Paricutin

When I was about 7 years old, my parents bought me a set of Compton's Pictured Encylopedia. I think that they paid about eighty dollars for them, and they were my pride and joy. I frequently went to bed at night reading one of the volumes.

In my rambles through these books, I happened upon the story of Paricutin. Paricutin is a volcano in Mexico. I believe it is the eastern part of the country. It is a young volcano, having popped up in a farmer's field in 1943. Over several years the lava flow completely covered and destroyed a small village except for the top of the church steeple. It still remains active today but is no danger to populated areas.

When I was about fourteen, I went with my parents to Mexico. We went from the USA border to the tip of the country's southern parts. We also went to Paricutin! We drove to a small village about an hour's mule ride from the volcano, spent the night, and my dad and I got up at 4 AM to meet a guide. We rode on mules with wooden saddles. I remember that for sure! When we got to the edge of the cool lava flow, it was possible to get off and walk over to the church steeple at a level of the belfry and walk into it.

There were no people there but us. I'll bet that today, the place is covered with tourist traps.