Cuexcomate

Cuexcomate (Spanish pronunciation: [kweɣskoˈmate]) is an inactive geyser in Puebla city, Puebla state, Mexico. The sinter cone that the geyser built up around its vent is 13 metres (43 ft) tall and has a diameter of 23 metres (75 ft). A central crater within the cone is up to 8 metres (26 ft) wide and 17 metres (56 ft) deep (extending 4 metres (13 ft) below ground level).[1]

Cuexcomate's name is derived from the Nahuatl term cuezcomatl "a large earthen jar used to store grain", because of its resemblance to such a vessel. Historically, it has been cited that the geyser was formed before the 1064 eruption of the Popocatépetl, an active volcano and the second highest peak in Mexico, which likely activated geothermal spring circulation that cut upward through Mesozoic limestone and deposited the geyser and the springs around it. The geyser's rock composition is 99% calcite, differing thus from typical silica sinter deposits.[citation needed]

Cuexcomate has been mistakenly called 'the smallest volcano in the world' because of the popular belief that it was indeed a volcano, based only on the shape of the structure; however, it is not a volcano.[1] Today, there is a metal spiral staircase that allows tourists to descend into the excavated interior of the structure, where cultural events are occasionally done.