Paso de Cortés

Paso de Cortés is the saddle between Mexico's two great volcanoes, Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, at an altitude of about 3,700 meters. It sits inside the Iztaccíhuatl-Popocatépetl National Park, one of the oldest protected areas in the country, created in 1935 to guard the forests and springs that feed the valleys of Mexico, Puebla and Morelos. Since 2010 the area has also been part of a UNESCO biosphere reserve.

The pass takes its name from Hernán Cortés, whose army crossed this way in 1519 on the march to Tenochtitlan; he later wrote that he sent men up the volcano to look for sulfur for gunpowder. On a clear day you look straight at the smoking cone of Popocatépetl on one side and the long white ridge of Iztaccíhuatl on the other, and east across the Puebla valley to La Malinche and the Pico de Orizaba.

The summit of Popocatépetl has been closed to climbers since it became active in 1994, and access to the pass itself is restricted whenever the volcano's alert level rises. In calm periods the pass is the starting point for hikes and climbs on Iztaccíhuatl, and there is a small visitor post and a shelter with camping areas.