El Salvador

The civilization of El Salvador dates from the pre-Columbian time, around 1500 B.C., according to evidence provided by the ancient structures of Tazumal in Chalchuapa.

The Spanish Admiral Andrés Niño led an expedition to Central America and disembarked on the Island Meanguera, located in the Gulf of Fonseca, on May 31st, 1522. This was the first Salvadoran territory visited by the Spaniards. In June 1524, Spanish Captain Pedro de Alvarado began a predatory war against the native tribes of Cuzcatlán. During 17 days of bloody battles many natives and Spaniards died. Pedro de Alvarado was defeated and, with an injury to his left hip, abandoned the fight and fled to Guatemala, appointing his brother, Gonzalo de Alvarado, to continue with the conquest of Cuzcatlán. Later, his cousin Diego de Alvarado established the Villa of San Salvador in April 1525. King Carlos I of Spain (who also ruled in what is now Germany as Karl V) granted San Salvador the title of City in the year 1546. During the following years, El Salvador developed under Spanish rule.

Towards the end of 1810, the criollos (European descendant people born in the Spanish colonies) who had long been excluded from most real power in the colonies, wanted to overthrow the tiny elite of peninsulares (people born in mainland Spain) and the colonial administration. The moment to fight for independence from Spain arrived at dawn on November 5th, 1811, when the Salvadoran priest, Jose Matías Delgado, sounded the bells of the Iglesia La Merced in San Salvador, making a call for insurrection. As with most former Spanish colonies, independence was made likelier by the fact that Spain was occupied by Napoleonic troops and the colonial administration was unsure whether they should be loyal to the former king or the new king of Napoleon's choosing. After many internal fights and setbacks that made independence seem unlikely, the Acta de Independencia (Act of Independence) of Central America was signed in Guatemala on September 15th, 1821. Like the other four Central American states that gained independence that day, El Salvador joined the short lived United Provinces of Central America, the closest those five countries have ever come to a meaningful form of political unity since.

While independence brought more political participation (at least in theory) to the (white) land-holding elites and urban middle class, the indigenous population didn't benefit at all and in fact continued to be disenfranchised and dispossessed even more. By 1900 over 90% of the land was in the hand of just 0.01% of the population, a situation that would prove to threaten the country's political stability for much of the time to come.

The fraudulent elections of January 1932 were the detonating factor of the social outbreak. Several voting sites were suspended in populations in which the Communist Party had a strong presence. A new insurrection began. After two frustrated assaults on the Cuartel de Caballería (Cavalry Quarters) were conducted by the rebel forces, the government ordered martial law. Strict censorship of the press was implemented. In the following days thousands of farmers and workers, carrying machetes and some few "Mauser" rifles attacked police stations, municipal offices, telegraph stations, warehouses, and wealthy landowners' properties. This insurrection was crushed. On January 31st, Manuel Antonio Castañeda sentenced Farabundo Martí to death. He was shot and killed on February 1st, 1932. Another sad consequence of the uprising and its suppression was "la Matanza", a mass slaughter of indigenous people (many of them sympathetic towards Martí but many of them not) simply for being indigenous, looking indigenous, wearing clothes deemed to be indigenous or speaking indigenous languages. While not all indigenous people were actually killed, it dealt a huge blow to indigenous culture and even today less than 1% of Salvadorans self-identify as indigenous, the lowest number in all of Central America. While this is in part due to fear of being discriminated against or stereotyped when identifying as indigenous, there are some people of indigenous descent that have lost all ties to the culture of their ancestors and don't self identify as indigenous because of that.

Over the next decades, many coups d'états followed, including the one that overthrew General Maximiliano Hernández Martínez.

Relations with Honduras deteriorated in the late 1960s. There was a border clash in 1967, and a four-day so-called guerra de futbol (Soccer War), as it was named by the international mass media, broke out in July 1969 after a FIFA world cup qualification match between the two countries. The war ended with a cease-fire prompted by pressure from the United States and the Organization of American States. The Salvadoran forces that had invaded Honduras were withdrawn. They were just a few kilometers outside Tegucigalpa, Honduras' capital.

