And since the volcano still is capable of an immense explosion, it is far from over. Scientists and the government warned today that a full-blown eruption, pouring rivers of lava down Popocatepetl's slopes, could come at any time. The volcano, less than 40 miles east of Mexico City and its nearly 20 million people, fumed billows of gray ash all day. The wind carried it south, sparing the metropolis and its international airport a coat of abrasive soot. All day Monday and today, government sound trucks went through villages near the volcano, blaring warnings.
Church bells rang out danger and army commanders appeared with evacuation orders.
But thousands resisted the call. We don't feel comfortable leaving our homes and everything we own in the hands of the authorities. For many people leaving was hard enough, but leaving our homes in the hands of the police is even harder. The church is important to us, and there was no one guarding it. There are antiquities inside that go back centuries.