El Chichón: When a Dormant Volcano Came Back to Life

The greatest volcanic disaster in modern Mexican history

El Chichón after the eruption in 1982 | Picture by Global Volcanism Program | Museum of Natural History

In 1980 and 1981, deep tremors started shaking the earth in southwest Mexico. They were weak at first but gradually grew stronger. People started to worry. By February 1982, the villagers in Francisco León, north Chiapas, were also sensing an odd smell in the air — they would…