Irazu volcano

This is a view of the one of the five craters in Parque Nacional Volcan Irazu (Irazu Volcano National Park), located in the central valley not far from the capital of San Jose. On clear days, it is possible to see across the entire country, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from the summit, with is 3,430 meters (11,260 ft.).

Irazu gets its name from an Indian word, irstaru which appropriately means "mountain of thunder." There is a legend that an Indian chief sacrificed his daughter to the volcano gods, then later prayed to the gods for assistance in battling a neighboring tribe. The volcano gods answered his prayer by erupting, raining fire on the other tribe, and causing a mud slide to wipe out their village.

The volcano is active, although its last famous eruption occurred when U.S. President John F. Kennedy was in Costa Rica for a meeting of the Organization of American States in March 1963. I will show some closer photos of the crater during the days ahead.