Chalchuapa, El Salvador

Welcome to Chalchuapa, a hidden gem located in the Santa Ana department of El Salvador. This charming town is situated in a wide valley at 650 meters above sea level, and watered by the Pampe River. It is just 15 kilometers west from Santa Ana city, in the valley of Cuscachapa. Chalchuapa is a beautiful architectural jewel consecrated to the patron of the city of Santiago Apostol whose lyric representation on horseback crowns the dome of the Catholic Church. The city also possesses an old-fashioned church of pure colonial style. But that’s not all, Chalchuapa is also home to some of the most important archaeological areas of the country, with five ceremonial centers: Tazumal, Pampe, Trapiche, Casa Blanca, and Las Victorias; also, Cuzcachapa Lagoon. These pre-Columbian vestiges are scattered in an area of 6 square km. The ruins of Tazumal include a main pyramidal structure 23 meters in height (the inferior structures are still buried) located in a block and forming two truncated pyramids to the west. It has eight pilasters with chiseled figures. Northernmost, there are other complex constructions and a memorial dance ground with ladders. The Ball Game field, almost totally destroyed, used to be located in the current cemetery area. On the western flank of Ku or Teocali, there is a monolith carved in basaltic rock called