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| The romantic image of a sleeping woman (La Mujer Dormida) in the arms of a pre-Columbian warrior. The original story pre-dates the arrival of the Spanish to the New World, and is a legend explaining the origin of two large volcanoes (both are over 17,000 feet high) near modern-day Mexico City. A man and a woman from different Native American nations became lovers against the wishes of their families. They were banished from both communities and forced to wander in the wilderness. When the woman died, her companion carried her to the top of a nearby mountain where she became the volcano Lztaccihuatl. He stood guard next to her, and was transformed into the adjacent volcano Popocatepetl. |