The National Park Volcano Masaya is one of the most interesting and beautiful natural phenomena of Nicaragua. It was the first National Park founded in 1979, with an area of 54 km2 and more than 20km of picturesque trails and paths which take you all around the two impressive volcanoes and five spectacular craters.

The volcano Masaya is also known as POPOGATEPE, which means in the indigenous language of Tribu Chorotega means: "BURNING MOUNTAIN". One of its craters, El Santiago, is today still active, with gas and glowing lava in its interior.

In the pre-Columbian period, the volcano Masaya was object for worships of the indigenous people. They believed that the eruptions were symbols of the fury of the gods. To calm them down, they sacrificed young women and small children. During the époque of the conquest the Spanish people baptized the active volcano "THE MOUTH OF HELL": Later they invested the name "CROSS OF BOBADILLA" (In honor of Padre Francisco Bobadilla).

Spanish people visited the volcano in search of gold. In 1529 Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviendo explored the volcano but didn't succeed in his attempts to find its hidden treasures, The monk Blas del Castillo made a visit to the volcano in 1538 but failed to find what he was looking for and instead decided to write the history of the impressive volcano.

In 1670, the volcano Nindiri had its last eruption, followed by an eruption of Volcano Masaya in 1772. In 1852, a new crater (Santiago) formed itself between the two existing volcanoes. During this period, also the crater San Pedro, today flat, formed itself.