Paricutin: The Volcano Born in a Cornfield

In the vast catalogue of the world’s volcanoes, few stories are as dramatic or as human as that of Paricutin (or Parícutin). Most volcanoes are ancient giants, their origins lost in the mists of geological time. Paricutin is different. We know exactly when it was born: February 20, 1943. We know exactly where: in a flat, unassuming cornfield in the Mexican state of Michoacán. And we know exactly who was there to see it: a farmer named Dionisio Pulido.

Paricutin is a cinder cone volcano located in the Michoacán-Guanajuato volcanic field, a region dotted with over 1,400 vents. But for nine extraordinary years, from 1943 to 1952, Paricutin captivated the world. It grew from a crack in the ground to a 424-meter-high mountain, burying two entire villages under lava and ash. Today, it stands as a silent, black cone surrounded by a rugged sea of solidified rock, with only the church tower of San Juan Parangaricutiro poking out—a haunting monument to the power of the Earth.

The Day the Earth Opened

The birth of Paricutin is one of the most well-documented volcanic events in history.

The Omen

For weeks prior to the eruption, residents of the nearby village of Paricutin reported hearing strange rumbling noises, like thunder from underground. They felt the ground shake. On February 20, Dionisio Pulido and his wife Paula were working in their field, Cuiyusuru, burning brush to prepare for spring planting.

The Fissure

Around 4:00 PM, the ground beneath them opened. Pulido later described seeing a fissure about 2 meters long. At first, it just hissed and released a puff of smoke that smelled of rotten eggs (sulfur). But within hours, the earth began to convulse. The ground swelled, and the fissure spat out fire and rocks. Pulido fled.

The Rapid Growth

By the next morning, a cone of ash and stone (scoria) had risen 50 meters (165 feet) high.

• One Week: It was 150 meters high.
• One Year: It reached 336 meters.
• Final Height: By the time eruptions ceased in 1952, the cone stood 424 meters (1,391 feet) above the surrounding plain, reaching an elevation of 2,800 meters (9,186 feet) above sea level.

The Destruction of Two Villages

As the volcano grew, it began to pour out thick, blocky lava (aa lava). This lava moved slowly—at the speed of a walking person or slower—but it was unstoppable.

Paricutin Village

The village of Paricutin, closest to the vent, was the first to fall. It was completely obliterated by heavy ashfall and eventually buried by lava. Fortunately, the slow speed of the disaster meant that everyone was able to evacuate. There were no direct casualties from the eruption itself, although lightning strikes from the volcanic plume did cause fatalities.

San Juan Parangaricutiro

The larger town of San Juan Parangaricutiro held out longer. Residents fought the “monster” for months, trying to clear the ash from their roofs. But eventually, the lava flows reached the town.

• The Church that Survived: The most iconic image of the eruption is the Old Church of San Juan Parangaricutiro. The lava flow, over 10 meters thick, surged into the town, swallowing houses and streets. It surrounded the church, flowing into the nave and burying the altar. However, the sturdy stone bell tower and the upper facade withstood the pressure. Today, tourists can walk across the solidified black lava field to see the ruins of the church rising defiantly from the rock. The altar, still adorned with flowers and candles left by pilgrims, stands in an open-air sanctuary carved by fire.

A Laboratory for Science and Art

Because Paricutin was born in the era of modern science, it became a living laboratory. It was the first time geologists could witness the entire life cycle of a volcano, from birth to extinction.

William Foshag

The Smithsonian Institution sent mineralogist William F. Foshag to Michoacán. He spent several years living near the volcano, documenting its emissions, lava types, and growth rates. His detailed notes and photographs provided an unprecedented dataset on how cinder cones—the most common type of volcano on Earth—actually work.

Dr. Atl

The eruption also attracted artists. The most famous was Gerardo Murillo, better known as Dr. Atl. A passionate landscape painter and writer, he was obsessed with volcanoes. He lost a leg due to complications from studying Paricutin (poor circulation exacerbated by the terrain), but he continued to paint the eruption from the air and from the crater rim. His vibrant, expressionist paintings captured the violent beauty of the birth, documenting the colors of the lava and the shape of the plumes in a way photographs could not.

What is a Monogenetic Volcano?

Paricutin is a classic example of a monogenetic volcano.

• One Life: Unlike “polygenetic” volcanoes like Mount Fuji or Etna, which erupt thousands of times over millions of years, monogenetic volcanoes erupt only once.
• Short Duration: Their eruptions typically last from a few weeks to a few years. Paricutin’s 9-year eruption was actually unusually long for this type (the average is closer to 1-2 years).
• Extinction: When Paricutin went quiet in 1952, it died. It will never erupt again. The magma source has cooled or shifted. Any future activity in the region will likely occur at a new location, breaking ground in another field or forest to build a new cone. This makes the Michoacán-Guanajuato field a “field of pimples” on the Earth’s crust, rather than a single giant boil.

