San Salvador El Salvador

Description: San Salvador is the capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country’s political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Municipality of San Salvador has 209,633 inhabitants (2020). The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, which comprises the capital itself and 13 of its municipalities, has a population of 2,404,097. The urban area of San Salvador has a population of 1,600,000 inhabitants. The city is home to the Consejo de Ministros de El Salvador (Council of Ministries of El Salvador), the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador, the Supreme Court of El Salvador, and other governmental institutions, as well as the official residence of the President of El Salvador. San Salvador is located in the Salvadoran highlands, surrounded by volcanoes and prone to earthquakes.

Population: 1,613,452

Demographics: Ethnically, 86.3% of Salvadorans are mixed (mixed Native Salvadoran and European (mostly Spanish) origin). Another 12.7% is of pure European descent, 1% are of pure indigenous descent, 0.16% are black and others are 0.64%.

History: Before the Spanish conquest, the Pipil people established their capital, Cuzcatlan, near the current location of San Salvador. Not much is known about Cuzcatlan, as it was abandoned by its inhabitants in an effort to avoid Spanish rule. Under the orders of conquistador Pedro de Alvarado occupied the empty settlement and began to develop it. Diego de Holguín became the first mayor of San Salvador after the town was founded on 1 April 1525. The town changed location twice, in 1528 and 1545. Originally established in what is now the archeological site of Ciudad Vieja, north of the present-day city, it was moved to the Valle de Las Hamacas, so named for the intense seismic activity that characterizes it. The new site was chosen because it had more space and more fertile land, thanks to the Acelhuate river. The population of the city remained relatively small until the early 20th century. In 1917, an earthquake during an eruption of the nearby San Salvador volcano damaged the city, but it escaped additional damage because the lava flowed down the back side of the volcano. On 2 December 1931, president Arturo Araujo was ousted by a military coup d’état and replaced by the military Civic Directory. The Hernández Martínez regime lasted from 4 December 1931 to 6 May 1944. In 1964, the Christian Democratic Party candidate, José Napoleon Duarte, an engineer, was elected mayor. He served from 1964 to 1970. During his term he ordered construction of the Pancho Lara park in the Vista Hermosa neighborhood, renewed the electrical grid, and set up a system of schools for adult education. The 1960s to the 1980s were the golden age of San Salvador in all aspects of security, quality of life, and modernization. Today the tallest building in the country has 28 floors and is 110 meters high. In 1969, celebrations in Estadio Cuscatlán were held in honor of the returning troops from the Football War with Honduras. The 1986 San Salvador earthquake destroyed many government buildings and other important structures, injuring and killing hundreds. Thousands of people were displaced by the disaster and many struggled to find shelter in the ruins. In 1986, Mayor Morales Ehrlich closed streets in the downtown of the city to create a large pedestrian mall, which has resulted in chronic traffic congestion. The Chapultepec Peace Accords were signed on 16 January 1992, ending 12 years of civil war. The signing is celebrated as a national holiday with people flooding downtown San Salvador in the Plaza Gerardo Barrios and in La Libertad Park.

Elevation: 658 m

Climate: Tropical climate. Average annual temperature in San Salvador is 25 C (76 F), the average for July is 26 C (78 F), the average for January is 24 C (74 F).

Attractions: Joya De Ceren Archaeological Park, Parque National El Boqueron, Puerta Del Diablo, Plaza Futura, National Palace, Vulcan San Salvador

Airports: El Salvador International Airport Saint Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez SAL

Distance To City Centre: 80 km

Commute Length: 40 min

Average Transportation Cost: 35 USD

Peak Times: 7am-9am, 4:30pm-7:30pm