San Salvador Overview

Sprawling, intense, and colorful, San Salvador is a city of multiple, often conflicting identities. Though ravaged by earthquakes and a bloody civil war, it has refused to quit moving, and the kindness and helpfulness of its people deserve at least as much attention as the gang violence that continues to plague the city. In the bustling centro, locals hawk wares at mercados while tourists explore the sights of the old city. The city’s young elite flock to the Zona Rosa, where modern, upscale restaurants, bars, and clubs belie the frantic pace of life elsewhere. In the avant-garde area around C. San Antonio Abad, local artists mingle with expats and backpackers, while the Blvd. de los Héroes offers every variety of fast food imaginable in an often uncanny display of the city’s quickly growing consumer culture. Though San Salvador is in many ways a newly growing city, its history is long and rich. The sprawling shantytowns that have developed on the outskirts of the city are a constant reminder of the country’s more troubled past. While the conflict between this history and the bustle of modern business can sometimes seem painfully obvious, it is also a testament to the tenacity of San Salvador’s people. No matter what confronts them, they keep moving along, always willing to trade jokes or lend a helping hand.

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