thumb|A hazy Mount Arayat as seen from [[Mount Samat overlooking Manila Bay]]

Mount Arayat is an isolated, potentially active stratovolcano in the Central Luzon plains. Located within the vast agricultural lands of Pampanga, it rises to a height of above sea level. Its southern half lies within the municipality of Arayat, while its northern half and summit are in Magalang. 10 km (6.21 mi) to the west of Mount Arayat is Angeles City and the former Clark Air Base. The active volcano Mount Pinatubo is located west, while Manila is located to the south. Mount Arayat was officially declared a national park in 1933 and a tourist spot in 1997. The mountain is currently under an immense deforestation threat.

Mount Arayat has a breached crater on its northwest side with a smaller andesitic dome in the collapse amphitheater. There are historical records of eruption in Arayat and the only dated rocks are 530- and 650-thousand-year-old basalts predating the collapse and formation of the lava dome. However, weak steam activity is currently present at some of the heavily eroded vents on the northwestern face of the summit. Additionally an analysis report indicates that the volcano erupted over the last 2,000 years, but it is believed to refer to its volcanic activity.

Several theories exist regarding the name's origin: The mountain is topped by a circular volcanic crater about in diameter, much of which has collapsed on the western and part of the northern rim due to erosion. This has resulted in a breached crater which opens in a west-northwest direction. This area is the apparent source of a major debris-avalanche deposit that forms hummocky terrain beyond the west and northwest sides of the volcano. The summit stands on the northeast side of the breached crater, known as North Peak, while the Pinnacle Peak is located on the southeast crater rim. Post-collapse activity formed an andesitic lava dome known as White Rock in the collapse amphitheater.

Hiking activity

thumb|View from Mount Arayat summit

Two trails lead to the peaks of Mount Arayat. Mount Arayat National Park Located at San Juan Baño in Arayat, Pampanga has a trail to the southern Peak, taking around 3–4 hours to reach the peak. The souther peak offers views of Central Luzon, including a view of the Pampanga River. The collapsed western alone that forms the other half of its caldera-like crater can also be seen. It offers a view of the mountains of Zambales and Bataan (to the west), and the mountains of the Sierra Madre range (to the east). The northern or higher peak can be accessed from Pampanga State Agricultural University in Magalang, with a similar time to reach the peak through the Arayat Amphitheatre and White Rock, which legend says is the home of Apung/Aring Sinukuan. There are two other trails on Mount Arayat's slopes as of 2017: the pinnacle, which is a knife edge monkey trail, and the TKO, which is the hardest trail in San Juan Baño. However, these two features, the Pinnacle and TKO, cannot be considered peaks because they are not prominent unlike the north and south peaks, and thus are only considered as view decks as per international mountaineering definitions.

Arayat in folklore

thumb|View to Mt. Arayat from NNW: distance ≈ 8 km, (flight) altitude ≈ 120m

Mount Arayat is said to be the home of the god/sorcerer named Sinukuan/Sinukwan or Sucu, which could mean "The end" or "he to whom others have surrendered." The mountain was said to have been located in the swamp to its south but relocated because of the evil ways of those who lived there, in addition to which, the people of the swamp were made to suffer numerous misfortunes. Sinukuan is believed to be able to transform and do as he pleases at will, his only real rival being Namalyari of Mount Pinatubo. The waterfalls at Ayala in Magalang, Pampanga is said to be his bathing area, and it is often visited by tourists and natives alike. Sinukuan is said to live at the White Rock, a lava dome possibly formed by the last eruption, where its glimmering properties were most likely to have inspired the legend. Contrary to reality, the mountain is believed to be several mountains merging at the center including the tallest two peaks. Sinukuan is believed to have daughters who come down only during times of grace and are disguised as humans, as Sinukuan himself can do. The day he returns is believed to either in response to the attack of Namalyari during the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo, or when he shall call his servants at the end of the world.

Prior to Spanish colonization, the resident mountain deity was the powerful male Kapampangan god, Aring Sinukûan, who was at par with the Kapampangan god of Pinatubo, Apûng Malyari. The two were the second most powerful deities in Kapampangan mythology, next only to Mangechay (sometimes called Mangacha), the great elder and creator goddess. Aring Sinukûan was the solar deity of war and death, having taught early humans metallurgy, woodcutting, rice agriculture, and warfare. He had three children: Munag Sumalâ, a golden serpent god representing the dawn; Lakandanup, the god of gluttony who represented the sun at noon; and Gatpanapun, the noble god who only knew pleasure and represented the afternoon. His consort is Mingan, while he also had a winged assistant named Galurâ, a giant divine eagle believed to be bring storms. However, when the Spanish arrived, they recast Sinukuan as a woman, thinking people would not revere the deity if he was a female without knowing the supreme deity of the Kapampangans was creator goddess Mangechay. Despite this, natives continued to revere Sinukuan, so the Spanish added “María” to Christianise the figure in subjugating the natives and converting them into Roman Catholicism. In recent years, locals have claimed sightings of a man on the mountain, angry due to the ongoing deforestation; some identified the man as Aring Sinukuan.

The Global Volcanism Program lists Mount Arayat as Holocene.

Conservation efforts

In April 2022, President Rodrigo Duterte signed a law declaring Mount Arayat as a protected landscape under the National Integrated Protected Areas System.

See also

  • List of active volcanoes in the Philippines
  • List of potentially active volcanoes in the Philippines
  • List of inactive volcanoes in the Philippines
  • List of national parks of the Philippines
  • Pacific ring of fire
  • Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology

References

  • Mt. Arayat/ Arayat Trail (1,030+) on Pinoy Mountaineer