The Michoacán-Guanajuato Volcanic Field (MGVF)

To understand Paricutin, one must understand its family. It does not stand alone; it is part of a massive geological family tree known as the Michoacán-Guanajuato Volcanic Field.

A Field of Pimples

Unlike the majestic, solitary cones of the Cascades (like Rainier) or the Andes (like Cotopaxi), the MGVF is a monogenetic volcanic field. It covers a vast area of over 40,000 square kilometers.

• Density: It contains over 1,400 distinct volcanic vents. Most of these are cinder cones like Paricutin, but there are also shield volcanoes, lava domes, and maars (explosion craters).
• The Plumbing System: In a polygenetic volcano (like Fuji), magma repeatedly rises through the same main conduit, building a massive mountain over millennia. In a monogenetic field, the magma rises through cracks in the crust that generally only open once. When the eruption ends, that conduit solidifies. The next batch of magma must find a new weak point to break through.
• The Hazard: This makes hazard assessment incredibly difficult. Scientists cannot predict where the next volcano will pop up. It could be ten kilometers away, or it could be right next door to the old one. The birth of Paricutin confirmed that these fields are still very much active. Jorullo (born in 1759) was the previous newest member before Paricutin arrived.

Ecological Recovery: Life Returns to the Stone

The area surrounding Paricutin offers a textbook case study in primary succession—the process by which life colonizes a barren landscape.

First Arrivals

For the first few years after the eruption ceased, the lava fields were sterile black deserts. The rock was too hot and too hard for anything to grow.

• Lichens: The first pioneers were lichens. These hardy composite organisms (fungus + algae) can survive on bare rock, slowly breaking it down with acids to create the first microscopic grains of soil.
• Ferns and Grasses: As windblown dust collected in crevices, ferns and hardy grasses began to take root in the cracks where moisture collected.

The Forest Returns

Today, more than 70 years after the fire went out, the forest is fighting back.

• The Pine Frontier: The native pine and oak forests that ring the lava field are slowly advancing inwards. Young pine trees can be seen growing directly out of the scoria, their roots snaking down through the loose stones to find water.
• Islands of Life: “Kipukas” (a Hawaiian term) are patches of land that were surrounded but not covered by lava. These islands acted as biological arks, preserving the original seed banks. Birds and wind are now spreading seeds from these green islands out into the black ocean of rock.

Cultural Impact and Tourism

Paricutin didn’t just change the geology; it changed the culture of the region.

• The “Volcano of the Revolution”: Occurring in the post-revolutionary period of Mexico, Paricutin became a symbol of the raw, untamable power of the Mexican land. It drew tourists from Hollywood (including blockbusters filmed on location like Captain from Castile) and became a bucket-list destination for the adventurous elite of the 1940s and 50s.
• Economic Shift: The destruction of the cornfields forced the local Purepecha people to adapt. They shifted from a purely agrarian economy to one partially based on tourism. The men became guides, leading horses across the lava, and the women sold handicrafts and food to the visitors flocking to see the “world’s youngest wonder.”

Visiting Paricutin Today

Today, Paricutin is a popular, though rugged, tourist destination. The landscape has transitioned from a terrifying disaster zone to a place of stark ecological recovery.

The Hike

Visitors typically start from the community of Angahuan, a Purepecha indigenous town that survived the eruption.

• Horseback or Hiking: It is a long journey to the cone. Many choose to ride horses across the jagged lava fields to the base of the volcano.
• Climbing the Cone: The hike up the cone itself is steep and sandy. The ground is made of loose scoria, making it a “two steps up, one step slide back” experience.
• The Crater: At the rim, you can look down into the bowl where the fire once ragged. The rocks are still warm in places, venting steam from rain that seeps down to the cooling magma deep below.

The Church Ruins

The walk to the ruins of San Juan Parangaricutiro is surreal. You traverse a chaotic sea of black basalt. Suddenly, the baroque facade of a church appears.

• New San Juan: The residents of the destroyed town founded a new settlement, Nuevo San Juan Parangaricutiro. They carried their sacred image of the Señor de los Milagros (Lord of Miracles) with them, attributing their survival to his protection.

Conclusion

Paricutin is a reminder that the Earth is not a finished project. It is dynamic, restless, and capable of changing the map in the span of a single human lifetime. For Dionisio Pulido, it was a tragedy that cost him his land. For science, it was a miracle. For the traveler, it is a chance to touch the very newest rock on the continent and walk through the aisles of a church that nature tried, but failed, to erase.