San Salvador Sights

  1. Biblioteca Nacional

    The imposing Biblioteca Nacional is on the south end of Plaza Barrios.

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  2. Catedral Metropolitana

    Completed in 1999, the cathedral stands on the site of an earlier version that burnt down in 1956. The beige stucco building has two bell towers rising above a blue-and-yellow checkered dome and its facade is decorated with colorful campesino (rural) motifs of La Palma painter Fernando Llort. Underneath the cavernous nave is Archbishop Oscar A Romero's tomb.

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  3. Centro Monseñor Romero

    This small center pays homage to the martyred archbishop, assassinated by government agents in 1980. It is also the place where six Jesuits, who, along with their maid and her daughter, were slain in their sleep by military forces in 1989. The displays include photos of the murder scene - be forewarned, they're pretty grizzly. University students give tours.

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  4. Estadio Mágico González

    The Parque Cuscatlán neighborhood is home to the Estadio Mágico González, where soccer games and occasional rock concerts are held.

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  5. Gimnacio Nacional Alfredo Piñeda

    The Parque Cuscatlán neighborhood is home to the Gimnacio Nacional Alfredo Piñeda, whose basketball and volleyball courts, and steep bleacher seats go largely unused. However, the park and three sites around it are well worth visiting.

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  7. Hospital La Divina Provedencia

    Also known as El Hospitalito, this hospital's chapel was the place where Monseñor Romero was assassinated by government agents while celebrating mass in 1980. A man fired a single shot, striking Romero in the heart and killing him instantly. Take a tour around his quarters and satisfy your inner voyeur with a grim glimpse of his blood-soaked shirt and robes.

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  8. Iglesia El Calvario

    West down Calle Gerardo Barrios, at 3a Av Sur, you'll see the Gothic towers of the decaying Iglesia El Calvario .

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  9. Iglesia El Rosario

    What appears from the outside like a dilapidated airport hangar is, in fact, one of the most intriguing churches in the country. After entering through an easy-to-miss corridor, you'll see that Iglesia El Rosario opens into a shallow nave backed by a high brick wall and soaring arched roof above. The roof isn't a true arch, though, but a series of overhanging steps inset with a rainbow of stained-glass panels.

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  10. Jardín Botánico La Laguna

    Also called Plan de La Laguna, Jardín Botánico La Laguna is a lovely, cool botanical garden, at the bottom of a volcanic crater. Gravel and cement paths wind through the garden, where trees and plants are labeled and offer plenty of shade along the way.

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  11. Metropolitan Cathedral

    San Salvador's Metropolitan Cathedral faces Plaza Barrios and marks the center of the city's street grid. Completed in 1999, after years of renovation, the cathedral stands on the site of an earlier version that burned in 1956. The beige stucco building has two bell towers rising above a blue and yellow checker-patterned dome. The facade is painted with the colorful campesino motifs of La Palma painter Fernando Llort; you can see Llort's schematic paintings at his gallery, El Arbol de Dios.

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  13. Military History Museum

    For the other side of the story, head to the troubling but surprisingly interesting Military History Museum . In a series of interconnected, barrack-like rooms, President Maximiliano Martínez is praised for the 'resolve and patriotism' with which he suppressed Communist insurgents in 1932 - some 30,000 indigenous men, women and children were killed in the process - and Colonel Domingo Monterrosa, alleged mastermind of the massacre at El Mozote, is described as having 'written pages of glory for the history of the armed forces.'

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  14. Monumento a la Memoria y La Verdad

    Built in 2003, the 'Monument to Memory and Truth' displays the names of over 25,000 people who were killed or who disappeared in the repression of the 1970s and the civil war. Many famous names appear on the austere granite panels - including Roque Dalton - but it's the number of mostly faceless men, women and children that is particularly staggering.

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  15. Museo de Historia Natural de El Salvador

    Located at the far end of a shady recreational park, a stop at the Natural History Museum is a great way to spend an afternoon. It's small, but packed with information on the evolution of El Salvador's land, fauna and ecosystems. The geology and paleontology sections are particularly good. Signage is in Spanish only. Travelers could easily combine this with a visit to the zoo, just a couple of blocks away.

