The story has all the makings of a great opera. Two young lovers; one a great warrior, the other a princess. He goes to war, she awaits his return. A villain tricks the princess into believing her lover is dead. She dies of sorrow. The warrior returns, is grief-stricken, and stands vigil over her body. The gods transform him into Popocatépetl (a smoldering volcano) and her into Iztaccihuatl (a dormant volcano). The two volcanoes remain today, just southeast of Mexico City.