Paricutin, Mexico

Paricutin is the name of a volcano in the state of Michoacán. It is unique in that all stages of its formation have occurred in front of witnesses. In 1943, the Paricutin volcano erupted in a cornfield and showered the plowing farmer with ash and rocks. Two villages were left buried, and a hill grew on the site of the eruption. In 1952, after six months of eruptions, Parikutin's activity suddenly ceased. The Paricutin volcano is monogenetic, i.e. one that will never erupt. It is interesting to see the nearby church of San Juan Parangaricutiro, which is a mute witness to the surrounding buried buildings.