Four Archaeological Areas in El Salvador

San Andres

There are four archaeological areas of interest to tourists visiting the country. The first is Joya de Ceren. It is a little pre-colombian Mayan farming village (Tower of the Ceren) buried for more than 1400 years under ten layers of volcanic ash after the eruption of the Laguna Caldero volcano around 600AD, and preserved. The excavations of this site have shown a lot about the lives of these people. The remains are in a good condition and give an insight into the daily lives of the Central American population who worked the land at this time. The ruins were discovered by accident in 1976. This site has a museum for tourists.

San Andres is another archaeological Mayan site and has been excavated several times. The main acropolis is clear and work is currently underway to clear the Campana, a pyramid on a tall platform and the Great Plaza for visitors. As with the other site this too has a museum.

The third area is the Tazumal and Casa Blanca sites. Tazumal was excavated by Stanley H. Boggs

Tazumal and Casa Blanca

 in 1943 and is surrounded by the city of Chalchuapa. They are said to date back to 1200BC. The main structure is 24m high with twelve platforms in which are tombs holding more than 116 vessels, and other remnants from the Pre-Columbian era. Visitors will see a large pyramid with its remodelling and additions, and the ball court badly damaged by years as part of the city cemetery. This park contains the large monolith of Olmec rock carving from Finca Las Victorias, showing a different petroglyth on each of the four sidesgiving an insight into customs. It is well known for its ceramic replicas of Maya vases and figurines. Casa Blanca is found on the north side of Chalchuapa and has several pyramids excavated and partly restored by Japanese archaeologists under the direction of Kuniaki Ohi. Visitors will find a charming colonial style museum here.

Lago de Ilopango

One place that is a must for tourists is Lago de Ilopango which occupies the crater of an extinct volcano. In 1880 the water level rose and a natural channel was formed on the eastern side draining an amount of water. This left a volcanic island in the centre of the lake. The island is known as Ilopango Volcano. In 1928 the water level rose again destroying houses along the shoreline. The lake is a popular tourist resort with the towns Asino and Ilopango on the western shore being central to activities. The area has stunning views across the lake, the water very blue in contrast to the thick vegetated cliffs.