Data from the Solar Mesosphere Explorer (SME) is used to track the time, latitude, and altitude (above 18 km) development of the aerosol cloud injected into the stratosphere by the eruption of el Chich¿n. This unique data set, using scattering data from the near-infrared (1.27 and 1.87 μm) and visible (440 nm) spectrometers on SME, covers the period from the initial injection in April 1982 through the end of 1986. Although the bulk of the mass is contained in the latitude band from 10¿S to 30¿N for the entire duration of the measurements, transport of material to high latitudes is apparent in the data in the post eruption period. The times of aerosol density maxima vary greatly as a function of altitude and latitude. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1994