Volcán Tajumulco, Stratovolcano in San Marcos, Guatemala

Volcán Tajumulco is a dacite stratovolcano in San Marcos Department, Guatemala, rising to 4,220 meters (13,845 feet) above sea level. Its two separate summits lie roughly 400 meters (1,300 feet) apart, with the higher one dominating the landscape and the crater spanning between 50 and 70 meters (165 and 230 feet) in width.

Tajumulco is considered extinct, and its eruptive history is unclear: reports from the 18th and early 19th century claim eruptions, but these are considered unlikely and none has been confirmed. It was declared a protected area in 1956, covering 4,472 hectares. During Guatemala's armed conflict, the FAR guerrilla group held positions in its forests and mined the access routes; the United Nations demined the area in 1997, and on 4 May 1997 mountaineers, former guerrillas, the army and UN representatives made a joint ascent to the summit.

In the Mam language the volcano is called Chman, and Mam elders tell that all life in San Marcos came from it. At the beginning of the world, or Qawuj, the mountain gathered and protected corn, beans, animals, water, air, marimbas, seeds, chile, pom, fire, jars and wood inside a great rock; a woodpecker was seen taking maize and beans out, and when people broke the rock open the stored things were released.

The climb from the hamlet of Tuichán takes about five hours. Mist and cloud often cover the mountain, and conditions are least favorable between April and September. Above 4,000 meters the ground is alpine tundra of grasses and mosses, with frost and occasional snow between November and February.

This summit is the highest point in Central America and ranks 24th worldwide in terms of topographic prominence. Clear days allow views across the border into Mexico and toward nearby Guatemalan coasts.