Happy TravellerCojutepeque is a charming city located in the Cuscatlán department of El Salvador. It served as the capital of San Salvador for several years and is now the administrative centre for the surrounding municipality of Cojutepeque. The city has an estimated population of 70,000 people, with about 85% living in the urban areas of the municipality. The name Cojutepeque is derived from the Nahuatl words for ‘at the hill of the coyotes’, and it received the title of city in 1846.
One of Cojutepeque’s principal tourist attractions is Cerro de las Pavas, a peak from which the lake of Ilopango, the volcano of San Vicente, and the Valley of Jiboa can be seen. This peak can be reached via two roads from Cojutepeque: one for cars and the other a zigzagging path for pedestrians. In 1924, Governor Fidel Novoa began an improvement program for the peak and built the park known as Parque de Montaña. During the administration of President Óscar Osorio, the pathways leading to the peak were improved thanks to the efforts of the poet Raúl Contreras.
Cojutepeque is also known in El Salvador for its sausages, especially the Chorizos de Cojutepeque. These sausages are typically tied with corn husks between the links and are shipped to other parts of the country for sale. The example on the left is made with pork, beef, iodized salt, and additives (soy protein, sodium nitrate, sodium benzoate, achiote, herbs, and spices).
The city has a pleasant climate and enjoys a height of 850 meters above sea level. Its nickname is ‘City of the Mists’. The ancient churches of San Juan Degollado, San José, and San Sebastián can be found in the city, and Cojutepeque’s patron saint is Saint Sebastian. A fair in honor of Saint John the Baptist (San Juan Degollado) is also held in the city.
Cereals, sugarcane, loaf-sugar, panela, and fruit are cultivated and grown here, and local industries include the manufacture of hats made out of palm-fronds. The football club Cojutepeque F.C. was based in Cojutepeque, and the Pan-American Highway connects the city with San Salvador, which is 33 km away.
