Sights in San Salvador
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Military History Museum
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.'
On the walls and in floor-mounted displays is an incredible array of rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers, mortars, flame throwers, radio and night-vision equipment - almost a…
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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.)
The museum has three small exhibit areas, through which it rotates compelling exhibits on themes such as writers (like Roque Dalton and Salarrué), the massacre of 1932, and women in Salvadoran history. Throughout the museum are terrific black-and-white ph…
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Tin Marín Museo de los Niños
Where to start? This gem of a museum has so many interesting hands-on features, your little one may need a return trip. Roughly divided into four sections - health, environment, technology and culture - exhibits include a miniature supermarket (to learn about food groups), a huge artificial volcano (complete with smoke and red lights for lava) and a papermaking area (to learn about recycling).
There's a cockpit and fuselage of a real Boeing 727 airplane, and a real VW Beetle that kids can handpaint to their heart's delight - part of an exhibit on color and senses, it looks like an Andy Warhol piece. Another kid-favorite is the Casa de Gravedad (Gravity House) - a small ho…
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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.
Plaza Barrios is where most political protests begin or end (on our last visit, a group of family members and advocates for imprisoned gang members took control of the cathedral to protest new highly rest…
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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.
Dominga Herrera (1911-1982), the daughter of ceramic doll makers, gained modest fame for her miniature and meticulously painted creations, which she began making on a whim but have since become a cottage industry for the whole town, even the country. Classic sorpresas are single pieces, usually portraying a profession, domestic scene or, more recently, sexual entanglements. Cont…
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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.
One level beneath the cavernous nave is the tomb of Archbishop Oscar A Romero, though this is not the church he was assassinated in, as visitors sometimes mistakenly believe (that was …
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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.
On the walls are figures made of scrap metal, with larger, more detailed stone and metal statues displayed in the wings on either side of the main entrance. Besides the simple beauty of the place, the contrasts are striking - the modern industrial-style artwork, the…
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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.
To get here, take bus 44. Don't get off at the main entrance; instead, wait until the smaller back entrance on Calle de Mediterreáno (ask the driver if you're unsure). From there, Centro Romero is a few minutes' walk into the campus; ask a student for directions or look at one of the posted campus maps. You can also w…
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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.
Both plazas are relatively safe, but always be aware of your surroundings and don't linger after dark. And it's probably best not to bring your camera - though you'll regret not being able to capture some of the scenes down there! Foreigners are already a rare sight downtown - you may be the only one when…
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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.
Inside are two expansive floors of thoughtfully and beautifully presented exhibits on the Maya, the development of the people and land of El Salvador, the arts, religion and economy of the country…even prehistoric rock carvings and an artifact garden. The only downside of the museum is that signage is in Spanish only. It's worth bringing your dictionary.
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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.
Most people arrive by car, but it's easy enough to take bus 44 from the city center or Blvd de los Héroes, and ask the driver to let you off at the right spot - it's easy to miss, so ask a couple times so he doesn't forget. From there it's a 1km downhill walk to the garden. Signage is sparse, so ask along the way if you're unsure.
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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.
When at home, San Salvador Fútbol Club plays in the 80,000-seat Estadio Mágico González, also known as Estadio Flor Blanco, located west of Parque Cuscatlán.
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Museum of Modern Art
San Salvador's Museum of Modern Art is small but well designed. 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.
The museum is a healthy uphill walk from the anthropology museum, and sits just behind the large Monumento a la Revolución. The museum restaurant, Punto Café, is a local favorite, but isn't particularly cheap. For something less expensive, try the street stands near the parking area.
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Universidad Centroamericana José Simeon Cañas
San Salvador has two major universities and a number of smaller ones. Travelers are most likely to have heard of Universidad Centroamericana José Simeon Cañas, whose campus and students figured prominently in the civil war. At UCA, pronounced oo-ka, the Centro Monseñor Romero commemorates the assassinated archbishop and other fallen religious workers, including six Jesuit priests who were murdered at the center itself in 1989.
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Universidad Nacional de El Salvador
The Universidad Nacional de El Salvador, not far from the Blvd de los Héroes area, saw much student organization (and repression), though it now makes for a pleasant stroll.
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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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