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Paricutin is a famous volcano that popped up in a farmer’s field in 1943 and continued to grow until 1952 to form a large cinder cone. Collateral flowing lava covered the valley and inundated adjacent villages of San Salvador and San Juan. The flow was slow enough so no one was hurt but a lot of property was destroyed. The trip to the summit of the volcano has become a popular daytrip from Uruapan.
The town that services this attraction way up on the main road is called Angahuan. This Purepecha village has a very different feel than other Mexican towns. Here horses are as numerous as cars. When I arrived shortly after 8 AM on a Saturday, women were sweeping the cobblestone streets with home-made stick brooms.
![You can see Paricutin in the distance from the road as you arrive. Here is it below the skyline as you enter the Village of Angahuan. It is really a lot further away than it looks.](https://www.mexconnect.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/pari1_large.jpg)
![It is a relatively easy walk to the Templo San Juan partially buried by Paricutin (approx 50 feet of lava). I was surprised to find lots of people around the church. A tent restaurant is nearby where you can buy drinks and food. © Rick Meyer, 2001](https://www.mexconnect.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/pari3_large.jpg)
![This is one of several lava ridges you have to scale before you get to the base of the cone. When I got to the cone, it was far too steep for me so I made the very difficult retreat.](https://www.mexconnect.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/pari5_large.jpg)
Published or Updated on: January 1, 2006