PICO DE ORIZABA (CITLALTÉPETL ) IS A STRATOVOLCANO, THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN IN MEXICO AND THE THIRD HIGHEST IN NORTH AMERICA, AFTER DENALI IN THE UNITED STATES AND MOUNT LOGAN IN CANADA. IT IS 5,636 M (18,491 FT) HIGH AND LIES IN THE EASTERN END OF THE TRANS-MEXICAN VOLCANIC BELT, 200 KM EAST OF MEXICO CITY.

Pico de Orizaba is a dormant volcano with the last eruption taking place in the 19th century. It is the second most prominent volcanic peak in the world after Africa's Mount Kilimanjaro. Pico de Orizaba is one of only three volcanoes in Mexico that have become sources for glaciers.

The mountain is home to the largest glacier in Mexico, Gran Glaciar Norte, as well as nine other biggest glaciers in the country.

Pico de Orizaba was an important mythological symbol in pre-Hispanic cultures, such as those of the Aztecs and the Totonacs. During the American occupation of Mexico in 1848, two American soldiers, F. Maynard and William F. Raynolds, were the first documented climbers to reach the summit of Pico de Orizaba.

THE FIVE HIGHEST PEAKS IN MEXICO:

Pico de Orizaba (Citlaltépetl) - 5610 m (18,406 ft), in Puebla state, Mexico.
Popocatépetl - 5500 m (18,045 ft), in Morelos state, Mexico.
Iztaccíhuatl - 5220 m (17,126 ft), in Puebla state, Mexico.
Nevado de Toluca (Volcán Xinantécatl) - 4680 m (15,354 ft), 80 km from the Mexico City, Mexico.
Sierra Negra (Atlitzin) - 4580 m (15,026 ft), in Puebla state, Mexico.