Pacaya: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Pacaya is an active volcano in Guatemala, which first erupted approximately 23,000 years ago, and has erupted at least 23 times since the Spanish conquest of Guatemala. After being dormant for a century, it erupted violently in 1961, and has been erupting continuously since then. Much of its activity is Strombolian, but occasional Plinian eruptions also occur, sometimes showering the nearby city of Antigua with ash.

It is easily accessible from Antigua Guatemala, and so is a popular tourist attraction. In the late 1990s, it became notorious for frequent armed robberies on its slopes, and now tour groups generally visit the volcano with armed guards.