The legend of "Citlaltepetl" or Pico de Orizaba

In the city of Orizaba, it is said that a long time ago in the time of the Olmecs
(first Mesoamerican tribe), there was a warrior named Nahuani, who took
with her friend and advisor Orizaba, a beautiful osprey. In one of many
battles Nahuani was defeated; so Orizaba rose to the highest heaven and
dropped to earth. In the place where it fell, little by little a mountain formed
until it became a volcano. After a while Orizaba remembered what happened
to Nahuani, so he made his fury explode, erupting several times. To control
this fury, the villagers of the tribe would climb to the top of the volcano to
worship Nahuani, Orizaba's eternal friend. Citlaltépetl is also known as "Pico
de Orizaba". The ancient Mexicans also called it Poyautécatl "El who lives
among light clouds or fog" or also "Lord of the fog". The name was changed
to Citlaltépetl (Star Hill), because the eruption of fire that emitted in the
distance, at night, looked like a star.
It is also said that it had its origin in a beautiful pre-Hispanic legend that goes
more or less like this: "... It has been said that when Quetzalcóatl left the city
of Tula, he did so heading to Coatzacoalcos, where he embarked in a canoe
whose stern had two linked snakes, getting lost forever in the immensity of
the sea as mysteriously as he had arrived..." The most widespread version of
this story seems to end here; However, the oral tradition, which is the
unwritten history, assures that the wise character stayed in the beautiful
Ahuializapan (Orizaba) until he closed his eyes forever. Well, the legend
continues saying: "that at the summit of Citlaltépetl A funeral pyre was raised
that turned the venerated body into ashes. Suddenly at dawn, the ashes rose
in the form of a splendorous cloud; the spirit of Quetzalcóatl, transformed
into a quetzal, arrived at the mansion of the Great Spirit amidst the hubbub. .