Alert Level Is Raised in Central Mexico as Volcano Spews Smoke and Ash (www.nytimes.com)

Since then, mild to moderate activity from the volcano has prompted officials to occasionally raise alert levels.

It was unclear on Monday how long this period of raised volcanic activity would continue.

A timelapse video that the center shared on social media on Monday showed the volcano spewing smoke and ashes in the early morning.

Officials said at a news conference on Sunday that the state of Puebla, which includes a portion of the volcano, had set up 35 shelters with space for up to 22,000 people if evacuations were needed.

Lpez Obrador said in Spanish.

The disaster prevention center said that authorities in the area surrounding Popocatpetl were preparing evacuation teams and shelters, and that local and state officials were also planning to tour evacuation routes on Monday.

We need to be perfectly sure that our evacuation routes and signs are correct, Ms.

Velazquez Alzua said.

Popocatpetl (pronounced pohpohkahTEHpehtil), sometimes referred to as a god of rain or the communitys heartbeat, was quiet for decades before it became active in the 1990s.