earth science

Paso de Cortés

Paso de Cortés is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Paso de Cortés rather than just read about it. In short: Paso de Cortés (Pass of Cortés), officially proposed to be renamed to Paso de los Pueblos Indígenas (Pass of the Indigenous Peoples), is a mountain pass between the Popocatépetl and Iztaccihuatl volcanoes in central Mexico. Historically known in Nahuatl as Tlamacaxco or Cuauhichcac, it is part of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, at a point where the southeast-trending continental divide turns north for over 16 km (1…

Key takeaways

Paso de Cortés belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Paso de Cortés to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Paso de Cortés from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Paso de Cortés (Pass of Cortés), officially proposed to be renamed to Paso de los Pueblos Indígenas (Pass of the Indigenous Peoples), is a mountain pass between the Popocatépetl and Iztaccihuatl volcanoes in central Mexico. Historically known in Nahuatl as Tlamacaxco or Cuauhichcac, it is part of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, at a point where the southeast-trending continental divide turns north for over 16 km (10 mi). The altitude of the pass ranges between 3,600 m (11,800 ft) and 3,800 m (12,500 ft), and serves as the access point to Izta-Popo Zoquiapan National Park. The pass is located in the municipality of Amecameca in the State of México, about 90 km (56 mi) southeast of Mexico City.

History The name derives from the transit of conquistador Hernán Cortés and his men over the pass in 1519. After the battle of Cholula, the Spanish continued northwest into the Valley of Mexico and the city of Tenochtitlán to confront the Aztecs and their emperor Moctezuma. The former name of the site was known as Tlamacaxco ('upper pass') or Cuauhichcac ('eagle's talon'). In 2026, President Claudia Sheinbaum proposed the pass to be officially named Paso de los Pueblos Indígenas.

Flora and fauna The predominant plant communities in the park are montane conifer forests and alpine grasslands. Mexican mountain pine and sacred fir are the most common species. Since the forest canopy is not too thick, many other tree and shrub species of the Senecio, Ribes, Muhlenbergia, Agrostis, Brachypodium, Lupinus and Festuca genus inhabit the zone.

Access There is a paved road from Amecameca on the Mexico City side to Paso de Cortés, and from there south to Tlamacas towards Popocatépetl or north to the area near the base of Iztaccihuatl. The pass can also be reached on dirt trails from Cholula, which are at least sometimes passable by 4-wheel-drive vehicles.

References

External links Molina, Emiliano (December 11, 2025). "La travesía de los peregrinos guadalupanos por el Paso de Cortés". El País México (in Spanish). Retrieved March 22, 2026.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Paso de Cortés

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Paso de Cortés claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Paso de Cortés before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Paso de Cortés ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Paso de Cortés

In research: Paso de Cortés appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Paso de Cortés in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Paso de Cortés is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Landforms of the State of Mexico, Mexico geography stubs, Mountain passes of Mexico, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Paso de Cortés outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Paso de Cortés in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Paso de Cortés means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Paso de Cortés out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Paso de Cortés in simple terms?

Why does Paso de Cortés matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Paso de Cortés?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Paso de Cortés.