A movement of organized leftist guerrillas sprang up in 1974 and 1975, amid increasing political violence. In 1980, three of the leftist organizations united to coordinate a fight against the government. This movement was called FMLN (Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional. English: Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front). In March of the same year Monseñor Oscar Arnulfo Romero, the archbishop of San Salvador, was assassinated while he was celebrating Mass. It is widely believed that the order for his execution came from Major Roberto D'Abuisson, the founder and leader of ARENA, a right-wing party. D'Abuisson is best known for his suspected involvement in death squad murders. He died of cancer in 1992. On January 16th, 1992, the government of El Salvador and the FMLN signed Los Acuerdos de Paz (Peace Accords) in Chapultepec, Mexico, putting an end to one of the most painful chapters in the history of El Salvador. The 12 years of armed conflict claimed the lives of over 75,000 people and caused the exodus of hundreds of thousands more who fled to the United States, Canada, and other countries to escape the violence.

The FMLN has become a legal political party and won 30-40% of the vote in elections from 1997 to 2015, but won less than a quarter of the vote in 2018. Apart from economic woes a big problem the country still faces is also somewhat of a legacy of the war as some people who left El Salvador ended up in American jails and upon release were deported to El Salvador bringing with them US-style gang culture. As many of these people were very young when they left El Salvador more or less their only source of identity was gang culture, and thus combating these extremely violent groups has proven to be extremely difficult.

Today, El Salvador is stable and with a growing economy, leaving behind its painful history.

El Salvador has a tropical climate with a rainy season from May to October and a dry season the rest of the year. Temperatures vary with altitude, and are usually stable throughout the year. The Pacific coast tends to have warm temperatures, while the mountainous areas are cooler. As a country that is located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea – El Salvador is vulnerable to hurricanes.

• Travel El Salvador

Immigration requires that visitors entering El Salvador have their passport and one of the following documents: visa or tourist card.

For citizens that do not need visa, you may need to pay USD 12 (by cash, card, or bitcoin) right after disembarking at the airport.

Passports of certain countries might need to obtain a visa before entering El Salvador. Some countries pay a fee for the issuance of the visa. Check Visa policy of El Salvador (Wikipedia).

As of August 2022, all tourists must show onward flight ticket, accommodation bookings for every single night accounted for in El Salvador. Some visa-free nationals have been requested to display US visa even when it is not necessary on paper. As of June 2023, onward ticket or accommodation bookings were NOT requested from US citizen at airport.

Visitors traveling by plane usually arrive at 🌍 El Salvador International Airport (SAL ^IATA) near the town of San Jusan Talpa, located 50 km or a 45 minutes' drive south of the capital city.

A US$32 departure tax must be paid upon departure. Depending on the airline, the full amount or part of the tax may already be included in the price of your ticket.

Airlines that fly into El Salvador include:

• Avianca El Salvador has been the national airline of El Salvador since its merger with Taca. They have a monopoly and high ticket prices, especially for travel within Central America. Shop around for deals. In addition to within Central America, they also fly to North America (Canada, Mexico, USA); South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, etc); and the Caribbean from San Salvador. Additional bases for Avianca Holdings are in Bogota, San Jose, CR; Quito and Lima.
• Volaris El Salvador Subsidiary brand of Volaris (Mexico) to rival Avianca as the 'budget' carrier from San Salvador, as a hub, to Guatemala City and to several cities in Mexico, and the United States.
• Aeromexico Connect (Mexico City).
• Arajet (Santo Domingo)
• American Airlines (Miami and Dallas)
• Copa (Panama City)
• Delta (Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York JFK)
• Frontier (Atlanta, Orlando)
• Iberia (Madrid)
• Spirit Airlines (from Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Miami, Orlando)
• United (Houston, Newark, and Washington-Dulles)
• Volaris and Volaris Costa Rica (Cancun,Mexico City, New York JFK and San José de Costa Rica). Volaris Costa Rica is a subsidiary of Volaris (Mexico) to offer direct flights from San Jose, Costa Rica (as a hub), as a Costa Rican flag carrier, to the U.S., Central America and Mexico.

The Pan-American highway (CA-1) serves as the main highway through El Salvador and is a safe route for entering the country and travelling between San Miguel in the East and San Salvador in the West.

Small roads are often in poor condition and can be dangerous to drive on. During the rainy season, the condition of roads deteriorates considerably.

It is best to avoid driving at night. Driving on rural roads can be risky at all times; carjackings and violent attacks are possible. When driving, doors should be kept locked and windows closed.

It is also advisable to avoid stopping at accident scenes, as they may be staged.

