evidence: There is a smog haze this morning, but it is clear enough for spectacular views of Iztaccihuatl and Popocatepetl. These are Mexico's third and second highest peaks. The names of these peaks come from Aztec mythology, Popocatepetl (the warrior) and Iztaccihuatl "the sleeping maiden". Pre Aztec Indians referred to Popocatepetl as the smoking mountain, and true to its name, there was a plume of vapor rising above it. Paso de Cortes, the saddle or pass between the volcanoes is visible. Of the two volcanoes, Popo is more aesthetic as it is conical. Sybille Bedford, when seeing these volcanoes, wrote in the 1950's "Japanese contoured shapes of pastel blue and porcelain snow, and thin formal curls of smoke afloat in a limpid sky."