Popocatépetl is an active volcano,
located in Central Mexico, and lies in the eastern half of
the Trans-Mexican volcanic belt. At
5,426 m (17,802 ft) it is the second highest peak in
Mexico.
It is linked to the Iztaccihuatl volcano
to the north by the high saddle known
as the Paso de Cortés.
Popocatepetl is 70 km (43 mi) southeast of Mexico City,
from where it can be seen regularly, depending on atmospheric conditions. The name Popocatépetl comes from the Nahuatl,
meaning Smoking Mountain.
The Legend
Iztaccíhuatl's father sent Popocatepetl to war in Oaxaca,
promising him his daughter as his wife if he returned (which Iztaccíhuatl's
father presumed he would not). Iztaccíhuatl's father told her that her lover
had fallen in battle and she died of grief. When Popocatépetl returned, and
discovered the death of his lover, he committed suicide by plunging a dagger
through his heart. God covered them with snow and changed them into mountains.
Iztaccíhuatl's mountain was called "La Mujer Dormida, (the "Sleeping
Woman"), because it bears a resemblance to a woman sleeping on her back.
Popocatépetl became the volcano Popocatépetl, raining fire on Earth in blind rage at the
loss of his beloved.
