Pilgrims sing Catholic hymns and hold Mass to ask the Virgin Mary to forgive their sins. They beseech her to bring rain for their crops, shield their harvests from hail and calm the ashy exhalations of her neighbor, the unnervingly active Popocatepetl volcano. The hike to pay homage to The Sleeping Woman — the volcano’s silhouette resembles a reclining female — is a tradition that goes back generations. Nasario Galicia tends the altar, tucked inside a nook in the stone walls of The Sleeping Woman. The villagers’ next trek to Iztaccíhuatl will take place in August on the feast day of Saint Rose.

Source: Washington Post May 05, 2019 16:10 UTC