228 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1946: 
Paula accompanied her husband to watch the sheep. From 8 o’clock 
in the morning and all during the day she could hear subterranean 
noises, as if made by a torrent of water dragging stones and logs, or of 
stones rolling down the mountainside. 
About 4 o’clock, after talking to my husband, I heard a kind of loud whistle, 
like the noise of water falling in live coals or hot embers. This noise was com- 
pletely distinct from the underground noise I had been hearing and the trees 
swayed strongly and continuously. I was about 100 meters from the place where 
these things took place, when I saw, issuing from a crevice that had formed, a 
little cloud of gray color and I smelled an odor, like sulfur, and I noticed that 
some pines about 30 meters from the orifice began to burn. I called to my husband. 
Then the ground rose in the form of a confused cake 2 or 244 meters high, above 
the open fissure and then disappeared, but I cannot say whether it blew out or 
fell back—I believe it swallowed itself. I was sure the earth was on fire and 
it would consume itself. I am sure that from the fissure arose a gray column 
of smoke, without force, depositing a fine gray dust. 
Very much frightened, Paula fled to Paricutin and there waited with 
great anxiety to see whether her husband would return. Toral arrived 
with the oxen. . 
Aurora de Cuara, wife of Gregorio Cuaro Sota, had been with her 
family at their farm at San Nicolas, some 20 kilometers from Paran- 
garicutiro. All during the day they felt very strong earth tremors 
and heard subterranean noises, Aurora and her children were return- 
ing afoot to Parangaricutiro along the road that leads directly past 
Cuiyitziro. At 4:30 p.m., they reached the foot of the Piedra del 
Sol, precisely at the time when the ground opened up. 
As I passed the Piedra del Sol, I felt very heavy earth shocks and saw the 
earth open up, like a fissure. From this fissure arose a smoke of very fine gray 
dust to about one-half the height of the nearby pine trees. 
Although terribly frightened Aurora clambered to the summit of 
the rock, in order that she might see what was happening. The fissure 
was about 50 meters distant. There was no “thunder” but she was 
able to see that not only smoke and gray dust, but also “sparks” rose 
from the fissure. She could see Pulido assist his helper unyoke the 
oxen but could not see Paula because a grove of pines obscured a full 
view of the farm, and she saw the two men flee in fright toward the 
village. At the Piedra del Sol, one could hear noises like a roar or 
like a stone falling down a deep well and striking the sides. 
Dolores Pulido, brother of Dionisio, was working in the forest on 
Cerro de Janinboro. He saw smoke arising from his brother’s land 
and went to see what had taken place. He reached the spot about 6 
p. m. and saw, from a distance of 8 meters, smoke issuing from a vent 
in the ground. About this vent were low mounds of fine gray dust. 
He was unable to approach closer because of falling stones. He then 
took fright and fled. 
