resembling a shield lying on the ground. It is formed by the eruption of highly fluid (low viscosity) lava, which travels farther and forms thinner flows than the more viscous lava ...

, shaped very differently from the stratovolcanic

Pico de Orizaba Citlaltépetl (from Nahuan languages, Náhuatl = star, and = mountain), otherwise known as Pico de Orizaba, is an active volcano, the highest mountain in Mexico and Table of the highest major summits of North America, third highest in North Ame ...

, which lies about to the southeast. A ''cofre'' is a

coffer A coffer (or coffering) in architecture is a series of sunken panels in the shape of a square, rectangle, or octagon in a ceiling, soffit or vault. A series of these sunken panels was often used as decoration for a ceiling or a vault, al ...

, and the name alludes to a volcanic outcropping on the shield which constitutes the peak of the mountain. To the north is the town of

Perote, Veracruz Perote is a city and municipality in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city serves as the seat of government for the surrounding municipality of the same name, with a population 42,451 inhabitants as 2020, while the municipality population is o ...

, after which the mountain is named. The area surrounding the volcano was protected by the Mexican government as a

national park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

, known as Cofre de Perote National Park (), in 1937.

Climate

Cofre de Perote features a humid alpine climate (Köppen climate classification ''ET''), without a dry season but having a rainier season in summer and autumn.

References

External links

Programa de manejo del Parque nacional Cofre de Perote, Universidad Veracruzana
{{authority control Volcanoes of Veracruz Mountains of Mexico Landforms of Veracruz Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt Sierra Madre Oriental North American 4000 m summits National parks of Mexico Protected areas of Veracruz Protected areas of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt

Climate

See also

References

External links