SAN EL SALVADOR
San El Salvador, the capital is located at 680 meters above
the sea level. San El Salvador is the second larger city of
the Central America with more than 600.000 inhabitants. It was
founded in 1525 by Spanish Pedro de Alvarado. The city is a
mixture of modern buildings and colonial architecture, with
many places and monuments, parks and shopping centres. In the
center, are concentrated the public buildings most important,
like the Metropolitan Cathedral, the National Palate, the National
Treasury and the National Theatre. Among the great quantity
of colonial churches, it is necessary to visit those of San
Ignacio de Loyola (which was before the sanctuary of the Virgin
of Guadalupe) with its colonial frontage, the church of Juayua
and that of Suchitoto. One can reach the park of attractions
of the Mountain of San Jacinto by a cable car, where one has
a splendid sight on the city. There is also a splendid sight
since the Balboa park, which is to 11 km of the city. One can
also visit the rock formation, Puerta del Diablo which is in
the south of the park and which is with 1.200 meters height.
Excursions:
since San El Salvador, one can make excursions by the road
with Panchimalco, to 15 km in the south of the capital, where
the natives panchos live (downward pipiles) who preserve their
typical traditions and their behaviours.
SAN SEBASTIEN
The town of San Sebastián is at approximately an hour
in the car of San El Salvador, it is famous for its fabrics.
The city is close to the lake Ilopango, the largest lake of
El Salvador, girdled mountains and volcanos. It is a very
popular destination to devote itself to activities of full
air and sports watery. The mountainous village of Ilobasco,
in the North-West of the capital is famous for its beauty
and its craft industry.
ZONES
ARCHEOLOGIQUES
El Salvador has a great number of Maya archeological sites,
of which some date from 3rd front century JC. The Maya village
of Joya de Cerén was buried under the volcanic ash
it there has approximately 1.400 years and is today the Inheritance
of the Humanity of UNESCO. Close to the capital, there is
the area of San Andrés, whose fertile grounds were
established by the Maya by leaving a trace of their glorious
past with large architectonic jewels of which the acropolis.
The first inhabitants of El Salvador lived in Chalchuapa,
in the Tazumal area, to 78 km of San El Salvador and they
built five important centers of ceremonies: Blade, El Trapiche,
Tired Victorias, Casablanca and invaluable ruins of Tazumal
with structures reaching 30 meters height and a play of ball
where the Maya practised an original sporting rite. The other
interesting places are the Colombian pre remainders of Tehuacán,
close to San Vicente; monumental sculptures of Santa Leticia,
close to the town of San Miguel; and the Colombian pre locality
of Quelepa, also in San Miguel.
The PARK
& VOLCANOS
There is more than 25 volcanos in El Salvador, although there
are only three of them which are still active: Izalco, San
Miguel and Santa Ana (most important). The volcano San El
Salvador, extinguished, is located around the capital. Another
extinct volcano is that of Cerro Verde, in the west, which
is in the national park Cerro Verde and which has a very pretty
lake called Coatipeque located on the top of the crater of
the volcano. The volcano Santa Ana, which was in eruption
for the last time in 1996, is close to the city of the same
name, where the cathedral most known of the country is found.
The National park El Imposible is the greatest ecological
reserve of the country and contains a large variety of fauna
and flora, with many birds and savage animals.
The DIMENSION
El Salvador has 320 km of coasts which have tourist centers,
intact beaches, villages of fishermen and landscapes fabulous.
The best tourist complexes are on Costa del Sol, easily accessible
thanks to a modern motorway.
