MEXICO CITY (AP) -- A large volcano outside Mexico City erupted Friday
                  night, spitting ash more than a mile into the air.

                  Popocatepetl, a 17,886-foot-high volcano about 40 miles southeast of Mexico
                  City, spewed ash for about six minutes, shortly after 8 p.m.. The ash was blown
                  northward but did not fall over any major population centers, according to the
                  National Center for the Prevention of Disasters.

                  Soon after the eruption, the activity decreased and the volcano emitted only one
                  reported exhalation for about 15 minutes before stabilizing, the center said.

                  The volcano has been spewing vapor, ash and rock intermittently since
                  December 1994 after lying largely dormant since 1927.