El Salvador covers an area of about 21,040 square kilometers the smallest country in Central America, although it is the most densely populated El Salvador is home to more than 6,500,000 people It is divided into 14 sections called Departments It has 25 volcanoes, 14 lakes, and four large cities The capital is San Salvador Its origin comes from the ancient civilization of the Pipils, who called the region Cuzcatlán Land of precious things
The civilization of El Salvador dates from the pre-Columbian time, around 1500 BC, according to evidence provided by the ancient structures of Tazumal in Chalchuapa
The Spanish Admiral Andrés Niño lead an expedition to Central America and disembarked on the Island Meanguera, located in the Gulf of Fonseca, on May 31st, 1522 This was the first Salvadoran territory visited by the Spaniards In June, 1524, Spanish Captain Pedro de Alvarado began a predatory war against the native tribes of Cuzcatlán During 17 days of bloody battles many natives and Spaniards died Pedro de Alvarado was defeated and, with an injury to his left hip, abandoned the fight and fled to Guatemala, appointing his brother, Gonzalo de Alvarado, to continue with the conquest of Cuzcatlán Later, his cousin Diego de Alvarado established the Villa of San Salvador in April 1525 King Carlos I of Spain granted San Salvador the title of City in the year 1546 During the following years, El Salvador developed under Spanish rule
Towards the end of 1810, a feeling of a need for freedom arose among the people of Central America and the moment to break the chains of slavery arrived at dawn on November 5th, 1811, when the Salvadoran priest, Jose Matías Delgado, sounded the bells of the Iglesia La Merced in San Salvador, making a call for insurrection After many internal fights, the Acta de Independencia Act of Independence of Central America was signed in Guatemala on September 15th, 1821
In December of 1931, the corrupt and incompetent regime of the Labour Party, headed by Manuel Araujo, was overthrown and General Maximiliano Hernández Martínez assumed the presidency The fraudulent elections of January 1932 were the detonating factor of the social outbreak Several voting sites were suspended in populations in which the Communist Party had a strong presence A new insurrection began After two frustrated assaults on the Cuartel de Caballería Cavalry Quarters were conducted by the rebel forces, the government ordered martial law Strict censorship of the press was implemented In the following days thousands of farmers and workers, carrying machetes and some few "Mauser" rifles attacked police stations, municipal offices, telegraph stations, warehouses, and wealthy landowners' properties This insurrection was crushed On January 31st, Manuel Antonio Castañeda sentenced Farabundo Martí to death He was shot and killed on February 1st, 1932
Over the next decades, many coups d'états followed, including the one that overthrew General Maximiliano Hernández Martínez
Relations with Honduras deteriorated in the late 1960s There was a border clash in 1967, and a four-day so-called Football war Soccer War, as it was named by the international mass media, broke out in July 1969 The war ended with a cease-fire prompted by pressure from the United States and the Organization of American States The Salvadoran forces that had invaded Honduras were withdrawn They were just a few kilometers outside Honduras' capital
A movement of organized leftist guerrillas sprang up in 1974 and 1975, amid increasing political violence In 1980, three of the leftist organizations united to coordinate a fight against the government This movement was called FMLN Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional English: Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front In March of the same year Monseñor Oscar Arnulfo Romero, the archbishop of San Salvador, was assassinated while he was celebrating mass It is widely believed that the order for his execution came from Major Roberto D'Abuisson, the founder and leader of ARENA, a right-wing party D'Abuisson is best known for his suspected involvement in death squad murders He died of cancer in 1992 On January 16th, 1992, the government of El Salvador and the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front FMLN, signed Los Acuerdos de Paz Peace Accords in Chapultepec, Mexico, putting an end to one of the most painful chapters in the history of El Salvador The 12 years of armed conflict claimed the lives of over 75,000 people and caused the exodus of hundreds of thousands more who fled to the United States, Canada, and other countries in order to escape the violence