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  16. Museo de la Palabra y La Images

    In its brand-new location, the Museum of Word and Image is a museum of Salvadoran writing and writers, with a heavy emphasis on the revolutionary movement of the '70s and '80s. No surprise really - the museum's director is Carlos Henríquez Consalvi, aka 'Santiago,' the Venezuelan-born journalist who was the founder and main voice of Radio Venceremos during the war. (You're liable to see him around the museum most days.)

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  17. Museo Nacional de Antropología David J Guzmán

    Absolutely one of the best museums in the country, the Museo Nacional de Antropología David J Guzmán is worth a solid morning's visit. It may not look like much on the outside, but once you walk through the front door, you'll find it hard to leave.

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  19. Museum of Modern Art

    San Salvador's small, well-designed Museum of Modern Art opened in May 2003. The permanent exhibit, called 'Puntos Cardinales,' uses the artwork of several generations of Salvadoran modern painters to explore facets of the national consciousness. Two temporary exhibit halls feature mostly Latin American artists - a major show on Mexican muralist Álfaro Siquieros was being held when we last visited.

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  20. Museum of Popular Art

    Yet another terrific museum is the Museum of Popular Art, which showcases El Salvador's underappreciated contribution to Central American folk art. The main attraction is the Sala Dominga Herrera, which describes the evolution of ' sorpresas ,' the tiny clay figures made and sold in nearby Ilobasco.

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  21. Palacio Nacional

    Government headquarters until the devastation of the 1986 earthquake, the ornate Palacio Nacional occupies the west side of Plaza Barrios. Built in the early 20th century with Italian marble, the palace displays the classical style fashionable at the time.

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  22. Parque Cuscatlán

    Pleasant Parque Cuscatlán, with lots of benches beneath the shade of large trees. Kids play soccer on islands of grass, while women sell pupusas and other snacks from stands set up on gravel roads between them. Around the park are three excellent stops - Tin Marín children's museum, the Sala Nacional de Exposiciones (National Exposition Hall) and the sobering Monumento a la Memoria y la Verdad (Monument to Memory and Truth).

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  23. Parque Libertad

    Two blocks east of Plaza Barrios is Parque Libertad, with a winged statue of Liberty in the middle. This is the more pleasant of the two plazas, with islands of grass and trees, and many benches to sit on. The traffic is still loud - and this is the end of the line for a number of local bus services - but the park is as good a place as any to relax and take in the scene.

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  25. Parque Zoológico Nacional

    A surprisingly pleasant zoo near the outskirts of town, with 10 square city blocks worth of green spaces, paths, even a lagoon. Among the 144 species of animals housed here, you'll see lions, elephants and a whole host of monkeys (be sure to check out the spider monkeys who live on an island in the middle of the lagoon). It's packed with families on Sunday.

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  26. Plaza Barrios

    The main plaza is called Plaza Barrios and dedicated to a former president and crusader for the separation of church and state. There is a statue of Barrios astride a horse in the middle of the plaza, turned to face the cathedral and streaked (of course) with pigeon shit. The Palacio Nacional is on the west side of the plaza and all the trees have been removed directly in front of it - the view is clear, but the stone-paved plaza can get hot in the afternoon as a result.

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  27. Sala Nacional de Exposiciones

    Sala Nacional de Exposiciones, at the north side of Parque Cuscatlán, is an art gallery tucked in next to the Monumento a la Memoria y a la Verdad. Exhibits change frequently and are often among the best in the city.

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  28. San Salvador Fútbol Club

    It should come as no surprise that fútbol (soccer) is the biggest sport in San Salvador. The capitol's team San Salvador Fútbol Club was formed in 2002 and joined the la Primera División del Fútbol Salvadorenó, the major league of Salvadoran soccer, straight away. Despite its youth, the team won the national championship in 2003, giving capitalinos something to cheer about.

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  29. Teatro Nacional

    The Teatro Nacional, east of the cathedral, was originally erected in 1917, but languished as a movie house for 50-odd years before being renovated in opulent style, with ornate gilt boxes and trimmings, lots of lush red velvet and a sensuous ceiling mural.

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