If You Go -- Planning A Trip To The Paricutin Volcano

Mexico City and Guadalajara are the major cities nearest to Paricutin. Both have international airports with numerous flights daily to and from the U.S.

There is daily Mexican train service from the border cities of Nuevo Laredo or Ciudad Juarez to Mexico City, and from Nogales or Mexicali to Guadalajara.

All border cities have daily long distance bus links to Mexico City and Guadalajara.

Uruapan

-- Uruapan is the gateway to Paricutin. This highland town has many buses daily (5:30 am to 7:30 p.m., 45 minutes) to and from the Purepecha village of Anguahuan, which is six miles from the volcano.

Uruapan's tourist office can be reached at (452) 40633. Mexico City and Guadalajara have daily buses to Uruapan (about six hours). There are also first class (overnight) and second class (all-day) trains from Mexico City.

Patzcuaro

-- Patzcuaro, one hour by bus from Uruapan, is a handsome, Purepecha town which could also serve as a base for a visit to the volcano. It has a tourist office; call (454) 21214.

Tours to the church

-- Riding and walking tours to the buried church and the volcano can be arranged in Angahuan. The guides will find you as you walk in. Expect to tip your guide extra.

The trail

-- The trail to the volcano starts at a lookout point on the edge of the village called "las cabanas" for the cabins the Centro Turistico de Angahuan maintains there. There is also a small

historical exhibit on the volcano, and a restaurant.

To reach the lookout, go into town from the bus, turn right at the plaza, left after 200 yards at a shoe shop, then walk 15 minutes straight ahead to las cabanas. The volcano, church towers and lava fields can be seen in the distance.

You can hike without a guide, but the way is not obvious. Besides, the locals need the guide money, and there really isn't any other entrance fee.

The ride to the church and volcano takes two to three hours one way. There is also a half-hour scramble to the top of the cone.

Accommodations

-- Centro Turistico has eight cabins and a restaurant at the lookout. Phone Angahuan, (452) 50383, or try Uruapan's tourist office, (452)40633. Local guides can arrange accommodations in Angahuan in village houses. There are two restaurants in the village.

Guidebooks

-- There are many good guidebooks about Mexico. One is "Mexico: A Lonely Planet Travel Survival Kit" (Lonely Planet publ., 5th edition, 1995, 970 pages.)

A good reference book on the indigenous peoples of Mexico is "Mexico from Olmecs to Aztecs," by Michael D.Coe (T&H publishers).

Internet reference

-- For computer users, there's "Volcanoes of the World" Web site that has good information and graphics on Paricutin: http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/volcofworld.html