The mountain has three peaks, the highest of which is 5286 m above sea level. Together, the three are seen as depicting the head, chest, and feet of a sleeping female figure. Iztaccíhuatl is a mere 70 km to the southeast of Mexico City and is often visible from the capital, depending on atmospheric conditions.
In Aztec mythology, Iztaccíhuatl was a princess who fell in love with one of her father's warriors. Her father sent her lover to a war in Oaxaca, promising him his daughter as his wife if he returned (which Iztaccíhuatl's father presumed he would not). Iztaccíhuatl was told her loved was dead and she died of grief. When he returned, he died of gried over losing her. The gods covered them with snow and changed them into mountains. Iztaccíhuatl's mountain was called "Sleeping Woman" because it bears a resemblance to a woman laying on her side. He became the volcano Popocatépetl, raining fire on Earth in blind rage at the loss of his love one.The Legend of Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl