Pilgrims, Prayers, and Pizza on Pacaya Volcano

Guatemala’s Pacaya volcano has been in a fairly active period since about 1961. Earlier this year, a new fissure vent opened, and rivers of lava began flowing out, threatening several nearby communities. The lava has been advancing slowly, and locals and tourists have been making visits to the lava flows. Some have come to take in the spectacle and make a few photos, but others have come on pilgrimages, offering prayers, hoping to slow Pacaya’s activity—and at least one person turned the red-hot rocks into his own pizza oven, cooking up a meal for other visitors.