Everything about San Salvador totally explained
San Salvador is the
capital and largest city of the nation of
El Salvador. The valley where it's located was earlier known as
"El Valle de las Hamacas" (
The Valley of the Hammocks in
English) because of its high seismic activity. San Salvador is the second largest city in
Central America. It covers an area of 568 km² (220 sq. mi.) and is home to nearly 1.6 million people
(External Link
). It is home to one-third of El Salvador's population and one-half of the country's wealth.
History
The origins of the city can be traced to before the Spanish Conquest. It is near the present location of San Salvador that the
Pipil groups, established their capital,
Cuscatlán. Not very much is known about this city, since it was abandoned by its inhabitants in an effort to avoid Spanish rule.
Although the city was founded on April 1, 1525, in the sixteenth century, it was rebuilt and changed locations twice afterwards 1528 and 1545. Originally founded in what is now the archaeological site Ciudad Vieja, north of the present-day city, it was moved to the Valle de Las Hamacas or the Acelhuate Valley, named so due to the intense seismic activity that characterizes it, which boasted more space and more fertile land, thanks to the pristine and now extremely
polluted Acelhuate River. As the population of the country remained relatively small up until the early twentieth century, the city grew slowly.
Geography
The Valley of the Hammocks...
The city's altitude averages 560 meters above sea level
located, on a valley on the skirts of the Quezaltepec Volcano or San Salvador. In fact, the valley got its nickname from the Spaniards who called the area the "Valley of the hammocks", due to its constant seismic activity.
Climate
San Salvador is mainly hot, the coldest months being November, December, January, and February. The temperature is very different at midday than midnight, the factors being the humidity levels, which vary as the day passes. The highest reading ever recorded in San Salvador is 38.5 degrees Celsius, the lowest being 8.2 degrees Celsius. The highest dew point is 27 and the lowest -10, both on the Celsius scale. San Salvador has two seasons: rainy and dry. October, November, December, January, February and March being the dry seasons, and April, May, June, July, August and September the rainy.
Demographics
San Salvador is a large city whose population is divided between the wealthy and impoverished. The wealthier neighborhoods boast luxury shops, fine restaurants, five-star hotels, and tree lined avenues. However, many of the other neighborhoods, are overcrowded, and are plagued by skyrocketing
crime rates and gang related violence.
Approximately 89% of the population is
mestizo (mix of Indigenous and European ancestry), 9% is
European, and the rest is Indigenous and other small ethnic groups, including
Chinese,
Jewish and
Palestinian.
Transportation
The City of San Salvador is served by 1 international airport:
Comalapa International Airport. Ground transportation: San Salvador offers the widest boulevards in
Central America and also served by a railroad that connects to other cities such as
Soyapango, and
Apopa.
Today's San Salvador
San Salvador is a modern city and is the second most populated city in
Central America right after
Guatemala City. San Salvador is, at first sight, a quiet city with lots of contrasts between the modern, the old and the poverty. The capital city is divided into colonias, or neighborhoods. San Salvador has gone through significant changes since the peace accords were signed back in 1992 and ended a war that lasted 12 years. This condition of peace led to much foreign investment, and people began seeing the capital city of El Salvador as a new place to start businesses. Now the city is full of foreign franchise restaurants and malls.
San Salvador is divided into colonias or neighborhoods and each one of them has some interesting places to visit, depending on your tastes.
The Historical Center or Downtown
El Salvador. There's amazing scenery that can belie the cruel past of slaughter during wars, the chaotic change prompted by protests, ensuing peace marches, and heading to the podium for political campaigns. "El Centro" - as everybody calls it, hasn't yet been able to recover the beauty it possesses. But it's well on its way.
San Benito neighborhood
This is one of the oldest colonias in the capital, yet one of the most modern and expensive ones. This is where the famous "Zona Rosa" is located - an area with five star hotels, bars, cafes and restaurants, as well as the home of the
MUNA (or Museum of Anthropology),
MARTE Museum of Arts, Presidente Theatre and the International fair.
