Abstract
Pictorial and written documents spanning 800 years were analyzed for information about historical eruptions at Popocatépetl volcano. These documents were prepared by several indigenous groups as well as by the Spanish conquistadors and missionaries during their military campaigns and long-term evangelization and colonization and later on, by Indian nobles and Spanish historians. Pre-Columbian drawings show flames coming out of Popocatépetl’s crater while later descriptions from the Spanish colonial period in Mexico (1521 to 1821) refer to ash emission and ballistics, lahars, and some pumice falls, similar to what were depicted in the thirteenth to sixteenth century drawings. Graphic information from the pre-Columbian codices, colonial maps, and paintings referring to the eruptions were correlated with historical accounts and religious chronicles, thereby leading to the reconstruction of a more detailed sequence of eruptive events. From such information, it was possible for us to prepare ash distribution maps for the 1540, 1592, and 1664 eruptions. Most of the known historical eruptions seem to be similar to those that have been occurring at Popocatépetl since 1994, indicating the importance of ash emission and crater dome formation throughout its recent eruptive history. The strongest eruptions occurred in 1510, 1519, 1540, 1580, 1664, and 2001; these produced widespread ash falls that affected both populated and rural areas. Duration of eruptive episodes during the past 800 years were estimated to have ranged from less than a year to more than 30 years, separated by repose periods ranging between 7 and over 100 years.
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We would like to thank the Archivo General de la Nación, as well as the Franciscan, Augustine, and Dominican orders for kindly giving us permission to search though and copy documents and photograph the drawings in order to reproduce them for this paper. DGAPA-PAPIIT from UNAM funded the project. Diana Negrete helped with drafting, rechecking the dates, translation, and cross referencing. We especially thank the reviewers for their detailed and helpful suggestions.
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Martin-Del Pozzo, A.L., Rodríguez, A. & Portocarrero, J. Reconstructing 800 years of historical eruptive activity at Popocatépetl Volcano, Mexico. Bull Volcanol 78, 18 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-016-1010-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-016-1010-y