The man who became the official watchman of the Popocatepetl volcano

The awakening of the Popocatepetl volcano in 1994 filled the scientific community with uncertainty. As part of the measures that were taken in response to volcanic activity, including the creation of the Volcanic Alert Traffic Light, local police recruited a peasant who lived in the area to supervise 'Don Goyo' and notify experts.

Nephi de Aquino received training to become a police officer, but his job is reduced to observing the volcano and notifying any changes he detects to authorities and investigators from various institutions. As part of his work, he updates a daily photograph of Popocatépetl. It is part of an exchange relationship that has emerged between experts and local people, as scientists often need to install measuring apparatus in their fields or require ash samples.

Aquino is now 70 years old and the volcano to which he has dedicated his life is in Amarillo Phase 3. Despite the scientific instruments installed on the volcano, experts still require their services. Paul Alonso, one of the technicians at the National Center for Disaster Prevention, sums it up this way: "A machine is never going to measure the human perception of danger."

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