Los Heroes Boulevard
Here you'll find a slightly different ambient night atmosphere, full of discotheques, bars and restaurants, and 2 to 5 star hotels.
Metrocentro, the biggest mall in the whole Central American region, is also located along the main road.
Paseo General Escalon neighborhood
New shopping malls and numerous restaurants are located along this main road, which basically runs along the capital city from west to east until reaching the monument
Salvador del Mundo" - patron of San Salvador. The honor the patron saint, the capital city celebrates its patron saint festivities every year during August.
Merliot-Antiguo Cuscatlan
Where the Pan-American Road divides San Salvador from the department of La Libertad you'll find the point where a little more than 2 years ago, three of the most modern shopping malls were built. These additions transformed the commercial and night life of the people from the capital. Many bars and discotheques are located inside the premises, especially inside
Multiplza Panamericana and
La Gran ViaThe number of people flocking to this mall creates a lot of traffic, especially during peak hours (7am - 5pm).
While the city is relatively wealthy compared to the rest of the country (per capita GDP - PPP is approximately
USD11,200, compared to a national average of
USD5,260
(External Link) as of 2002),
crime is its major problem.
Attractions
National Museum of Anthropology MUNA
The national museum of anthropology
MUNA has as its main mission to teach salvadoreans and visitors about their cultural roots and identity, by means of expositions, investigations, publications and learning programs in the fields of archeology and anthropology and have a better understanding of the human groups that have inhabited the length and width of the salvadorean territory
Museum of Modern Art MARTE
The Art Museum of El Salvador
MARTE a private, non-profit institution that began operations on May 22, 2003 with the inauguration of its facilities. In the short time since its establishment, it has become a point of reference for culture and the visual arts in Central America.
MARTE showcases a sample of Salvadoran art by exhibiting works from its permanent collection, private collections, and the National Collection it has on long term loan. The pieces are representative of the variety of works present in Salvadoran art from the second half of the 1900’s to contemporary times. Likewise, it holds important temporary exhibits that have made it possible for El Salvador to enjoy the works of universally renowned masters, and has a biannual call for contemporary and emerging artists. It complements its Exhibit Program with an Educational one that includes guided visits for schools, teacher training, and activities such as weekend workshops and conferences/lectures related to exhibits.
Children's Museum "Tin Marin"
Tin Marin A fun and interactive learning center that's divided into four areas; culture, technology, environment, and health. Kids can paint a VW, make paper, practice balance in the Gravity house, sit in the cockpit of a 727, and dozens of other activities. There is a small cafe for refreshments. The only rule is no adults admitted without children!
Children's Museum Tin Marin
Parque Cuscatlan
Hours: T-Fri. 9-1 & 2-5pm
S-Sun. 10-1 & 2-6pm
Admission: $2
Tel: 2271-5147
San Salvador City Zoo
Zoo
Nacional in San Salvador is almost due south of the city centre, and it can be reached by bus 2C through Calle Modelo. If you imagine the area of the zoo as a rectangle (almost a square), you enter through one long side, and leave either here or through a gate in the short side to the south. A series of lakes with at least 3 monkey islands stretches from one short side almost to the other. Along these lakes, away from the entrance, there's a stream bordered by mighty bamboos, and beyond this stream there's a separate section of the zoo dubbed aviario, because it contains exclusively birds. The emphasis in this section is definitely on the spectacular birds. Apart from the presence of one lonely female ostrich this generally means birds of prey and parrot/macaws from the region or at least from Latin America. This part of the zoo is definitely the best equipped and also the most photogenic. The section closest to the entrance is mostly occupied by mammals, though there also is a pond with alligators. The lions have got a huge enclosure bounded by a deep trench; other big cats have less space. The remaining animals are mostly hoofed, but there's a modest, but well stocked herpetarium close to the eateries. No apes. Is it a pretty zoo? Well, it almost totally lacks lawns, but make up for this by the imposing stature of many of its trees and of the mighty bamboos. Instead of being pretty or homely I'd rather say that it has a certain grandeur.
