Spanish Word of the Day

According to this site, there are only 17 Marian apparitions approved by the Vatican. The Virgin of Guadalupe is #1, but I'm not sure the order is significant. The one in Wisconsin I never knew about.

What did you think of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe? It also seemed not very crowded when you were there.

Quote: Pacomartin

For those people not familiar with history

I'd ask where this place is, but I'm sure I've already done so and forgotten the answer.

Quote: Nareed

I'd ask where this place is, but I'm sure I've already done so and forgotten the answer.

Click this link

Quote: FrGamble

What did you think of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe? It also seemed not very crowded when you were there.

I can't compare crowd levels to anything, but it was indeed not that crowded. As I mentioned before, my trip overlapped with the Pope's. There may have been a lull of Catholic tourism just before and after the Pope's visit, because I'm sure there was a lot while he was in town. In other words, the calm after the storm.

If I were to make a suggestion, it would have been nice if there were tours. Or maybe even priests or nuns to ask questions to. Something to make guests feel a little more welcomed.

If you go to Mormon Square in Salt Lake City they just overwhelm you kindness.

Quote: Wizard

I can't compare crowd levels to anything, but it was indeed not that crowded. As I mentioned before, my trip overlapped with the Pope's. There may have been a lull of Catholic tourism just before and after the Pope's visit, because I'm sure there was a lot while he was in town. In other words, the calm after the storm.

I've read 15-20 million a year. A place that size can easily handle 50,000 visitors in a day if they are evenly spread out. Most people arrive by public transportation and depart in much less than one hour.

St Peter's basilica in Rome is very difficult to see in less than 3 hours if you go to Vatican museum. It feels considerably more crowded there even though I have read that they have about 7 million annual visitors. It feels like St Peters has more people there to work or for conventions.

Quote: Pacomartin

I've read 15-20 million a year.

With 90% visiting on or around Dec. 12th, no doubt :)

Quote: Wizard

I would not recommend Americans do this climb without a guide. Seems a recipe for disaster. I could also see getting lost, especially if climbing at night. Regarding where to stay, the higher up the better. A lot of people stayed in tents along the trail.

I should have been more specific when I said some people want to climb Itzy on the cheap. There were a lot of posts on the Thorn Tree forum that I participate in. Many people don't necessarily want to summit. They prefer to take a week in Amecameca and climb the lower parts of both mountains as day trips. Many are experienced climbers.

I remember about a dozen people I worked with in San Diego climbed Mount Whitney one weekend. The implication was that it had no technical demands, just the need to be in good physical condition.

Malintzi (Malinche) seems to have been climbed to the summit by people who are just in good shape. At least half the path to the summit from the government resort is an old road to a former antenna.

Your map of the mountain labels the first landmark as "Alcalican" which seems to translate as alkaline.

alkali (n.)late 14c., "soda ash," from Medieval Latin alkali, from Arabic al-qaliy "the ashes, burnt ashes" (of saltwort, a plant growing in alkaline soils), from qala "to roast in a pan." The modern chemistry sense is from 1813.
Is that correct?

Quote: Pacomartin

Your map of the mountain labels the first landmark as "Alcalican" which seems to translate as alkaline.

alkali (n.)late 14c., "soda ash," from Medieval Latin alkali, from Arabic al-qaliy "the ashes, burnt ashes" (of saltwort, a plant growing in alkaline soils), from qala "to roast in a pan." The modern chemistry sense is from 1813.
Is that correct?

Here are some pictures of the lower part of the mountain, taken during the training hike. Chemistry is not my strong suit, but it does look like the mountain spewed out some ash in recent history, which still remains.

Alcalican not to be confused with alacran (scorpion), by the way.

Unless Nareed helps us, we'll just go with alkaline as a translation.

km Names of stops on climb to Iztaccihuatl (from Wizard's photo of map)
0.0 Joya
0.95 Valle Feliz
1.40 Alcalican
1.78 Guglia
2.24 Tobillos (Del lat. vulg. *tubellum, dim. de tuber 'protuberancia')
2.59 Jabonero
2.69 Ojo de Buey o Murciélago
2.87 Refugios
3.23 Esperanza
3.73 Luis Méndez
4,15 Monte Venus
4.49 Panza
4.64 Ombligo (Del Latin umbilīcus)
4.84 Ordóñez
4.99 Costilla
5.17 Plexo
5.43 Pecha



The images on Google Maps are 1st,2nd,3rd portillo and then refugios (2.87 km).