Family History

       


 






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Iztaccihuatl
Photograph by M Gaxiola, 2015
 

Meaning 'white woman' in Nahuatl, Iztaccihuatl (elevation 5,230 m/17,160 ft) is a dormant volcanic mountain situated between the State of Mexico and Puebla. It is popularly known as 'the sleeping woman.' Iztaccihuatl is a princess in Aztec mythology who was in love with the warrior Popocatépetl. Her father promised that she would marry him if he returned victorious from war. Before he returned, a jealous rival told her that Popocatépetl had been killed in battle, and she died from grief. Upon his return, Popocatépetl carried Iztaccihuatl to her grave on a great mountain, where he knelt before her until he himself died from grief. The gods covered them with snow and transformed them into mountains.