Malinche (mountain)

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Malinche
The city of Puebla at the foot of the Malintzin volcano

The city of Puebla at the foot of the Malintzin volcano

height 4420  m
location Mexico
Mountains Sierra Nevada
Notch height 1920 m
Coordinates 19 ° 13 '51 "  N , 98 ° 1' 55"  W Coordinates: 19 ° 13 '51 "  N , 98 ° 1' 55"  W
Malinche (mountain) (Tlaxcala)
Malinche (mountain)
Type Stratovolcano
rock Andesite , dacite , tuff
Last eruption approx. 1170 BC Chr.
Malinche volcano

Malinche volcano

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The Malinche or Matlalcueye (among other spellings) is one of the highest mountains in Mexico with its height of 4420  m .

location

The extinct Malinche volcano is a relatively isolated mountain that belongs to the Sierra Volcánica Transversal , the central Mexican volcanic chain. Its peak lies in the territory of the Mexican states of Tlaxcala and Puebla . The two capitals Tlaxcala and Puebla are about 30 km (as the crow flies) northwest and 35 km southwest of the summit. The mountain forms the center of the approximately 459 km 2 Parque Nacional La Malinche, which was laid out in 1938 by President Lázaro Cárdenas as part of a massive program for the establishment of national parks (see National parks in Mexico ).

Toponym

The Tlaxcaltek name Matlalcueye (also Matlalcuéyetl , Matlalcueitl or Matlalcuéyatl ) can be translated as "blue-green (under) skirt" or "lady with the blue-green skirt". Matlalcueye (the local name of Chalchiuhtlicue ) was the consort of the Mexican rain god Tlaloc and goddess of inland waters . Due to the pagan origin of the name, the Spaniards simply renamed the mountain to Sierra de Tlaxcala ("Mountains of Tlaxcala"). Malinche has been the most used name for the mountain since the 17th century . This is derived from Malinalli or Malintzin ("honorable grass woman"), the name for the interpreter and lover of Hernán Cortés .

Like the Iztaccíhuatl , the Malinche is a feminine noun in Spanish. This can be traced back to the original Indian name as well as syncretic sagas from the New Spanish period . According to one of these legends, Malinche was kidnapped , but she outwitted her kidnapper and started a family with Lorenzo Cuatlapanga in Tlaxcala. Nowadays the Cuatlapanga is a 2900  m high mountain 9 km north-northwest of the Malinche.

Emergence

Geologists date the oldest rocks on the mountain to around 9.7 million years. The rock and ash layers of different eruptions justify its classification in the group of stratovolcanoes . Its last outbreak will be towards the end of the 2nd millennium BC. Dated BC and therefore the Malinche is considered by many as an extinct volcano . The deep gorges Axaltzintle and Axal, which are to the east and south-east of the summit, indicate highly explosive eruptions, so that entire slopes of the formerly equilateral mountain collapsed. This, as well as the erosion caused by the meanwhile melted glaciers , gave the Malinche its current shape, which differs greatly from typical volcanic cones such as the nearby Popocatépetl and Citlaltépetl .

Flora

Plant diversity above the tree line

The Malinche's location in the subtropical highlands of Mexico defines its flora and fauna. The valleys around the mountain have a height of between 2100  m and 2400  m and have a cool temperate climate with annual mean temperatures between 16 and 20 ° C and annual precipitation between 600 and 900 mm, the majority of which falls in the summer half-year.

Typical for the Malinche climatic zone are pine and oak forests , which change into pure coniferous forests with increasing altitude . In the Malinche, the alder species Alnus jorullensis and various oaks ( Quercus crassifolia , Q. crassipes , Q. laurina and others) can be found at 3000  m . At 3500  m , on the other hand, there are mainly Montezuma pines and holy firs . Hardway pines grow near the tree line (approx. 4000  m ) , above which only various grasses and bushes typical of the Mexican mountain tundra .

As a green spot surrounded by cities and fields, the Malinche is home to countless animal species, such as the Mexican cottontail rabbit and the Mexican volcanic mouse .

Ascent

A hiker in the Malinche forest

The Malinche can be climbed from the north as part of a day tour. It is a non-technical ascent and special equipment ( crampons and an ice ax ) is only required if it has snowed in the days before. This can mainly happen in the winter months (December to March), but also occasionally in summer.

At an altitude of 3080  m there is a hut complex ( Centro Vacacional Malintzi ) with restaurants, sleeping places and camping facilities. Otherwise, the mountain can also be reached from Apizaco by public transport.

See also

Web links

Commons : La Malinche volcano  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. http://cuentame.inegi.org.mx/mapas/pdf/nacional/relieve/nalrel_col_n.pdf
  2. The information varies between 4400  m and 4500  m . The official altitude according to the Mexican geographic authority INEGI is 4420  m (see footnote 1). Older sources often give 4461  m , while GPS measurements often give about 4440  m .
  3. - ( Memento of the original from August 26, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.artesdemexico.com
  4. http://www.summitpost.org/cerro-cuatlapango/580623
  5. http://www.geo.mtu.edu/EHaz/ConvergentPlatesClass/Delgado/03_Govea.pdf