Title
Air, Earth, Fire, Water
Creator
Website
Description
Color lithograph on paper, 42 in. x 57.25 in. Well known Chicano artist Luis Jiménez interpreted the Aztec legend of the two lovers Iztaccíhuatl and Popocatépetl. The warrior Popocatépetl was sent to battle by his king, who wanted to discourage the romance between his daughter Princess Iztaccíhuatl and Popocatépetl. Although the king had promised Popo his daughter’s hand in marriage, he hoped that Popo would die in battle, so he lied to his daughter that her lover was dead. Izta died of a broken heart. When Popo returned to find her dead, he knelt down to hold her lifeless body. The gods took pity on the two lovers and covered them with snow. The story describes the origin of the volcanoes Popocatépetl (“the Smoking Mountain”) and Iztaccíhuatl (“White Woman” in Nahuatl, sometimes called the “Mujer Dormida’’ or “Sleeping Woman” in Spanish). Volcanoes are the home of the gods and considered sacred in Mexico. In the title of the print references the original elements in nature. These popular Aztec lovers decorate calendars, murals, T-shirts, and automobiles.
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Contributor
Access Rights
Mexic-Arte Museum has created and maintains websites and other digital properties to support its mission to enrich the community through education programs, exhibitions, and interpretations of the collection. These Websites include https://mexic-artemuseum.org/ and https://mexicartemuseum.pastperfectonline.com/. This does not mean that Mexic-Arte Museum owns each component of the compilation, some of which may be owned by others and used with their permission or used in accordance with applicable law (e.g., fair use). Mexic-Arte Museum is committed to protecting the intellectual property rights of visual and performing artists and others who hold copyright. Most items in the collection are protected by copyright and/or related rights. Private study, educational, and non-commercial use of digital images from our websites is permitted, with attribution to the Mexic-Arte Museum. Commercial use of any materials on the Mexic-Arte Museum website is expressly forbidden. Users who wish to obtain permission for publication, display, distribution, or other uses of these materials should contact the rights holder(s).