The peak of the crater stands 5465 m above sea level. It 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, Popocatépetl was a warrior who loved Iztaccíhuatl.
Iztaccíhuatl's father sent him to a war in Oaxaca, promising him his daughter as his wife if he returned (which Iztaccihuatl's father presumed he would not). Iztaccíhuatl was told her lover 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
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