In April 1932, Cerro Azul in Chile's Andes erupted in one of the largest 20th-century Southern Hemisphere events, with widespread ashfall across Patagonia and Argentina. The stratovolcano activity near Talca affected sheep farming and ecosystems in the Maule Region.

Chilean poets like Pablo Neruda drew on Andean landscapes and natural forces, with volcanic events informing magical and political dimensions in Latin American poetry.