During the Renaissance, the Spanish Voyages of Discovery lead to a major change in world view and imaging of the Earth. Nevertheless, the contribution of Spanish discoveries to geology during the Renaissance has not been sufficiently studied. In the main literary work of Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo (1478 –1557): “Historia General y Natural de las Indias” there are numerous references to the Natural Sciences and very specifically to geological phenomena, as are the matching coasts between America and Africa, earthquakes, mineral deposits, oil fields, and volcanoes. In this paper we present the description and interpretation of volcanic phenomena from his description of Masaya volcano in Nicaragua. Oviedo reached the summit of the volcano in 1529 when he was in eruption. A narrative of the expedition and his observations can be found in the third volume of his Natural History. In the manuscript copy, made by Antonio Gasco, in 1565, shortly after the death of the author, four pictures of Masaya volcano are included. From these, one is a map of the volcano. The descriptions of Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo were detailed enough to deduce a hawaiian-type (lava lake) eruption. This is the first known description of a volcanic phenomenon in the Renaissance after Plinio.

This presentation is based on work co-authored by Carlos Villaseca.