Today, El Salvador is stable and with a growing economy, leaving behind its painful history
Tropical; rainy season May to October; dry season November to April; tropical on the coast; temperate in the uplands
| Date | English Name | Local Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| March/April | Easter | Semana Santa | Celebrated with carnival-like events in different cities by the large Catholic population |
| May 1 | Labor Day | Día del Trabajo | International Labour Day |
| May 10 | Mother's Day | Día de la Madre | |
| August 1–7 | August Carnival | Fiestas Agostinas | Week long festival in celebration of El Salvador del Mundo, patron saint of El Salvador |
| September 15 | Independence Day | Día de independencia | Celebrates independence from Spain, achieved in 1821AD |
| October 12 | Columbus Day | Día de la Raza | This day commemorates the arrival of Europeans in the Americas |
| November 2 | Day of the Dead | Día de los Difuntos | A day on which people usually visit the graves of deceased loved ones |
| November final week | San Miguel's Carnival | Carnaval de San Miguel | Week long carnival in San Miguel |
| December 25 | Christmas Day | Navidad | Salvadorans stay up on December 24th until 12AM to welcome Christmas with a huge "arsenal" of firecrackers |
| December 31 | New Year's | Año nuevo | Salvadorans stay up on December 31st until 12AM to welcome the New Year the same way as Christmas You can hear the deafening sound of the firecrackers on both days all over the country |
The official language in El Salvador is Spanish And some people in Izalco and other towns with a population of Indians speak Nahuat, the Pipil language This is rarely seen because of the cultural impact to be called "indio" Most nahuat is spoken within a family household and not in public
The countryside of El Salvador is breathtaking, with volcanoes and mountains offering "green" adventurers exactly what they are looking for Many of environmentally-oriented community-based organizations promote eco-tourism, and there are a number of beautiful and secluded beaches and forests scattered throughout the country
A well-maintained and practically deserted national park is found in the west at Bosque El Imposible Additionally, there is Montecristo Cloud Forest, and a quaint fishing village with incredible local hospitality and remote coconut islands in La Isla de Méndez Isla de Olomega in the department of San Miguel is an excellent eco-tourism destination, as are the beautiful Isla El Cajete in Sonsonate, Isla San Sebastian, Conchagua, Conchaguita, Isla Conejo, Isla Teopan, and Isla Meanguera
One should also visit the colonial towns of Apaneca, Juayua, Panchimalco, and Suchitoto as well as the Mayan sites of San Andrés, Joya de Cerén The Pompeii of Central America and an UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Tazumal, whose main pyramid rises some 75 feet into the air The on-site museum showcases artifacts from the Pipil culture the builders of Tazumal, as well as paintings that illustrate life in pre-Hispanic El Salvador Souvenir hunters will find some of the best artisans in San Juan el Espino and in La Palma the artisan capital of El Salvador
The capital, San Salvador, is a cosmopolitan city with good restaurants highlighting the country’s fresh seafood, as well as plenty of shopping, entertainment and nightlife
El Salvador is gaining a reputation for having some of the best surfing in the world Tourists from all over the world are discovering the surfing meccas of La Libertad near San Salvador, El Sunzal, El Zonte and the wild El Este the east, transforming El Salvador into the fastest growing surf tourism hot-spot in Central America
El Salvador's official currency is the US Dollar since 2001 Carry only $1, $5, $10 or $20 dollar bills Most stores, supermarkets and department stores won't accept $50 or $100 bills If you need to exchange to lower denominations, you can go to any bank
El Salvador has the largest malls in the region MetroCentro - MetroSur, especially in San Salvador, with many upmarket international stores Goods can also be purchased from markets, including national and international supermarkets
San Salvador has a number of large modern shopping malls stocking the latest in international fashion, accessories & cuisine These are generally found in the city's upscale suburbs such as Escalón, Santa Elena, and their surroundings These malls include:
