La Malinche is an eroded stratovolcano, cut by deep canyons, that rises to 4461 m NE of the city of Puebla. Malinche occupies an isolated position between the Popocatépetl-Iztaccíhuatl and Orizaba-Cofre de Perote volcanic ranges. Much of the andesitic-dacitic volcano was constructed during the Pleistocene, and the summit exhibits evidence of glacial erosion. This volcano remains relatively unstudied, however, recent work has identified tephra layers of Holocene age that originated from Volcán la Malinche. Several tuff cones and explosion craters, at least one of Holocene age, are found on the flanks of the volcano; one of the most prominent of these is the Xalapaxco tuff cone complex on the lower NE flank. Holocene lahars from La Malinche associated with an eruption about 3100 years ago reached the Puebla basin and affected precolumbian settlements.