December 26, 1581 Eruption of Fuego

Name: December 26, 1581 Eruption of Fuego
Start: 1581-12-26
Location: Fuego, Guatemala

December 26, 1581 · VEI 4

Fuego in Guatemala erupted on December 26, 1581 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 4.

Where it erupted

Fuego, Guatemala, with its other significant eruptions.

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The eruption

Date: December 26, 1581
Volcano: Fuego, stratovolcano
Country: Guatemala
Volcanic Explosivity Index: 4, large (eruption column 10 to 25 km)
Location: 14.473° N, 90.880° W

The toll

Damage: Limited (under about $1 million)

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

Eruptive Characteristics: Central vent eruption,

Explosive eruption,

Lava flow(s),

Damage (land, property, etc.),

Evacuation. (reference #2432)

Other significant eruptions of Fuego

Every eruption in 1581 The 1500s Fuego Earthquakes near Fuego This day in weather history

Sources

Volcanoes and significant eruptions from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. Volcano numbers are the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program’s. NCEI event 3543.