For those shoppers interested in purchasing fairly traded crafts and organically grown produce, a local alternative market is held every other Saturday in the San José park in the San Luis area just west of the National University
Expect to pay $30-60 for a room in a hotel, $3-5 for a simple meal, $025-035 to ride a San Salvador city bus, $1/hour to use the Internet, and $025 for a bag of sliced mangos The one drawback to this is that large bills $50 & $100 are almost unspendable Get change wherever you can -- gas stations are always a good bet A good idea is to visit a bank and ask for small bills and nothing larger than a $20 Take note of the prices that street vendors sell their products because at times they will take advantage of people that look or sound foreign by raising their prices dramatically
The restaurant scene in El Salvador is influenced by many different cultures Food options include Italian, Korean, Japanese, French, Chilean, American, Peruvian, Mexican, Spanish, Middle Eastern, German, Chinese, Argentinian and others You can also easily find American fast food chains such as Burger King, McDonald's, Wendy's, KFC, Subway, Quiznos, Pizza Hut, Little Caesar's, and Domino's, in the largest cities in the country such as San Salvador, Merliot / Santa Tecla, and Santa Ana Other franchises include Tony Romas', Bennigans and others Some of the best restaurants are located in Zona Rosa Paradise, Alo Nuestro, 503
The typical Salvadoran diet includes lots of rice and beans, seafood particularly among those who live on the coast, and the most common Salvadoran dish, the famous Pupusa, a round corn tortilla filled with cheese and other elements, usually chicharon shredded pork meat It's widely agreed that the best pupusas in the country can be bought in Olocuilta, which you can get to along the highway on the way to the Comalapa airport
Also Salvadorans eat fried sliced plantains platanos usually with beans, sour cream, cheese and sometimes eggs, yuca con chicharron, pastelitos de carne, panes con pavo turkey sandwiches, hand made tortillas among other very delicious Salvadoran foods
Many large modern supermarkets are scattered throughout the capital and in large towns, such as La Despensa de Don Juan and Super Selectos, which sell local produce and a large variety of international products Like anywhere else in the world, these are a cheaper alternative to eating out every night
Try the most delicious Horchata made from rice and "morro" seeds and Cebada a smooth and sweet pink barley refreshment If you prefer at your own risk to drink natural juices, such as: guava, jocote, arrayan, chirimoya, granadilla de "moco" and marañon Furthermore, you should try to savour the local fruit, as: jocotes, marañon japones, green mango with salt, lime, alhuaiste ground pumpkin seed, manzana pedorra origfrom Los Planes de Renderos, "nance", "red or yellow almendras" salvadorenias, "hicaco", "paterna" also try the cooked paterna seed with lime and hot pepper, and don't miss the suave and liquory aroma of
The trendiest night spot to visit is called La Zona Rosa Some of the best hotels are located there, including the Sheraton Presidente as well as one of the most luxurious hotels in Central America, the Hilton Princess
Although La Zona Rosa doesn't cover a large area around 1sq mile, it's home to many exclusive, upscale bars and nightclubs Code, and the best restaurants in town Paradise, 503, A lo Nuestro If you want to visit a nightclub without the probable inconvenience of not being let in, you should visit Las Terrazas Stanza, Envy at Multiplaza Mall or La Gran Vía Llenya, El Alebrije, a life style center
there are a few hotels you can find with Internet only the more expansive ones are good to find
now there is one site they have all the hotels off El Salvador
it is not a booking site
Finding employment in El Salvador is difficult for both Salvadorans and extranjeros foreigners alike, although bilingual schools are constantly looking for English speakers, as well as other foreign language teachers Bilingual schools offer competitive salaries for foreign teachers For current vacancies see the schools websites above Most foreigners find themselves volunteering with one of a number of local community organizations or NGOs The Centro de Intercambio y Solidaridad 10 is often looking to hire bi-lingual project managers and liaisons, and offers both Spanish classes and numerous volunteer and cultural opportunities
Another organization offering volunteer work in Santa Tecla and on the Islands in the south is Travel to Teach 11
The recent incursion of the call center business has raised the bar in the need for a bi-lingual workforce
