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Overview

Introduction

El Salvador is not a country for pessimists. This small land has endured more than its share of war, poverty and natural disasters. And you'll see the scars of these—if that's what you're looking for. But look a little closer and you'll also see the resilience and optimism such tragedy can inspire.

Poor communities such as Ilobasco and La Palma have become renowned for their handicrafts and folk art. The National Civilian Police (PNC) are earnest about improving the safety of the country. Volcanic eruptions may have wiped out whole villages, but one around AD 600 preserved the ancient Maya community of Joya de Ceren for today's tourists.

For the greatest safety, we recommend seeing El Salvador as part of one or more organized tours. In addition to making your visit a safer one, a tour will help you to gain a better understanding of the country's major attractions. They include volcanoes and mountains (especially those in Cerro Verde National Park), the beaches of Costa del Sol, tropical nature preserves (El Imposible and Montecristo National Parks) and archaeological sites.

Geography

History

The Maya were present in western El Salvador for more than 1,000 years before Europeans arrived. They created several pyramids that can still be seen today and were in close contact with the Maya who inhabited other parts of Central America and Mexico. Their civilization had declined by the early 1500s, however, and several other indigenous groups, including the Pipil, were living in El Salvador at the time Europeans arrived on the North American mainland.

In 1524, Spanish conquistador Pedro de Alvarado, a lieutenant of Cortez, swept south from Mexico with 400 men and conquered Central America. El Salvador became part of the Captaincy of Guatemala. Various crops were cultivated on the Spanish estates, including cocoa, balsam and indigo. In 1821, as Mexico and Central America became independent of Spain, El Salvador and several other Central American countries formed the United Provinces of Central America. El Salvador broke free of the union in 1839, becoming an independent nation.

In the years that followed, the country suffered from political turmoil and a burgeoning population. Conservatives and radicals, under various guises and names, opposed each other while the Catholic Church first supported one side and then the other. Peasants, by far the majority of the population, were stuck in the middle. Coffee became the country's most lucrative crop, and land was concentrated into the hands of a small, powerful oligarchy. A peasant uprising in 1932 was brutally suppressed.

The civil war of the 1980s stemmed from the land inequities, as well as contested elections in the 1970s. A spark that escalated it was the 1980 killing of Archbishop Oscar Romero by right-wing assassins. (Romero had been an outspoken defender of the poor.) The leftist FMLN (Frente Marti Liberacion Nacional) rebels began a guerrilla war against the government and received support from the Soviet bloc. The U.S.—fearing another successful revolution like the one in Nicaragua—sent military aid to help the government. Right-wing death squads, who also opposed the rebels, killed and tortured thousands of civilians. Guerrilla forces, in turn, kidnapped members of the wealthy elite and demanded huge ransoms to support their fighting. After 12 years of fighting and some 75,000 deaths, the conflict came to an end in 1992 with the signing of a U.N.-brokered peace accord. Despite peace, the establishment of democracy and a redistribution of land, El Salvador remains a poor country grappling with overpopulation, environmental degradation and an abundance of weapons left over from the war.

Natural disasters have also hindered El Salvador's development. Hurricane Mitch caused widespread flooding in 1998, and two devastating earthquakes occurred in recent years. A massive quake in 2001 killed more than 1,000 people and destroyed some 145,000 homes. El Salvador adopted the U.S. dollar as its official currency in 2001 as part of plans to stabilize its economy and attract foreign investment.

Snapshot

El Salvador's main attractions include lakes, Maya ruins, gray-sand beaches, volcanoes, deep-sea fishing, colonial towns, handicraft villages, birding, tropical forests, rugged coastal scenery and genuinely warm and friendly people.

Experienced travelers interested in Central American ruins and culture and those who don't mind the difficulties of visiting a developing nation will enjoy El Salvador. Those looking for a less-demanding introduction to the region should consider other countries in Central America, such as Costa Rica or Belize.

Potpourri

El Salvador's civil war destroyed forests as well as families. A group in Guazapa, in northern El Salvador, is trying to heal both wounds with a project called the National Forest of Reconciliation. The group's aim is to plant one tree in memory of each of the approximately 75,000 people killed in the war. The forest, now covering more than 110 acres/45 hectares, is on the slopes of Guazapa Volcano.

Because of its rolling, green countryside, El Salvador is sometimes called "the Ireland of Central America."

El Salvador is one of the world's largest producers of coffee. October and November is coffee-picking season.

The Lempa River, source of 70% of the country's drinking water and electric power, is seriously polluted. The scarcity of safe drinking water is a major concern in the country.