| The mountain, named Xinantécatl,
or "the naked man" is an extinct volcano with two craters that now
contain lakes (poetically named after the Sun and the Moon). A well-maintained
state highway reaches the craters, so the area is a popular retreat.
HISTORY AND WILDLIFE
The area was declared a national park in 1936 and now is spotted
with fir and pine forests (much of the original cover has been deforested).
Officially, the park stands at 51,000 hectares (126,000 acres).
Wildlife includes the Zacatuche rabbit -- which thrives on the
volcanic slopes throughout Central Mexico -- coyote, white-tail
deer, bobcats and woodpeckers.
Less known is that the park attracts divers, who explore these
high-altitude lakes.
SUGGESTIONS
Make your trip to the crater early in the day; it becomes cloudy
in the afternoon. There are plenty of trails that criss cross the
area. If you want to climb either of the two peaks, take the trail
along the rim of the crater upward. The park doesn't have guards,
but people at the nearby Posada Familiar, located near the park
entrance, can direct you.
HEADLINES
According to a 2007 Associated Press report
archaeologists diving into the Lake of the Moon found wooden scepters
in the shape of lightning bolts matching the description written
500 years ago by Spanish priests and conquerors about offerings
to the Aztec rain god. The lightning bolts were found during scuba-diving
expeditions.
Lightning bolt scepters "were used by Aztec priests when they
were doing rites associated with the god Tlaloc,"
Johan Reinhard, an anthropologist and explorer-in-residence for
National Geographic Society who took part in more dives at the Lake
of the Moon. "We think it is pretty clear that the Aztecs considered
this one of the more important places of Tlaloc." |