Open 10-16 on all days of the week except Monday and Tuesday.
Social issues
Crime
In the past years El Salvador has experienced high crime rates including gang-related crimes, and gangs in general. Some say that this was a result of the deportation of thousands of Salvadorans from the U.S, the majority of whom were members of
MS13 (Mara Salvatrucha), in the mid-90s. The gangs in which Salvadorans had been involved in the United States began to show up in El Salvador. In 1996, San Salvador was considered the second most dangerous city in the western hemisphere, according to statistics.
(External Link)
Today San Salvador and El Salvador in general experiences some of the highest
murder rates in the world, it's also considered an epicenter of the gang crisis, along with
Guatemala and
Honduras. In response to this, the government has set up countless programs to try to guide the youth away from gang membership, but so far its efforts have not produced any quick results. One of the government programs was a gang-reform called
"Super Mano Dura" (Super Firm Hand).
Super Mano Dura had little success and was highly criticized by the
U.N., it saw temporary success in 2004 but then saw a rise in crime after 2005. In 2004, the estimated murder rate per 100,000 citizens was 41.2, with 60% of the 2,576 murders committed were
gang-related. Homicides are among the highest with respect to the overall crime rate. The homicides reported in 2006 reached up to 3,906, in 2005 3,779 were reported; 57.2 violent deaths per every 100,000 people.
(External Link) In 2007 the rate rose to 58 per every 100,000.
In the first half of 2007 La Policía Nacional Civil of El Salvador statistics showed lower numbers in
homicide, and
extortions as well as
robbery and
theft of
vehicles. In 2007 homicides in El Salvador had reduced 22%, extortions reduced 7%, and robbery and theft of vehicles had gone down 18%, all in comparison with the same period in 2006. Despite the lower numbers of homicides in the first half of 2007, El Salvador continues to have the highest homicide rate in
Central America and one of the highest in
Latin America with 58 homicides per 100,000 people.
Pollution
Pollution remains one of the city's biggest problems. Located in a valley, San Salvador is a perfect pollution trap. Fueling this, the city struggles with an increasing traffic problem. New highways and arterial roads offer some relief. According to a study by the
United Nations, El Salvador was ranked as the second
worst polluter of
carbon dioxide emissions in Central America.
Disasters
The city has suffered from severe
earthquakes over the years, the most disastrous of which occurred in 1854. Also worthy of mentioning is the 1917 eruption of the San Salvador volcano, which resulted in three major earthquakes and damaged the city so extensively that the government was forced to move the capital to the present-day city of Santa Tecla, then named Nueva San Salvador. The most recent earthquake, in 2001, resulted in considerable damage, especially in Las Colinas suburb where a landslide destroyed homes and killed many people. During the 1980s, conflicts in El Salvador erupted into a civil war, and many people fled to the city since most of the fighting occurred outside of it (San Salvador itself wasn't directly affected by the war until the final offensive of 1989).
Landmarks
Gallery of San Salvador
Image:Great_San_Salvador.JPG|Great San Salvador, seen from Quetzaltepec volcano
Image:North_San_Salvador.JPG|Northwest San Salvador
Image:San_Salvador_downtown.jpg|San Salvador downtown
Image:NationalcathedralES.jpg|The new Metropolitan Cathedral
Image:Salvadordelmundo.jpg|Monumento al Salvador del Mundo (Monument to the Savior of the World)
Image:Revolution_Monument_San_Salvador.JPG|Monument to Revolution
Image:Nattheatre.jpg|National Theatre in San Salvador downtown
Image:Five_Star_Hotel_San_Salvador.JPG|Five star Hilton Hotel in zona rosa
Sister Cities
Guatemala City, Guatemala
Los Angeles, California
Managua, Nicaragua
Mexico City, Mexico
San Pedro Sula, Honduras
Taipei, TaiwanFurther Information
Get more info on 'San Salvador'.
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