Archeology and Volcanism in Central AmericaScientists have long speculated on the impact of extreme natural catastrophes on human societies. Archeology and Volcanism in Central America provides dramatic evidence of the effects of several volcanic disasters on a major civilization of the Western Hemisphere, that of the Maya. During the past 2,000 years, four volcanic eruptions have taken place in the Zapotitn Valley of southern El Salvador. One, the devastating eruption of Ilopango around A. D.