Volcán de Agua

A big volcano is in Guatemala.

It is a very tall mountain. It does not blow fire anymore.

People grow coffee on its sides. Long ago, a big mudslide came down. The mud moved rocks and hit a town. This happened because of heavy rain. Now, the mountain is a protected place. It is a very famous sight.

Volcán de Agua is a large volcano in Guatemala.

It is a stratovolcano, which is a type of tall mountain. This volcano is now extinct. This means it has not erupted for a very long time. It was active between 80,000 and 10,000 years ago.

The Maya people call it Jun Ajpu. The Spanish name means "Volcano of Water." This name came after a bad event in 1541. A lahar, or a mudslide, came down the mountain. The mud was a flood of water and rocks. It destroyed the capital city of Guatemala. The governor, Beatriz de la Cueva, died in the disaster. People grow coffee on the lower slopes of the mountain. In 1956, the area became a protected place. This helps keep the land safe. The mountain is very tall. It rises above the land to the north and south. It is a famous sight in the local landscape.

Volcán de Agua is a huge stratovolcano in Guatemala.

This mountain sits in the Sacatepéquez and Escuintla departments. It towers high above the land on both sides. To the south, it rises over the Pacific coastal plain. To the north, it towers above the Guatemalan Highlands. It is such a big part of the view. Most people see it unless clouds hide the peak.

Even though it is extinct, the mountain can still change the land. An extinct volcano is one that does not erupt anymore. This volcano was active a long time ago. It erupted between 80,000 and 10,000 years ago. Now, it can still cause a lahar. A lahar is a dangerous mudslide. This happens when water and debris flow down the slopes. These flows can reach towns where people live. They can bring heavy rocks and mud with them.

History tells us about a very hard day in 1541.

On September 10, a massive lahar hit the area. This mudslide destroyed the original capital of Guatemala. That city was called Santiago de los Caballeros. The disaster killed the governor, Beatriz de la Cueva. Because of this flood, people gave the mountain a new name. They called it Volcán de Agua, which means "Volcano of Water." This was different from the nearby Volcán de Fuego. That other volcano is known as the "Volcano of Fire."

Many people live near the base of this mountain. There are several large towns on its northern side. These towns have nearly 100,000 people living there. The city of Antigua Guatemala is very close to it. The town of Escuintla is also nearby to the south.

In 1956, the government made the volcano a protected area. It covers a large space of land. People even grow coffee on the lower slopes of the mountain.

This volcano is a special place for many people. The local Kaqchikel people have their own names for it. They call it Hunapú or Jun Ajpu.

In 2012, a large group of people gathered there. About 12,000 Guatemalans formed a human chain. They walked all the way to the peak. They did this to protest against domestic violence. It shows how much the mountain matters to the community. Even the snow can be seen there sometimes. The last time it was covered in snow was in January 1967.

Volcán de Agua is a massive stratovolcano located in Guatemala. It sits within the departments of Sacatepéquez and Escuintla.

This volcano towers over the landscape in two directions. To the south, it rises high above the Pacific coastal plain. To the north, it dominates the Guatemalan Highlands. It is such a large feature that it usually fills the view. The only time it is not visible is when cloud cover hides the peak.

Geologically, Volcán de Agua is classified as an extinct stratovolcano. A stratovolcano is a type of volcano built up by many layers of hardened lava and ash. This specific volcano was active during the late Pleistocene epoch. This was a time between 80,000 and 10,000 years ago. Although it has not erupted since that time, it is not completely still. It can still produce dangerous debris flows known as lahars. A lahar is a heavy mudslide caused by water mixing with volcanic debris. These flows can travel down the slopes and reach populated areas.

One of the most significant events in the volcano's history occurred in 1541. On September 10 of that year, a massive lahar struck the region. This mudslide destroyed the original capital of Guatemala, then called Santiago de los Caballeros. The disaster was caused by a formidable landslide that came down the mountain. It carried heavy rocks that crushed buildings and damaged the rest of the city. This event led to the relocation of the capital to Antigua Guatemala. The disaster also claimed the life of the governor, Beatriz de la Cueva. She had recently been appointed governor after the death of her husband, Pedro de Alvarado.

This catastrophe changed how people named the mountain. Before the disaster, the Spanish conquistadors called it Hunapú. This was also the name used by the local Kaqchikel people. The Kaqchikel call it Hunapú or Jun Ajpu, which relates to a sacred calendar date. Because the lahar produced a destructive flood of water, the Spanish began calling it Volcán de Agua. This name means "Volcano of Water." It was chosen to contrast with the nearby Volcán de Fuego, which means "Volcano of Fire." The Kaqchikel people refer to Volcán de Fuego as Chi Gag.

Researchers have studied exactly how the 1541 disaster happened. Some people believed a lake inside the crater had burst. However, archaeologists Anne Cary Maudslay and Alfred Percival Maudslay investigated this theory. They visited the region in 1895 while studying Maya and colonial monuments. They found that the crater wall was broken in the opposite direction. This meant water from the crater could not have reached the town. They suggested that exceptionally heavy rain likely caused the landslide. The rain may have filled a gully and caused a landslip instead of a crater lake bursting.

Today, the volcano is a vital part of the local environment and economy. The lower slopes are used to grow coffee. Many people live near the base of the mountain. Several large towns sit on the northern apron of the volcano. These towns have a combined population of nearly 100,000 people. The city of Antigua Guatemala is located very close to the volcano. To the south, the town of Escuintla is also nearby. In 1956, the government declared the volcano a protected area. It covers a large area of land in Guatemala.

Volcán de Agua also holds deep social and cultural importance. In January 2012, the mountain became a site for a massive social movement. About 12,000 Guatemalans gathered to form a human chain. They stretched the chain all the way to the peak of the volcano. This was done as a protest against domestic violence. Even the weather on the mountain is notable. The last time the volcano was blanketed in snowfall was in January 1967.