Volcano at Parícutin, Photo Card

Parícutin is a cinder cone volcano in Michoacán, Mexico. Often seen on the list of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, it first erupted in 1943 and was witnessed rising straight our of a corn field. After one year the volcano had grown 336 meters (1,102 feet) tall. It continued to erupt sporadically until 1952 and eventually covered an area of 25 square kilometers (9.7 square miles) with lava and reached a final height of 424 meters (1,391 feet) above the corn field. The church in the town was completed buried (except for the spires) but curiously the lava stopped just short of the altar wall. Today a 30 foot wall of lava stands in front of the altar and many Mexican people make pilgrimages to the site to this day.