San Salvador, founded by the Spanish in 1528, is the second-‐largest city of Central America and El Salvador’s largest city and capital. Overlooking the city is the San Salvador volcano compound. As San Salvador’s bulging populaDon of 2 million encroach on this volcano, the risk of catastrophe due to erupDons and landslides increases.
El Salvador, nicknamed el Pulgarcito de las Américas (the liFle thumb of the Americas) due to its shape, is the smallest and most densely populated country in Central America.
El Lago Coatepeque is a caldera lake within el Parque Nacional de Cerro Verde and close to the Izalco, Cerro Verde, and Santa Ana volcanoes (in the background).
The volcanic arc of El Salvador is made up of two almost parallel rows of volcanoes, calderas and maars (volcanic craters), running west to east. Many of the lakes that provide recreaDon and relaxaDon for locals and tourists were formed by volcanic acDvity.
The Coatepeque caldera is El Salvador’s largest volcanic crater, probably formed by an erupDon of one of the Santa Ana volcanoes. Hotels along the lake shore provide lodging for locals and tourists who come here to fish, ski, or simply getaway.
• What are some lakes or relaxaDon places close to your area of residency? Do they resemble the caldera lakes? In what ways are they similar or different?
Research quesDon: What characterizes Strombolian volcano erupDons? What is the term “Strombolian“ named a^er?
SomeDmes called “the Land of Volcanoes,“ El Salvador has about 25 known inacDve, and four acDve volcanoes. El Parque Nacional Cerro Verde is within one of El Salvador’s few naDonal parks.
El Volcán Izalco is El Salvador’s youngest volcano, and because it was conDnuously erupDng from 1770 to 1958, it became known as el Faro del Pacífico (the Lighthouse of the Pacific). Izalco’s erupDons were Strombolian.
Volcán Ilamatepec is El Salvador’s highest volcano. Its last erupDon in 2005 expulsed not only ash, lava, car-‐sized rocks and boiling flood, but also sulfur dioxide, a gas that can inflame membranes of the eyes and skin.
El Volcán Cerro Verde, an exDnct volcano, is now covered with the lush growth of one of the few cloud forests in El Salvador.
La danza de los moros y crisEanos is a theatrical dance that is performed for naDonal holidays. The dance was inherited from a Spanish tradiDon that reenacted the centuries of conflict between the ChrisDans and Moors on the Iberian Peninsula.
A group of dancers represent the ChrisDans, who wear crosses, religious symbols, and even a crown.
Another group represents the Moors, who might be topped with an animal, devil masks, or dressed as indigenous warriors.
• Besides Moros y CrisDanos, what other fesDvals from your own or any other country do you know that commemorates the conflicts and agreements between two opponent parts?
Joya de Cerén is an ancient village that was occupied by a Mayan farming community for at least 100 years. Around 585 A.D. a nearby volcano erupted, forcing the villagers to escape and leave their belongings behind. When their village was buried under volcanic ash, those belongings were preserved.
UNESCO inscribed Joya de Cerén as a World Heritage Site in 1993, an inscripDon that is vital to the preservaDon of the ruins.
The volcanic preservaDon of Joya de Cerén has provided archaeologists with a valuable glimpse into the Mayas‘ everyday life. Furthermore, since the ash that fell was wet and at a relaDvely low temperature, it even preserved many of the plants in the area. Thanks to this, archaeologists know that the Mayas were farming cassava, a tuber.
The Tazumal step pyramid, over 90 feet tall, is evidence that the Mayas lived in the area for over 1000 years. Mayan pyramids were used to perch temples close to the heavens, which were dedicated to a specific god or goddess. The steps of the pyramid allowed their leaders to climb to the summit and perform ceremonial rites.
The ruins of El Tazumal de El Salvador, located in Chalchuapa in northwestern El Salvador, are the most well-‐preserved Mayan ruins throughout the country. The name Tazumal is Quiché for “the pyramid where the vicDms are burned.” While the ruins date primarily from the 10th century, archeologists have found seFlements daDng back to as early as 5000 BC.
The site at Tazumal features a small ball court. The game was played with a dense basketball-‐sized rubber ball that players were only allowed to touch with their forearms, waist, and thighs, but never with their hands or feet. The parDcipant was to hit the ball through stone hoops in the long wall. Sacrifice associated with the game is unclear, but most likely the captain of the losing team was beheaded as part of the ritual and religious element.
• How does this game compare to other kinds of sports played in your country?
Since the 1992 peace treaty, El Salvador has been rebuilding and trying to overcome the ill repute of its dangerous past in order to aFract more tourists. Currently, El Salvador is a best-‐kept secret among tourists who truly love to avoid the tourist traps and find “authenDc” foreign desDnaDons. Some of the natural aFracDons of El Salvador are the beaches and volcanoes.
Thatched umbrellas provide shade for Costa del Sol visitors. Costa del Sol is El Salvador’s most famous beach.
Costa del Sol is also famous for its Pacific surf. Each year more and more internaDonal surfers visit the Pacific coastline of El Salvador in search of the perfect wave.
What other areas do you know that have beauDful beaches and/or are famous for surfing?
