Gary Day

Gary Day sent the following,

Popocatepetl, whose name means smoking mountain in the Nahuatl (Aztec) language, was an Aztec warrior who was in love with Iztaccihuatl (meaning white woman). The myth about these two volcanoes lying between Mexico City and Puebla is very similar to that of Romeo and Juliet. While Popocatepetl was away, the Aztec princess, Iztaccihuatl, was mistakenly informed that Popocatepetl had been killed. Deciding that she could not live without her love, she killed herself. When Popocatepetl returned and found her dead, he was overcome with grief. He built a mound and laid her body on it, and vowed that he would never leave her again. Those who have visited Mexico and seen these two volcanoes will notice in Iztaccihuatl the shape of a woman, lying on her back and covered with a white sheet of snow. At her feet stands Popocatepetl, eternally watching over her.

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