Blanket - Popo and Ixta scene 2.3m x 2m

Ixtaccihuatl and Popocatépetl are beautifully depicted on this blanket - read about their Aztec love story below.

Made of an acrylic cotton polyester blend.

Measures 231cm x 205 inches and weighs 1.7kg.

The Legend of Popocatepetl and Ixtaccihuatl

On a clear day, the towering white peaks of the legendary Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl volcanoes can be seen from the great metropolis of Mexico City. Rising beyond 17,000 feet in elevation, these two majestic mountains offer the viewer a breathtaking sight. Snowcapped year round, the well-known landmarks have captured people's imaginations throughout the ages.

Popo and Ixta, as they are affectionately called, share a story that reaches back into the mists of time.

Geographically, these two glacier-iced volcanoes represent the second and third highest mountains in Mexico.

The name Ixtaccihuatl in the indigenous Nahuatl language means "White Woman" and the mountain actually includes four peaks. Many see her silhouette as resembling that of a sleeping woman, complete with head, chest, knees and feet.

Ixtaccihuatl is an extinct volcano. Popocatepetl is the taller of the two mountains and is still active. In the Nauhuatl language Popocatepetl means "Smoking Mountain".

In Aztec mythology, the volcanoes were once humans who were deeply in love. This legend features two star-crossed lovers, the young brave warrior Popocatepetl and the beautiful princess Ixtaccihuatl. The father of Ixta, a mighty ruler, placed a demanding condition upon Popo before he could take Ixta as his bride. His required that Popocatepetl first engage in battle against the tribe's enemy return with the vanquished enemy's head as proof of his success.

Popo sets off for battle with Ixta waiting for her beloved's return. Treacherously, a rival of Popocatepetl's sends a false message back to the ruler that the warrior has been slain when in fact, Popocatepetl has won the battle and is ready to return to his Ixtaccihuatl. However, the princess upon hearing the false news, falls ill and succumbs to her deep sorrow, dying of a broken heart.

When Popocatepetl returns triumphant to his people only to encounter his beloved's death, his heartbreak is inconsolable. He carries Ixtaccihuatl's body to the mountains whereupon he has a funeral pyre built for both himself and his princess. Grief-stricken beyond measure, Popocatepetl dies next to his beloved. The Gods, touched by the lover's plight, turn the humans into mountains, so that they may finally be together. They remain so to this day with Popocatepetl residing over his princess Ixtaccihuatl, while she lay asleep. On occasion, Popo will spew ash, reminding those watching that he is always in attendance, that he will never leave the side of his beloved Ixta.