ON THE MALINCHE VOLCANO, Mexico (AP) 鈥 On the flanks of a central Mexico volcano, the country鈥檚 female mountaineers have chosen a new 鈥淨ueen of the Mountains,鈥 complete with crown, ice axe and red cape.
The tradition that dates to the 1950s came this year at a somber time for Mexico鈥檚 mountaineers, as the tight-knit community was still reckoning with the Pico de Orizaba, the country鈥檚 highest.
This year's queen, Mariana Garc铆a L贸pez, a 42-year-old administrator and teacher at the 好色tv Technology Institute of Mexico鈥檚 Zongolica campus, hails from Orizaba, Veracruz, the gulf coast state that shares the peak with the state of Puebla. She started hiking the mountains of Veracruz 20 years ago and has made several ascents up Orizaba鈥檚 different faces.
Garc铆a L贸pez and women from more than 60 mountaineering clubs made their way up the Malinche volcano in central Mexico on Sunday. Normally, her coronation would have occurred at the 14,636-foot (4,461-meter) summit, but after the deaths on Orizaba, mountain rangers tightened requirements for those attempting to summit.
Organizers moved the ceremony lower on the mountain to send a message of safety. They piled their clubs鈥 flags in front of Garc铆a L贸pez and shouted 鈥淟ong live Mexican mountaineering!鈥 They pummeled their new queen with snowballs.
The new queen will have a packed schedule. In her role, she will travel to meet the many clubs present and join them on their mountaineering expeditions. As the female face of mountaineering, she will show other women there are no limits to who can reach the country鈥檚 highest peaks.
Garc铆a L贸pez said she wants to stress the responsibility of those who go into the mountains and support the restoration of many of the high-elevation shelters that have deteriorated over the years.
鈥淭here is a lot of work to be done on the issue of mountaineering,鈥 Garc铆a L贸pez said.
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