posted by AetnaJo on Feb 15
Paricutin, the volcano that grew out of a cornfield.
Volcan Paricutin
Paricutin-Mexico’s most famous volcano.
One day in 1943, a farmer in a small village in central Mexico in the state of Michoacan set out to plow his cornfield. It seemed like any ordinary Saturday, the month was February and the skies were clear. The farmer, Dionisio Pulido, was attending his crop of corn when he heard low rumblings emanating from the earth. This in itself was nothing particularly new; indeed, the area in which he lived, just outside the quaint village of Paricutín, had been experiencing small earth temblors for the past 2 months.
Little did he realize that his life was to forever change due to the impending events that would soon unfold. Suddenly and without warning, much to the farmer’s consternation, the earth started to open up before his very eyes. A huge crack appeared in the dirt directly in front of where he stood. Instinctively, Dionisio Pulido attempted to fill the hole with earth. This was to no avail. Soon a terrible odor could be smelt coming from the fissure in the ground, a smell that can only be described as rotten eggs.
Volcan Paricutin
This odor, which was actually sulfur rising from the fissure in the earth, portended more events yet to come. Much to the farmer’s dismay, smoke started billowing out of the ground, the rising gray vapors filled with soot and ash. A terrible heat could be felt rising from the earth’s inner core and wisely, Dionisio Pulido fled the scene. Incredibly, what the farmer was unknowingly witnessing first-hand was the birth of a new volcano. Exhausted from the day’s extraordinary events and with the sun quickly setting in the western sky, Dionisio retreated to his home for the evening.
The next day, Dionisio, along with several others from the village, went out at dawn to examine the location. What they saw both amazed and justifiably terrified them. Rocks were furiously shooting into the sky while the cone of the previously underground volcano now broke through the surface and started growing before their very eyes. Lava started to pour quickly out of the cone’s spout and this was enough to convince the villagers to get away as fast and far as possible. The entire cornfield was soon transformed, its surface filled with molten rock that continued to expand across the landscape.
Two villages were buried by the volcano’s lava and ash, Paricutin and San Juan Parangaricutiro. A striking example of the volcano’s effects can be seen in photos of the church that was buried neck high in San Juan Parangaricutiro. Only the steeple of the church can be seen today with the landscape forever and dramatically altered with acres upon acres of lava rock stretching out in all directions. Incredibly, there were no fatalities from the falling rock or scalding lava, although lightning that accompanied the original event was blamed for 3 deaths.
The former residents of the two villages had to relocate with the memory of that fateful February day forever etched in their memories. What they had witnessed was extraordinary, for what they had observed with their own eyes was the birth of a volcano. The volcano’s cinder cone ultimately reached its full height of 1,391 feet where it stands today. Thankfully, the type of volcano that occurred in Paricutin is classified as monogenetic, meaning that it will never erupt again. In 1952 all activity ceased and it is now considered a dormant volcano.
Volcan Paricutin
Many people come to visit the volcano which is located approximately 200 miles west of Mexico. The city of Uruapan, located 20 miles south of the site, is a good jumping-off point to take a day trip to see the volcano and the surrounding lava fields. It is a good idea to stock up on supplies in this city, especially water. From this city you’ll board a bus to the small village of Angahuan. This small outpost is the closest village to the site and it is here that you can hire a guide for the day. This is highly recommended as the trails are not clearly marked. As well, the option to travel by horseback is available as this adventure will take a full day in any event (14 miles round-trip). Angahuan offers cabins for rent and there is a small cafeteria on the premises. Be sure to wear sturdy shoes as the lava rock can be very slippery and dangerous.
The volcano of Paricutin now bears the honor of being listed as one of the world’s 7 natural wonders. It holds the distinction of being the only volcano on the planet born in modern times. Eruptions from volcanoes are commonplace occurrences but the birth of an entirely new volcano is genuinely rare. MEXonline.com
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March 13th, 2010 at 5:56 am
Did you know why the movie is called Kites. Well i got to find out about it today and it seems that it is the brainchild of Rakesh Roshan. He says – The idea for Kites came to him when he was gazing at the sky and saw two kites flying.You can know more about this check this site – http://tinyurl.com/KitesFilm
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March 13th, 2010 at 1:15 pm
Hi there and thank you for your compliments. I visited your site on ‘kites’ and I give you my congratulations. It’s a great site. I posted an article on February 14th titled, “Los Voladores De Papantala.” I’t's so interesting.; I’ve seen these flyers and it’s so awesome to see them in person. Like you say on your blog, it’s a sight and feel of freedom. Okay, if you enjoy cooking or eating LOL, you can pick up some free authentic Mexican recipes.
Enjoy,
AetnaJoey
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March 27th, 2010 at 3:17 am
Well I did start this earlier and got the same response, but the information submitted here looks more informative. I will say that people really are trying to help at there best and we always get to know some or the other thing good from each other. Thank you for starting the discussion again. And I will also post the earlier information here to make it more helpful for all. Thanks again and keep up the good work.
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March 31st, 2010 at 3:21 pm
You have really great taste on catch article titles, even when you are not interested in this topic you push to read it
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April 1st, 2010 at 7:41 pm
Hi and thanks for the compliments. You may also want to visit http://www.Mexican-goods.com where you can get free authentic Mexican recipes.
Enjoy,
AetnaJo
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April 1st, 2010 at 7:45 pm
Hi and thanks. It’s great to hear compliments. They keep me working hard. If you enjoy eating or cooking you may wanty to visit me at http://www.Mexican-goods.com for free authentic Mexican recipes.
Enjoy
AetnaJo
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April 15th, 2010 at 11:39 am
Not bad article, but I really miss that you didn’t express your opinion, but ok you just have different approach
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April 15th, 2010 at 4:40 pm
I think this is a great post. One thing that I find the most helpful is number five. Sometimes when I write, I just let the flow of the words and information come out so much that I loose the purpose. It’s only after editing when I realize what I’ve done. There’s defiantly a lot of great tips here I’m going to try to be more aware of.
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April 16th, 2010 at 9:41 am
Thanks for commenting and I’ll keep you in mind.
Enjoy,
AetnaJB
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April 16th, 2010 at 9:42 am
Thank you so much.
Enjoy
AetnaJB
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July 5th, 2010 at 12:33 pm
[...] of the most famous sights in Michoacan is Volcan Paricutin, a volcano that literally came out of nowhere. It first started to appear in 1943 and rose 410m in [...]
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