Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl

by Engeli Haupt

Iztaccíhuatl was a beautiful woman. She loved a young man called Popocatépetl. Her father told Popocatépetl that she could be his wife after he went to fi ght the enemy. Her father didn’t believe that Popocatépetl would come back, so he told another man that he could be his daughter’s husband.Someone who hated Popocatépetl told everyone that he was dead.

When they told Iztaccíhuatl, she was very sad. She didn’t know that Popocatépetl wasn’t really dead. She didn’t want to marry anyone else, so she killed herself with a knife. When Popocatépetl came back, he took her body to the top of a mountain. He wanted to wake her up, but he couldn’t. God covered them with snow, and they became mountains.

Iztaccíhuatl’s mountain was called the sleeping woman, because it looks like a woman who is sleeping on her back. Popocatépetl is so angry about the love that he lost, he now breathes fi re. He has become a volcano[火山]and will be next to his love for all time.

Activity 1

Read the text and write P for Popocatépetl or I for Iztaccíhuatl in each space.

a. ____’s father said they could be husband and wife.

b. ____ fought the enemy.

c. ____ wasn’t really dead.

d. ____ decided to die.

e. ____ is a volcano now.

Know More

火山Iztaccíhuatl的名字是源自阿兹特克文明（Aztec，14～16世纪的墨西哥古文明）的原始语言纳瓦特尔语（Nahuatl）的发音，意为“身穿白衣裳的姑娘”，因为它被积雪覆盖了，那倩影犹如一位熟睡中的白衣姑娘。这座死火山坐落在普埃布拉州（Puebla，位于墨西哥中部的历史名城）和首都墨西哥城之间，在墨西哥城东南方大约50千米的地方。它是墨西哥境内第三高峰。而火山Popocatépetl如今依旧很活跃，它得名于勇士Popoca。

Activity 2

Now write so or because in each space.

1. I am tired, ________ I am going to bed.

2. She is cooking ________ she is hungry.

3. I love that song ________ its words are very beautiful.

4. I’m late, ________ I’ll have to take a taxi.

5. They are studying ________ they have an exam tomorrow.