Arturo

Arturo sent the following,

Popocatepetl and Iztacihuatl stand out above the Anahuac's valley, and conform one of the most beautiful landscape of the world. Iztacihuatl means in nahuatl (the ancient lenguage of the aztecs)"sleeping women" and Popocatepetl "smoky mountain". Is not strange the capacity of this landscape to charm and inspire a lot of tales and myths.

When I was a child, my grandmother told me a story about the volcanos: "The volcanos of the Mexico's valley is a story of an endless love. So many years ago, Tenochtitlan (the capital of the aztec empire) was in war against other people. Popocatepetl was the great warrior in all around the empire and went at the forehead of the army to the war. Before Popocatepetl left the city, he visited his fiancee in order to ask for the promice of await for him. The name of the lady was Xochiquetzal.

Both, Popocatepetl the warrior and Xochiquetzal the princess was in love and her father was agree. Because the wedding with the most important warrior was a honor. Many days, and weeks, and months later a rumor in the city began: -Popocatepetl died- said the people. Xochiquetzal was crying her misfortune for many days and asked to gods for her lover. She never believe in the Popocatepetl's dead. Later her father in order of the convenience of the city command the wedding of Xochiquetzal with a foreing prince. Xochiquetzal refused the wedding and forever lovesick kill herself. A few time later Popocatepetl arrived to the city, the people was crying and without words a man showed to him the way to the Xochiquetzal's house. In side the house Popocatepetl looked the body of Xochiquetzal. With tears in his eyes Popocatepetl raised in his arms the inert body and went to the forest.

All night long Popocatepetl was crying prostrated beside Xochiquetzal. When the gods looked his suffering sent the snow for cover the lovers. Since that day, Popocatepetl is awaiting for Xochiquetzal the "Iztacihuatl" (slepping women) because she will raised from the dead at the end of the time. And the fumaroles of Popocatepetl are the evidence of the warm heart of the warrior and his purpose of keep warm the body of Xochiquetzal."

Believe or not, this story is the evidence of a sensitive country that believe in the power of love and love their volcanos as an evidence of that...

 To Active Volcanoes      To VolcanoWorld