Mexico - MX - MEX - MEX - North America

Mexico's towering and unpredictable Popocatepetl is the country's most-active volcano and second-highest peak. The 5,462 m stratovolcano, located approximately 70 km (43.5 miles) southeast of Mexico City, is shown spewing ash, smoke, and gas during a January 2024 eruption. Popocatepetl means "Smoking Mountain" in the indigenous Nahuatl language. Photo courtesy of NASA.

Named after the ancient Mayan Province of Kimpech, the state of Campeche comprises much of the western half of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Rivers in southern Campeche drain into the immense Terminos Lagoon, the entrance to which is protected by a long barrier island, Isla Del Carmen (upper right). In this false-color satellite image the green jungle canopy shows up as bright red. Image courtesy of USGS.

Snow-capped Colima Volcano, the most active volcano in Mexico, rises abruptly from the surrounding landscape in the state of Jalisco in the center of this false-color satellite image. Part of the trans-Mexican volcanic belt, Colima is actually a melding of two volcanoes, the older Nevado de Colima to the north and the younger, historically active Volcan de Colima to the south. Approximately 300,000 people live within 40 km (25 mi) of the volcano earning it designation as a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior. Legend has it that gods sit atop the volcano on thrones of fire and ice. For other active volcanoes in Mexico, see the Natural hazards-volcanism subfield in the Geography section. Image courtesy of USGS.

The pockmarked terrain of Pinacate National Park in Sonora province, shown in this enhanced satellite image, provides evidence of a violent geologic past. Among hundreds of volcanic vents and cinder cones are rare maar craters, formed when rising magma met underground water to create pockets of steam that blew nearly circular holes in the overlying crust. American astronauts used this area in 1965-70 to train for lunar excursions; surrounding the region are the vast sand dune fields of Gran Desierto de Altar. Image courtesy of USGS.

This high-resolution satellite image shows part of the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range, on the border between the Coahuila and Nuevo Leon provinces of eastern Mexico. This range is part of the Sierra Madre Mountains that divide Mexico, and which also include the Sierra Madre Occidental on the West coast and the Sierra Madre del Sur in southern Mexico. In the area shown, ancient sedimentary rocks were folded as a result of a tectonic collision that some geologists consider related to the Appalachian folding of eastern North America. This mountain range is drier than the rainforest areas to the south. Image courtesy of USGS.

The snow and ice-clad peak of Pico de Orizaba (also known as Citlaltepetl) boasts a summit elevation of 5,675 m (18,619 ft) above sea level, making it the highest peak in Mexico and North America?s highest volcano. It is also one of three volcanic peaks in Mexico - together with Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl - that retain summit glaciers. Pico de Orizaba is part of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt that extends roughly east-west across Mexico. The last recorded eruption took place in 1846; while the volcano is considered dormant at present, geologists continue to investigate the potential hazards associated with a renewal of activity. Shadows accentuate several features of the Pico de Orizaba stratovolcano visible in this photograph from the International Space Station. The 300-meter-deep summit crater is clearly visible against surrounding ice and snow cover at center. Several lava flows extend down the flanks of the volcano, made readily visible by prominent cooling ridges along their sides known as flow levees. One of the most clearly visible examples is located on the southwest flank of the cone. The extinct Sierra Negra volcano to the southwest has a summit elevation of 4,640 m (15,223 ft) above sea level; while not as lofty as Pico de Orizaba, it is also one of Mexico?s highest peaks. Image courtesy of NASA.

The Catedral Metropolitana de la Asuncion de Maria (Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary) on the Zocalo (main square) in Mexico City.

Beach resort of Costa Maya at Quintana Roo.

The east-side view of El Castillo (The Castle), the famous pyramid at Chichen Itza in the Yucatan peninsula, shows both restored and unrestored portions of the structure. The Maya center of Chichen Itza, which became a World Heritage Site in 1988, was founded in the fifth century A.D. A second settler infusion by migrating Toltecs from central Mexico occurred in the 10th century. A blending of Maya and Toltec architectural traditions developed in the following centuries until the site was abandoned about the middle of the 15th century.

One of the smaller step pyramids at the massive archaeological site of Teotihuacan (approximately 40 km or 25 mi northeast of Mexico City).

The Chacchoben Maya temple pyramid in the state of Quintana Roo dates to about A.D. 700; it was originally painted red and yellow.

Excavated Maya walls at Chacchoben, Quintana Roo.

Traces of red paint still visible on a Maya carving at Chacchoben, Quintana Roo.

A view of the Palace of Palenque, in Chiapas State. Palenque is one of the most beautiful and archaeologically important lowland Maya sites; it reached its maximum extent between A.D. 600–700. The Palace, located in the center of the site, is the largest building complex in Palenque measuring 97 m by 73 m at its base. The most unusual and recognizable feature of The Palace is the four-story structure known as The Observation Tower. The Palace Complex is built atop an immense low platform, and was expanded and remodeled over the centuries.

The poinsettia, the traditional holiday plant, is native to Mexico and Central America and is found in the wild in mid-elevation tropical dry forests and on Pacific-facing slopes in steep canyons. The Aztecs used the plant for red dye and for medicinal purposes. The poinsettia’s association with Christmas dates back to the 17th century when Franciscan friars in Mexico used them in holiday celebrations. The star-shaped leaf pattern came to symbolize the Star of Bethlehem and the red color Jesus’s sacrifice at the crucifixion. The plant derives its name from the first US Ambassador to Mexico, Joel Roberts Poinsett. In 1825, while visiting Taxco, he became fascinated with the plants and sent some to his home in South Carolina. Poinsett, a botanist, propagated the plants and gave them to friends and to botanical gardens. In 1833, the plant was named after him. Robert Buist, a nurseryman, received some of Poinsett’s plants and is believed to be the first person to sell the plant in the US. Poinsettias became popular beginning in the early 1900s and remain synonymous as a holiday decoration in homes, churches, offices, and elsewhere across North America. Picture courtesy of USDA/Peggy Greb

Flamingos on Isla Holbox off the Yucatan Peninsula. Photo courtesy of NOAA.

Mexico's towering and unpredictable Popocatepetl is the country's most-active volcano and second-highest peak. The 5,462 m stratovolcano, located approximately 70 km (43.5 miles) southeast of Mexico City, is shown spewing ash, smoke, and gas during a January 2024 eruption. Popocatepetl means "Smoking Mountain" in the indigenous Nahuatl language. Photo courtesy of NASA.