Again we followed the suggestions shared by others. And they were right! We came to see the buried church and enjoy the village. And we did exactly that!
Angahuan is the nearest village to the Volcano Paracutín. And in the 1940’s that volcano woke up and sent a few years worth of lava and ash flowing across the farmlands. In doing so it wiped out an entire village, but left a partially exposed church. We came to explore that a little further. Here is a teaser photo of the church remains. And at the end of the story I will share a photo of what the church looked like before the volcano began burying the valley in lava, fire and ash.
The first thing you should know about Angahuan is that as soon as you drive into town on one of the two roads in, a man on horseback will run alongside you. These guys want to sell you a horseback ride to the volcano and the buried church. Being on the back of a horse for more than 6 hours just to go look at a volcano fumorole did not appeal to me. But we did schedule a 3 hour ride/hike to see the buried church. Then we settled into our wooded campsite and explored the town.
In the morning the rain had cleared and we saddled up our rental-ponies for a ride to the former location of the village of San Juan Parangaricutiro and the now famous church.
When we arrived to the edge of the lava flow we parked the horses in the shade and walked across the lava bed. The church steeples are clearly visible. Note that one steeple was never finished; it was not knocked off in the eruption.
One of the most startling aspects of the church is at that the nave is completely filled with lava. But in two places, the lava flow seemed to have stopped. The altar is one area that has been spared. The lava flow is reduced to only about four feet deep as it slants towards the altar. The altar itself is still visible and somewhat accessible at the bottom of the chasm. People celebrate here annually and often climb down the flows to leave offrendas at the remains of altar.
The other area that is celebrated as a miracle is the entrance. At the front end of the nave the doorways are visible just under the steeples. Although the wooden doors were burned up in the heat of the lava, the flows did not pass through the doorways. The lava is as deep as the parapet walls on the church. But the lava stopped at the doors, leaving a high ledge to walk along as we explored the site. You can look below the ledges we are on, and see the depth of the lava below, and the light shining through the doorways where the lava stopped!
As we were walking along the ledges I realized that this view is the lower opening to the church bell tower. Most churches here have two or three levels of bells.
After walking around the site for a while, we had worked up an appetite. José led us to the nearby vendors who had set up their dirt-floor restaurants. We watched a woman prepare fresh blue-corn tortillas and proceed to fill them with delicious, hot fillings over an open fire. Lunch was amazing!
Even though he should have been hanging out at our campsite, Zeb quickly figured out where the food was located. Here he is hanging out by the door to the dining hall! Look closely, he is camoflaged in the cobblestones and dark wood.
Here is our panoramic photo of the lava and the church as it looks now. And below it is the photo of the church that was taken just as the ash and lava began to flow out of Paracutín in 1943.
As you look at this photo, consider the photos I shared of the bell tower, the entrance doors, the altar and the steeples (complete and incomplete) This really puts the depth of the lava into a perspective!
Thanks for following along. Remember to share your suggestions, like our posts and feel free to send this to someone you know who may be interested!