Volcán Ceboruco

The Ceboruco is the volcano that looms over Jala, a 2,280-meter stratovolcano at the western end of Mexico's volcanic belt. Around a thousand years ago it produced one of the largest eruptions in the country's recent geological history, the so-called Jala eruption, which blew out the wide caldera you see today and buried the valley in pumice. Later eruptions built a second crater inside the first, and the last one, from 1870 to 1875, sent lava flows down its flanks that are still bare black rock.

What makes the Ceboruco unusual is how easy it is to reach. A cobblestone road climbs from Jala up the mountain and into the caldera, so you can get close to the summit area by car instead of on a long hike. Near the top, fumaroles still breathe out steam from cracks in the rock, a reminder that the volcano is considered active.

From the rim you look out over the valley of Jala, Ahuacatlán and Ixtlán, with the old lava flows spread out below like dark rivers. Short trails cross volcanic sand and stone that locals compare to a lunar landscape, and the higher slopes are covered in pine and oak forest.