Masaya Volcano Cache Virtual Cache
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(virtual)
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No hiking required. You can drive right up to this fascinating view.
This virtual cache takes you to an active volcano in Nicaragua's Masaya Volcano National Park. You can see the steam rising from the crater and occasionally rocks and boulders are spewed out.
During the pre-Columbian age, Masaya Volcano was an object of veneration by the indigenous people. They believed the eruptions were signs of anger from the Gods and to appease them they offered sacrifices, which often included small children and maidens.
Later, during the Conquest, the Spaniards baptized the active volcano "La Boca del Inferno" or "The Mouth of Hell". They then planted a cross, "La Cruz de Bobadilla" (named after Father Francisco Bobadilla), on the crater lip in the 16th century in order to exercise the devil.
The volcano was visited by a number of Spaniards in search of "the gold of the volcano". Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo in 1529 and Friar Blas del Castillo in 1538 were among the unsuccessful excavators.
In 1670, the Nindiri Volcano made its last eruption followed by the Masaya Volcano in 1772. The lava formed by this later eruption advanced like a river of fire to the area now known as Piedra Quemada or burnt rock. In 1852, a new crater, Santiago, was formed between the two existing volcanoes.
To claim this virtual cache, go to the coordinates indicated and take a picture of yourself at the site with a GPS, then upload the picture with your log.
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