The following bus companies offer luxury (and safer) bus travel between El Salvador and other Central American destinations:

• Arsotur, ☏ +502 5705 6393, arsotur@yahoo.com. Direct shuttle service from Antigua, Guatemala to El Roble Hostal, Playa San Diego and other beaches of El Salvador. (updated Jul 2015)
• Comfort Lines, (San Benito) Boulevard del Hipódromo Pasaje No. 1, 415; (Centro) 19 Ave. Norte y 3ra. Calle Poniente Esquina (ex Shell gas station), ☏ +503 22418713, +503 2281-1996. Only between Guatemala City and San Salvador. $25 one way or $50 return. 
• Condor Internationacional, Blvd Venezuela (Terminal de Buses de Occidente), ☏ +503 7603-5632. Connects San Salvador the Guatemalan/Mexican border at Talisman and Tecun Unman via Sonsonate. No stops in Guatemala. (updated Mar 2023)
• Platinum Centroamerica (King Quality), (Centro) 19 Avenida Norte y 3era. Calle Poniente; (San Benito) Boulevard del Hipódromo, Pasaje 1, Local 415,, ☏ +503 2281-1996, +503 2241-8704, +503 2241-8787. They serve San Salvador, Guatemala City, Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, Managua and San Jose. 
• Pullmantur, Sheraton Presidente San Salvador @ Ave De La Revolucion, Col. San Beneito, ☏ +503 2526-9900. They serve San Salvador, Guatemala City, Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, Managua and San Jose. 
• Ticabus (Transportes Internationales Centromaericanos), (Hotel San Carlos) Calle Conception 121, ☏ +503 2243-1188. The next stops from San Salvador are in Guatemala City, Tegucigalpa and Managua. They travel to the major cities in all countries in Central America except Belize. 
• Trans Galgos Inter, 7a Avenida 19-44 Zona 1, Guatemala City, ☏ +502 2331-4279, +502 2361-1773. departs 13:00. Once daily departures to Tapachula via Retaluleau and Coatepeque (up to $43 one way) on one route and to Guatemala City ($13 one way) on another. Passengers transfer in Guatemala City to get to Quetzaltenango/Xela. 
• Transportes del Sol, Calle Circunvalacion San Salvador (Along side street south of Hotel Sheraton Presidente.), ☏ +503 2133-7800. 

All rail transport in El Salvador was suspended in October 2002.

In 2006 a pilot scheme for reviving the rail network commenced and in 2007 a service between San Salvador and Apopa was restarted with two return trips each morning and evening aimed at commuter traffic. Whilst this will be of little use to travellers, it may be a sign of a future reopening of more of the extensive rail network.

Numerous buses traverse the highways of the country. Domestic bus services are typically very cheap (not more than $2-3 for even the longest rides) and difficult to understand except they are consistently numbered. Single and double digit numbers designate local, in-town routes while buses numbered in the triple digits travel between cities and towns. The buses themselves are often very well painted and adorned with all kinds of posters and trinkets, ranging from the religious to the pop-culture. As chaotic as it may seem they do run consistently and frequently. Longer bus rides may include a stop in some town where plenty of mujeres, and sometimes their children, too, will board hawking mangos, nuts, water, and even sometimes fried chicken in a box. There is no central agency that coordinates bus routes and schedules except to see HorarioDeBuses.com to get an idea as to which bus to take get there and from where. The site also includes a map showing where the bus stations are at. It is best to just ask the cobrador or anyone at the bus station where the bus is going and when. Most are very friendly and helpful, but do watch out for scams on the buses

Microbuses are an inexpensive way to get around, but they are often very crowded, and it is very easy to be robbed.

If driving, rental car agencies include Alamo and Hertz. Buses and taxis also provide good ways of getting around. Distances between sights make walking an unpopular option, as does the street layout in the city; San Salvador is not a square city, but has long avenues that are straight and streets that aren't. That said, in some areas walking is a great option, such as in Zona Rosa.

El Salvador now has a well developed GPS navigation system called QFind that can help you move around either in urban or rural areas. This is a fully functional system with thousands of points of interest and turn by turn routing to your destination.

Small roads are often in poor condition and can be dangerous to drive on. During the rainy season, the condition of roads deteriorates considerably. It is best to avoid driving at night. Driving on rural roads can be risky at all times; carjackings and violent attacks are possible. When driving, doors should be kept locked and windows closed. It is also advisable to avoid stopping at accident scenes, as they may be staged.

Option for luxury transportation is Linea Ejecutiva, they bring private transfer. If you want, you can contact the Bureau of Conventions of El Salvador to visit the country.

