PARICUTIN—GONZALEZ AND FOSHAG 231 
as well as Agustin Sanchez, chief of the Tenancia of Paricutin, of this municipio,‘ 
and Dionisio Pulido, resident of said place; the Regidor Felipe Cuara Amezcua, 
President, declared the session opened, stating that yesterday at about 18 o’clock, 
Messrs. Sanchez and Pulido presented themselves, telling, greatly excited, 
of the appearance of a strange conflagration that occurred at 17 o’clock yesterday 
in the valley called Cuiyfitziro, to the east of the village of Paricutin. They 
asked that they be taken immediately to the place of the happening, that one 
could see for one’s self the truth of their assertion; at the time Dionisio Pulido, 
owner of the above-mentioned property, gave the information that early on 
the day of the event, he left his village (Paricutin) to tend his sheep in com- 
pany with his wife Paula Rangel de Pulido and to visit his properties situated 
in the said valley; that in the afternoon, at an early hour, he left the place, 
asking his wife to watch the sheep until he returned; that about 16 o’clock he 
returned to the place and asked Demetrio Torres® who worked in the fields, 
to unyoke the oxen and take them to water; after which he returned to his wife 
suggesting that she return to the village, going then to examine the work done 
in the fields, arriving at the slope of the nearby hill to the east; that there, 
about 17 o'clock, he felt a strong tremor and din in the earth, to which he paid 
little attention, since seisms had been frequent for more than 8 days, but he 
continued hearing loud subterranean noises accompanying the tremors, and 
then, thoroughly frightened, he turned his gaze to the west, that is toward his 
village, observing with surprise that down there in the joyaita,® long tongues 
of fire arose, with a great deal of smoke and noises never heard before. A 
terrible panic seized him, and he fled toward Paricutin, where he arrived out of 
breath, immediately recounting to C. Agustin Sanchez, chief of the Tenancia, 
what had occurred. ‘That Senor Sanchez, convincing himself of the truth of 
what Pulido had told him, went with him to the municipal president of Paran- 
garicutiro, where, totally alarmed, they gave the facts to C. Felipe Cuara Amez- 
cua, who with the haste the case merited, went with the informants to the place 
where the phenomenon had appeared, and later they learned that it was a 
volcano. Returning to Parangaricutiro, the C. Presidente Municipal summoned 
the members of the council to attend the present Extraordinary Session and 
consider this matter, now that the fear has extended to all the nearby villages, 
soliciting, for this reason, ample powers from the Council to act; he gave as 
important in the case, that now the volcano grew with real fury and (with it) 
the panic of the inhabitants of the region who abandoned their homes and 
possessions. It was conceded at once to C. Felipe Cuara Amezcua, who im- 
mediately began action to solve the problem in the best manner, soliciting the 
help of General of Division don Manuel Avilo Camacho, Constitutional President 
of the Republic; of General of Division don L&zaro Cardenas, Secretary of 
National Defense; of General Félix Ireta Vivieros, Governor of the State; to the 
Departments of Agriculture and Government, Municipal authorities of Uruapan 
and to other official agencies, by means of telegraph and telephone. Upon the 
proposal of some residents of this place and of Paricutin, the correct name that 
the mentioned volcano should bear was discussed, and after ample deliberation, 
in which was taken into account the history, traditions, and desires of the 
people, it was unanimously denominated “Volcano de Paricutin.” 
Celadonio Gutierrez, a witness to the events from Parangaricutiro, 
wrote the following account for us: 
*A municipio includes the cabecera, or seat of government, and a number of villages, 
scattered through the area. 
5 Demetrio Toral. 
*Small valley or depression. 
