This volcano came out of nowhere in the year 1943, in the middle of a corn field. It shook the ground, moved the earth and spewed forth steam, sparks and hot ash. Within a year it was 410metres tall and had eaten away nearby villages such as Purépecha and San Juan Parangaricutiro. Though nobody was hurt, the whole village evacuated and today even the nearest town is extremely far away. Today the volcano stands at about 2800metres, and is about 20sq km in width. The volcano is now a tourist spot, and there are excursions available from Uruapan. Once there you can climb a little way up and get some nice views.