El Jorullo volcano began on September 29, 1759. Earthquakes occurred prior to this first day of the eruption. Once the cinder cone started erupting, it continued for 15 years, eventually stopping in 1774. El Jorullo destroyed what had been a rich agricultural area. It grew approximately 820 feet (250 meters) from the ground in the first six weeks. The eruptions from El Jorullo were primarily phreatic and phreatomagmatic. They covered the area with sticky mudflows, water flows, and ash falls. All but the youngest lava flows were covered by this ashfall.