Mexicans near Popocatepetl stay vigilant as volcano’s activity increases

The activity led the Mexican government to raise the warning level and to close schools in dozens of municipalities across three states. Still, the real warning residents listen for — as it has been her whole life — will be the urgent tolling of the town’s church bells. The volcano’s activity temporary halted flights at the capital’s two airports over the weekend. Velázquez said only three of the volcano’s 565 explosions since September had been big, and the current activity was not the greatest of this century. Popocatepetl came to life in 1994 after a decades-long dormancy and experienced periods of greater activity from 2000 to 2003 and 2012 to 2016.