he sun was high on that February 20, 1943, when Dionisio Pulido, a peasant of humble origins from Michoacán, was working his corn field a few kilometers from the village of Paricutín. He was a simple man, accustomed to the toil of the land, the cyclical nature of the seasons, and the slow pace of rural Mexican life.
But nothing would be normal that day. Pulido recalled years later:
“I was hoeing corn as I do every morning when the ground beneath me began to shake and rise, as if it were breathing. I had never seen anything like it. A whistling sound came from the ground, a sound that made my blood run cold. Then, in a few moments, a fissure appeared from which smoke, ash and glowing stones began to pour out . My land, my life, everything was changing before my eyes.”
Without hesitation, Dionysius grabbed his wife and the few possessions that could be saved and fled the camp in fear. Behind them, the earth continued to rise, and a small cinder cone began to grow, transforming day by day into a real mountain. Pulido thus became a direct witness to the birth of Paricutín, the volcano that would forever change the landscape and history of Michoacán.
The volcano grows: wonder and terror in Paricutín
In a few days, what was a simple cornfield turned into a smoking crater. But why did the Paricutín volcano grow so rapidly in height?
When the ground opened up, magma rose from underground and, encountering water tables, generated explosions of steam, ash and gas. Each jet of lapilli, ash and lava fell back around the eruptive mouth, accumulating layer upon layer, until it built a veritable volcanic cone.
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In the first few days, the cone already reached tens of meters.
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After one week, it was over 50 meters.
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After one year, he had passed 400 meters.
Paricutín grew day by day, offering the world a rare spectacle: the complete birth of a monogenetic volcano, from beginning to end. Dionisio Pulido watched everything with awe and terror, witnessing the incredible power of nature in real time.
Reactions of society and the media
The local population was caught between amazement and fear. To the purépecha peasants, a volcano rising from nowhere was something incomprehensible and almost supernatural: many immediately fled the nearby fields and villages.
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Some saw the event as a divine sign, warning or punishment.
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Others tried to salvage what they could from villages and move livestock and crops.
Mexican and international media soon arrived on the scene: journalists, photographers, and scientists described the mysterious birth of the volcano as unique in modern history. The press spoke of fields buried by lava, houses devoured, and families forced to take refuge elsewhere.
Local authorities organized evacuations and relief efforts, but the event was so unpredictable that much of the population had to rely only on their own resources. Some families lost everything, while others, like that of Dionisio Pulido, became direct witnesses to a geological miracle.
Dionysus Pulido, a simple but courageous man, often recounted his fear and disbelief in the face of the lava that devoured his land and fields, leaving behind for future generations a unique tale of human resilience:
“Every day was different. The mountain grew before our eyes. We felt the earth shaking and saw ash enveloping everything. It was as if the whole world was changing, and we were helpless spectators.”
Buried villages and church submerged by the mysterious Paricutín eruption
The Paricutín volcano brought with it unprecedented material destruction in the area, but fortunately without direct casualties. The villages of Paricutín and San Juan Parangaricutiro were submerged in lava, and thousands of people had to abandon their homes and fields that had been cultivated for generations.
One of the most iconic images left is the submerged church of San Juan Parangaricutiro. All the houses and buildings were swallowed by lava, but the church tower still protrudes from the solidified lava as a symbol of resilience and historical memory. Walking through the black lava fields, visitors can see this sacred “island” that reminds them of the strength of nature and the fragility of man.
Dionisio Pulido and his family experienced the trauma of losing their cultural and material roots. In his words:
“Seeing my home engulfed by lava was like losing a part of me. The land on which I had walked all my life was gone. But we were alive, and that gave us the strength to start again elsewhere.”
Today, Dioniso Pulido is remembered as the farmer who witnessed the mysterious birth of the Paricutín, a symbolic figure representing man’s courage, wonder, and vulnerability in the face of nature.
Paricutín volcano travel among apocalyptic landscapes
In the present day, Paricutín is one of the most fascinating volcanological destinations in the world. Visitors can explore the lava fields on horseback or on foot, starting from the village of Angahuan, inhabited by the purépecha community, and imagine the emotions experienced by Dionisio Pulido as he witnessed the birth of the volcano.
Local guides lead visitors through black paths and extinct craters to the bell tower of the submerged church, a historical and visual symbol of a village engulfed by lava.
A symbol of the power of nature
Paricutín remained active for nine years, from 1943 to 1952, before entering a dormant state. Today it is considered a “monogenetic volcano”: born, raised and exhausted within a single generation.
But more than a geological curiosity, the Paricutín has become a symbol of the primordial force of nature, capable of reminding us how fragile man’s presence on the planet is.
How to visit the volcano Paricutín
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Where the Paricutín volcano is located : state of Michoacán, western Mexico, not far from the city of Uruapan.
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How to get to Paricutín Volcano : From Uruapan you drive to the village of Angahuan, the starting point of the excursions.
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How to visit Paricutín : horseback riding tours or guided trekking to the volcano and the sunken church.
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Best time: November to March, during the dry season.
Why go visit the Paricutín volcano
A trip to the Paricutín is not just about seeing a volcano: it is about walking through history, to the places where a simple peasant like Dionisio Pulido witnessed mystery of the the birth of a mountain from nothing, a witness to the power of nature and human resilience. The submerged church, which still emerges from the lava, makes the landscape a unique visual and emotional experience between myth, science and memory.
- Useful links: Paricutín Community
- Do you love South America? Also read our article On Mexico’s ten alternative destinations
