Case file · Folklore / legend
The Mouth of Hell, Masaya volcano
Spanish chroniclers called the lava lake of Nicaragua's Masaya volcano 'La Boca del Infierno'; around 1529 friar Francisco de Bobadilla is said to have planted a cross on its rim to drive out the devil.
1529 CE · 11.98, -86.16 · status: account
The account
Chronicler Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo described the glowing lake, and in 1538 friar Blas del Castillo was lowered into the crater hoping the 'molten metal' was gold. The Cruz de Bobadilla still stands on a viewpoint. Local tradition says Indigenous people offered sacrifices to the volcano before the conquest.