The Volcano Paricutín and his buried Church
The Volcano
Paricutin, it is one of Michoacán's
tourist attractions, that you can visit during your next visit to Patzcuaro. A day trip that some of our
guests at Hotel Mansion Iturbe want
to make. They want to know more
information about the Volcano Paricutin,
his location and when this Young Volcano erupted.
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| Volcano Paricutin (image from SECTUR Michoacan) |
The Volcano
Paricutin is located near the village of Angahuan, located approximately to
93kms of Patzcuaro.
Our friend Adrew
Carhartt, a resident from the United States in Patzcuaro, made a trip to the zone of the Volcano Paricutin and he shares his experience with us and also
giving us an introduction on this interesting place:
“A Visit to a
Church Half-Buried in Lava!
Vulcán Paricutín started to “erupt” in February 1943.
There was no evidence or warning of its activity prior to the
event. It just slowly appeared out of
nowhere in the middle of a farmer’s cornfield one afternoon, and grew and grew
for nine years. It didn’t spew out
enormous boulders as do some volcanoes, but instead produced many rivers of
lava that moved more slowly than a person can walk (not one person died as a
direct result of the “eruption”). It
burned and/or covered everything in its path – and over a total area of 230
square kilometers.
Something unusual was in the path of the lava river: the unfortunate church of San Juan Parangaricutiro,
just outside Angahuan. But just look at
what remains of it: the beautiful façade and the altar itself – at opposite
extremes of the building! This image is
taken from within the temple. The tower
to the left of the image was under construction at the time of event.
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| Church of San Juan Parangaricutiro |
The “tributary” of lava surrounded and entered the afore-mentioned
temple. As the lava cooled, it mixed
with the soil and expanded upward, forming tall structures everywhere the lava gathered.
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| Church of San Juan Parangaricutiro |
Just three months ago – and for the first time since the disaster – a
bolt of lightning struck a corner of the first tower of the façade, dashing several
blocks of cantera to the lava rock below.
Fortunately, the rest of the tower remains intact (see next image).
 |
| Tower of the Church of San Juan Parangaricutiro |
Note: There are no walkways, per
se, after you start your ascent to – nor within – the church. Nothing but uneven lava rock sticking up
everywhere, with occasional level spots of dirt…. Not recommended if you are not half burro! “
We invite you to check more post in our blog, you will find information about Patzcuaro and it's surroundings that we hope will be helpful for your next trip to our colonial town in Mexico.
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