El Salvador's official currencies are the U.S. dollar, denoted by the symbol "$" (ISO currency code: USD) and Bitcoin. Carry only $1, $5, $10 or $20 bills. Most stores, supermarkets and department stores won't accept $50 or $100 bills. If you need to exchange to lower denominations, you can go to any bank.

If you have money from other Central American countries on you the banks of those countries are usually your best bet, as they almost always exchange their own currency for dollars at pretty decent rates. You can also get dollars in many ATMs in countries such as Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

Large bills ($50 & $100) are almost unspendable. Get change wherever you can -- gas stations are always a good bet. A good idea is to visit a bank and ask for small bills and nothing larger than a $20.

Banco Hipotecario offers free ATM withdrawals using Visa. source: #NomadicBackpacker

Bitcoin has been accepted as a legal tender in El Salvador since September 2021.

Most Salvadorans use the Chivo Wallet (Salvadoran: cool) created by the government. Bitcoin ATMs ("cajeros") are available across the country, and especially at the airport. Most Bitcoin ATMs are provided by Chivo. You can see the map of Chivo ATMs on the official website. Foreigners will not be able to install Chivo app, but we can pay to Chivo users if they show us the Lightning or Bitcoin QR.

In practice, as of August 2022, Bitcoin's adoption is not widespread. It is accepted in most shops in beach towns in La Libertad (mainly El Tunco and El Zonte, also known as "Bitcoin Beach"). Outside La Libertad and San Salvador, Bitcoin is rarely accepted.

Some places that accept Bitcoin include:

• Immigration card to be paid at the customs cashier right after disembarking.
• McDonald's, Starbucks, and Wendy's accept Lightning, but not L1 (aka normal Bitcoin on-chain transfers).
• KFC only accept Chivo and will not accept either L1 or Lightning.

Since foreigners are not able to signup for Chivo, you will likely need to use a hot wallet with Lightning Network support for quick payments. One can use BlueWallet app to make payment through Lightning Network, and FixedFloat to move Bitcoins into Lightning.

Expect to pay $30-60 for a room in a hotel, $3-5 for a simple meal, $0.25-0.35 to ride a San Salvador city bus, $1/hour to use the Internet, and $0.25 for a bag of sliced mangos. Take note of the prices that street vendors sell their products because at times some of them will take advantage of people that look or sound foreign by raising their prices dramatically (for example, most fruits and vegetables will cost $0.25-0.50, but if they believe that you are from the first world (white and have a funny accent), they will charge you $1).

El Salvador has the largest malls in the region (MetroCentro - MetroSur), especially in San Salvador, with many upmarket international stores. Goods can also be purchased from markets, including national and international supermarkets.

San Salvador has a number of large modern shopping malls stocking the latest in international fashion, accessories and cuisine. These are generally found in the city's upscale suburbs such as Escalón, Santa Elena, and their surroundings. These malls include:

• Multiplaza
• La Gran Vía
• Galerías
• Plaza Merliot

For those shoppers interested in purchasing fairly traded crafts and organically grown produce, a local alternative market is held every other Saturday in the San José park in the San Luis area just west of the National University.

El Salvador has an electronics and luxury tax, meaning that electronic devices and high-end products have prices increased from 30-75 percent depending on the demand. (A $300 electronic product will cost $450-500.)

Try the most delicious Horchata (made from rice and "morro" seeds) and Cebada (a smooth and sweet pink barley refreshment). If you prefer (at your own risk) to drink natural juices, such as: guava, jocote, arrayan, chirimoya, granadilla de "moco" and marañon. Furthermore, you should try to savour the local fruit, as: jocotes, marañon japones, green mango (with salt, lime, alhuaiste (ground pumpkin seed), manzana pedorra (orig.from Los Planes de Renderos), "nance", "red or yellow almendras" salvadorenias, "hicaco", "paterna" (also try the cooked paterna seed with lime and hot pepper, and don't miss the suave and liquory aroma of "carao".

In San Salvador, The trendiest night spot to visit is called La Zona Rosa. Although it doesn't cover a large area, it is home to many exclusive, upscale bars and nightclubs, and the best restaurants in town. A famous spot to go is a mall named Multiplaza, where it has several clubs and bars. There's also Paseo del Carmen.

In San Miguel the famous Av. Roosevelt that hosts one of the biggest festivals in Central America in November is where you will find numerous bars and clubs for sexy nightlife.