Located within vast agricultural lands of Pampanga, it rises prominently to a height of 1,033 metres (3,389 ft) above sea level.

Ten miles (16 km) to the west of Mount Arayat is Angeles City and the former Clark Air Base.

[1] Mount Arayat is considered mystical in ancient Kapampangan folklore as the legendary home of Aung/Aring Sinukuan/Sinkuan/Suku or the Fairy known as diwata Maria Sinukuan.

According to research gathered by Kapampangan students of Henry Otley Beyer, the mountain was the abode of Apung/Aring Sinukuan, rival of Apu Namalyari of Mount Pinatubo.

During the Philippine Revolution, the Filipino revolutionaries retreated on Mount Arayat after the failure of the Cry of Nueva Ecija during September 1896 when the Spanish counter-attacked at San Isidro.

In September 1897, Gen. Francisco Macabulos retreated to Mount Arayat along with his men to avoid capture by the Spanish authorities in Tarlac, which used to be under the control of his forces.

Nicanor Songco "Bapa" developed a plan on how they could spread the information of their escape to Mount Arayat to be safe in the height of the war.

[citation needed] Mount Arayat stands in the middle of the largely-agricultural 15 to 35 metres (49 to 115 ft) AMSL Central Luzon Plain, serving as a distinct landmark in Pampanga province.

[8] The mountain is topped by a circular volcanic crater about 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) in diameter, much of which has collapsed on the western and part of the northern rim due to erosion.

This area is the apparent source of a major debris-avalanche deposit that forms hummocky terrain beyond the west and northwest sides of the volcano.

The northern or higher Peak can be accessed on a route from Pampanga State Agricultural University in Magalang, Pampanga, taking a similar time to reach the peak, however, this route takes you through the Arayat Amphitheatre and the so-called White Rock which legend claims to be the Home of Apung/Aring Sinukuan.

Sinukuan is said to live at the White rock, a Lava dome possibly formed by the last eruption, where its glimmering properties were most likely to have inspired the legend.

The day he comes back is believed to either be when he responds to the attack of Namalyari on Mount Pinatubo's 1991 eruption or when the time to call his servants upon the end of the world has come.

Furious, the Spanish added 'Maria' to Sinukuan's name to somewhat turn her into Catholic in a bid to further subjugate the natives and convert them into Roman Catholicism.