Living with a monster: Tourism booms at Guatemala volcano
Residents who depend on Pacaya for their livelihood have learnt to respect the volcano
Tourists reached out to feel the heat from the stillsmouldering lava, tossed sticks to see them burst into flames or watched a guide toast marshmallows on hot rocks as they hiked on Guatemala’s Pacaya volcano, which days earlier had spewed lava.
From the peak of Pacaya they had a clear view of the nearby Volcano of Fire, which erupted June 3, emitting a fast-moving avalanche of super-heated muck that killed at least 110 people and left about 200 missing.
“I would encourage people to come and see the beauty of the place” there’s nothing necessarily to fear,” said Maximilian Penn, a chef from New York gazing at the breathtaking view.
Volcano tourism is the life blood of villages like San Francisco de Sales, perched near Pacaya’s peak, and for locals it is a question of learning to live with a generous monster. Pacaya is the main tourist draw as it is more accessible while also offering a clear view of the Volcano of Fire.
Silvia Sazo, one of the few female tour guides at Pacaya, saw her own home destroyed by a 2010 eruption. Her family rebuilt in the same place, and there are still spots on the ground near her house where vapour and heat stream from the ground.
“You can put eggs, corn and chayotes in the ground, and they cook,” she said. “We don’t have anywhere else to live . ... This is our way of life.”
‘You don’t wait, you go’
Residents who depend on Pacaya for their livelihood have learnt to respect and read the volcano, like park maintenance worker Juan Francisco Alfaro, who lives in the nearby hamlet of Patrocinio.
“We are always alert. You don’t wait, you go” if there is an explosive eruption, Alfaro said.
Many carefully watch the colour of the plumes coming from the crater: White is OK, but black means danger.
Tourists come to Pacaya for the altitude, cool weather, stunning views and singular experience of seeing the force of nature.
The altitude is one reason why many people live in villages like San Francisco de Sales. It is perfect for growing coffee, but after a plant disease wiped out coffee trees, people recently began planting avocados.
But the 3- and 4-year-old avocado trees won’t bear enough fruit to support the farmers for another few years. So without the tourism income, the villages around Pacaya would be impoverished.