Paso de Cortés
Encyclopedia
The Paso de Cortés is the mountain pass
or saddle between the Popocatépetl
and Ixtaccíhuatl volcanoes in central México. It thus forms part of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt
, and is a place where the normally southeast-tending continental divide
heads north for over 10 miles. The altitude of the pass is about 3400 m. (11,150 ft.) It is located in the Municipality of Amecameca
in the State of Mexico.
(or Cortez) and his men, after the battle and massacre of Cholula
, marched over this pass to the valley of Mexico
and city of Tenochtitlán in order to confront the Aztec
s and their emperor Moctezuma
. It is said (but also denied) that some of Cortés' men climbed Popocatépetl at this time, lowered each other into the crater, and brought back sulphur to make gunpowder with.
on the Mexico City
side up to the Paso de Cortés and from there south to Tlamacas at the beginning of thof pot of Popocatépetl or north to the area near the feet of Ixtaccíhuatl. The Paso can also be reached on dirt trails, at least sometimes drivable by 4-wheel-drive vehicles, from Cholula.
Mountain pass
A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
or saddle between the Popocatépetl
Popocatépetl
Popocatépetl also known as "Popochowa" by the local population is an active volcano and, at , the second highest peak in Mexico after the Pico de Orizaba...
and Ixtaccíhuatl volcanoes in central México. It thus forms part of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt
Trans-Mexican volcanic belt
The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt also known as the Transvolcanic Belt and locally as the Sierra Nevada , is a volcanic belt that extends 900 km from west to east across central-southern Mexico...
, and is a place where the normally southeast-tending continental divide
Continental divide
A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not connected to the open sea...
heads north for over 10 miles. The altitude of the pass is about 3400 m. (11,150 ft.) It is located in the Municipality of Amecameca
Amecameca
Amecameca is a town and municipality located in the eastern panhandle of Mexico State between Mexico City and the Iztaccíhuatl and Popocatépetl volcanos of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. It is located on federal highway 115 which leads to Cuautla, which is called the Volcano Route...
in the State of Mexico.
History
The name derives from the fact that in 1519 Hernán CortésHernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca was a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century...
(or Cortez) and his men, after the battle and massacre of Cholula
Cholula (Mesoamerican site)
Cholula , was an important city of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, dating back to at least the 2nd century BCE, with settlement as a village going back at least some thousand years earlier. The great site of Cholula stands just west of the modern city of Puebla. Its immense pyramid exceeds the Pyramid...
, marched over this pass to the valley of Mexico
Valley of Mexico
The Valley of Mexico is a highlands plateau in central Mexico roughly coterminous with the present-day Distrito Federal and the eastern half of the State of Mexico. Surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, the Valley of Mexico was a centre for several pre-Columbian civilizations, including...
and city of Tenochtitlán in order to confront the Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
s and their emperor Moctezuma
Moctezuma II
Moctezuma , also known by a number of variant spellings including Montezuma, Moteuczoma, Motecuhzoma and referred to in full by early Nahuatl texts as Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin, was the ninth tlatoani or ruler of Tenochtitlan, reigning from 1502 to 1520...
. It is said (but also denied) that some of Cortés' men climbed Popocatépetl at this time, lowered each other into the crater, and brought back sulphur to make gunpowder with.
Access
There is a paved road from AmecamecaAmecameca
Amecameca is a town and municipality located in the eastern panhandle of Mexico State between Mexico City and the Iztaccíhuatl and Popocatépetl volcanos of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. It is located on federal highway 115 which leads to Cuautla, which is called the Volcano Route...
on the Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
side up to the Paso de Cortés and from there south to Tlamacas at the beginning of thof pot of Popocatépetl or north to the area near the feet of Ixtaccíhuatl. The Paso can also be reached on dirt trails, at least sometimes drivable by 4-wheel-drive vehicles, from Cholula.