Doña Juana volcano is a stratovolcano

Stratovolcano

A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a tall, conical volcano built up by many layers of hardened lava, tephra, pumice, and volcanic ash. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile and periodic, explosive eruptions...

 located within the Doña Juana-Cascabel Volcanic Complex

Doña Juana-Cascabel Volcanic Complex

Doña Juana-Cascabel Volcanic Complex National Natural Park is a Colombian National Natural Park. The park is located in the Southern Departments of Nariño and Cauca; The park is named after three volcanoes which are Doña Juana, Petacas and Animas...

  National Natural Park in Nariño Department

Nariño Department

Nariño is a department of Colombia named after Antonio Nariño. It is in the west of the country, bordering Ecuador and the Pacific Ocean.Its capital is Pasto, other important cities include Tumaco, Ipiales.-Municipalities:# Albán# Aldana# Ancuya...

, Colombia

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

.

With an explocivity index of 4, Doña Juana is rated as a "large" volcano of "cataclysmic" destructive power. During its last eruption, in 1906, more than 100 people were killed and many houses were destroyed.

Its largest known historical eruption was on November 13, 1899. In its prehistory, it is known to have erupted in the 23rd century BC in a caldera-forming eruption of unknown magnitude.

The name of the volcano originated from a legend of the Chincha Indians, within whose native lands it is located: Mama Juana, a beautiful Quiteña, fell in love with Pedro, a commoner, but with the parents opposed to the marriage, they fled, becoming the victims of a curse that turned them into volcanoes.

The volcano can be ascended from a slope that is part of the so-called Valley of Orchids. It is surrounded by an area of extraordinary biodiversity

Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...

, which includes 471 species of birds (the Andean Condor

Andean Condor

The Andean Condor is a species of South American bird in the New World vulture family Cathartidae and is the only member of the genus Vultur...

 included), bears, deer

Deer

Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...

 and pumas.

The summit of Dona Juana consists of a number of peaks, which afford spectacular views, including a view of Laguna del Silencio, one of 42 lakes in the national park