January 15, 1590 Eruption of Colima

Name: January 15, 1590 Eruption of Colima
Start: 1590-01-15
Location: Colima, Mexico

January 15, 1590 · VEI 3 · Deaths: many

Colima in Mexico erupted on January 15, 1590 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 3.

Where it erupted

Colima, Mexico, with its other significant eruptions.

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The eruption

Date: January 15, 1590
Volcano: Colima, stratovolcano
Country: Mexico
Volcanic Explosivity Index: 3, moderate to large (eruption column 3 to 15 km)
Killed by: Indirect deaths (disease, starvation, exposure)
Location: 19.514° N, 103.620° W

The toll

Deaths: Many (about 101 to 1,000)

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.

An explosive eruption was followed by a plague that killed many native residents. (reference #9675)

Other significant eruptions of Colima

Every eruption in 1590 The 1500s Colima Earthquakes near Colima 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 6584.