EL SALVADOR

Location - Central America; Capital - San Salvador; Population - 7 million; Currency - US Dollar; Colon

A bus from Guatemala City dropped me at the El Salvador border, from where I took another bus to Santa Ana, in September 2001.

The Colon gets its name from Christopher Colombus, who is known in Spanish as Cristobal Colon. In 2001 both the Colon and US Dollar were legal currencies.

Since 2001 the US Dollar has in effect replaced the Colon

The cathedral at Santa Ana

1910 metre Izalco volcano as seen from the Cerro Verde national park.
An earthquake hit El Salvador just a few months earlier and much of the park was off limits

Coatapeque Lake is a volcanic crater lake close to Santa Ana

At the shore of Coatapeque Lake

I met 3 crazy Salvadoran women - Wendy and Paola were still on the beers, while Jesse had already passed out on the floor - Coatapeque Lake

A statue of Jesus on top of the world, known as El Salvador del Mundo - San Salvador

San Salvador's National Palace

The Metropolitan Cathedral in San Salvador.
Archbishop Romero's tomb, whose assassination in 1980 contributed to the outbreak of civil war, is found here.

Learn more about Archbishop Romero

The rose garden at the Monsenor Romero centre in the university grounds of the UCA.
Here 6 Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and daughter were murdered by the army in 1989, San Salvador.
The war came to an end in 1992.

Monument to the Revolution, San Salvador

Suchitoto village, north of San Salvador

Suchitoto village - it looks quiet because it is

A beautiful view of Lake Suchitlan from Suchitoto village

The streets of La Palma in northern El Salvador, just before the border with Honduras

The FMLN is a socialist party, originally formed in 1980 to oust the government of the day. The Reagan administration pumped money into the government to prevent the FMLN coming to power. La Palma

More info on the FMLN

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LINKS

www.elsalvador.travel - El Salvador tourist board

www.turismo.com.sv

I am not responsible for the content of external websites.