Ahuachapán
Encyclopedia
Ahuachapán is a city
and municipality
and the capital of the Ahuachapán Department
in western El Salvador
. The municipality including the city covers an area of 244.84 km² and as of 2007 has a population of 110,511 people. Situated near the Guatemala
n border, it is the westernmost city in the country and is the center of an agricultural region producing primarily coffee
.
Ahuachapán is the site of a geothermal power plant and a hydroelectric station. The local geothermal activity produces many steam vents, visible throughout the surrounding mountains.
Among other things, Ahuachapan is also the birthplace of notable Salvadoran poet Alfredo Espino
and is about an hour's drive from the national wildlife park El Imposible
.
Indians of the Pokomanes tribe in the 5th century and invaded in the 15th century by the Izalcos. It officially gained city status on 11 February 1862 and became the departmental capital on the February 9, 1869.
. To the north it borders San Lorenzo
and the Republic of Guatemala. It is surrounded by San Lorenzo
, Atiquizaya
and Turín
; by Juayúa
, Apaneca
, and Tacuba
to the south. The climate of the municipality is very warm with the temperatures oscillating between 22°C and 27°C.
The principal river is the Río Paz. There are other tributaries but the Río Paz forms a natural border between El salvador
and Guatemala
.
who was president of the republic. There is a bronze plate indicating the house where he lived. One of the main attractions is the Central Plaza, which contains the Central Park, known as Parque Concordia, surrounded by the City Hall, a modern style building with a little resemblance of art deco, rebuilt after a fire in the 1950s, the town's main church, Iglesia de La Asunción, which is over 100 years old, and the renewed Pasaje Concordia, which is "the new place in town", restored in the early twentyfirst century, a pedestrian-only street.
Other attractions include Los Ausoles, the Lagoon Morán, Atehuecillas and Malacatiupán. Close to Las Chinamas is "Los Encuentros" where the "Rio Paz" river and the "El Pulula" river (Guatemalan river) merge. "La Poza de la Yerba Buena" of the Pueblo Viejo river in the Santa Cruz Canton is nearby. El Arco Duran, situated in the perimeter of the city of Ahuachapan, is a replica of a famous French arch, with all kinds of "Pupusas" nearby.
These are: Ashapuco, Chancuyo, Chipilapa, Cuyanausul, El Anonal, Canton Platanares, El Roble, El Tigre, El Barro, Guayaltepec, La Coyotera, La Danta, La Montañita, Las Chinamas (Puesto Fronterizo), Llano de Doña María, Llano de La Laguna o El Espino, Loma de La Gloria, Los Huatales, Los Magueyes, Los Toles, Nejapa, Palo Pique, Río Frío, San Lázaro, San Ramón, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa Acacalco, Suntecumat y Tacubita.
The most important industries are geothermal energy, coffee
, textiles and construction
materials.
(11 Municipalities) is the local professional football club of the Department of Ahuachapán. The home stadium of Once Municipal is Estadio Simeón Magaña
.
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
and municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
and the capital of the Ahuachapán Department
Ahuachapán Department
Ahuachapán is a department of El Salvador in the west of the country. The capital is Ahuachapán. In the South it has the Apenca-Ilamatepec Range and the Cerro Grande de Apaneca...
in western El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
. The municipality including the city covers an area of 244.84 km² and as of 2007 has a population of 110,511 people. Situated near the Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
n border, it is the westernmost city in the country and is the center of an agricultural region producing primarily coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
.
Ahuachapán is the site of a geothermal power plant and a hydroelectric station. The local geothermal activity produces many steam vents, visible throughout the surrounding mountains.
Among other things, Ahuachapan is also the birthplace of notable Salvadoran poet Alfredo Espino
Alfredo Espino
Alfredo Espino was a poet from El Salvador. Born in Ahuachapán, his only book is Jícaras Tristes , a collection of 96 poems. It is one of the most published books of poetry in El Salvador. Espino died in San Salvador....
and is about an hour's drive from the national wildlife park El Imposible
El Imposible National Park
El Imposible National Park is a tropical forest and a national park in El Salvador. It was established on 1 January 1989 and covers an area of 38.20 square kilometres. It has an altitude of between 250 and 1,425 metres...
.
History
Ahuachapán was founded by MayanMaya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
Indians of the Pokomanes tribe in the 5th century and invaded in the 15th century by the Izalcos. It officially gained city status on 11 February 1862 and became the departmental capital on the February 9, 1869.
Geography
The municipality of Ahuachapán is located 100 km from the capital city San SalvadorSan Salvador
The city of San Salvador the capital and largest city of El Salvador, which has been designated a Gamma World City. Its complete name is La Ciudad de Gran San Salvador...
. To the north it borders San Lorenzo
San Lorenzo, Ahuachapán
San Lorenzo is a municipality in the Ahuachapán department of El Salvador.San Lorenzo is a town of 9,194 citizens, located 7 km north of Atiquizaya city. San Lorenzo is on the border with Guatemala...
and the Republic of Guatemala. It is surrounded by San Lorenzo
San Lorenzo, Ahuachapán
San Lorenzo is a municipality in the Ahuachapán department of El Salvador.San Lorenzo is a town of 9,194 citizens, located 7 km north of Atiquizaya city. San Lorenzo is on the border with Guatemala...
, Atiquizaya
Atiquizaya
Atiquizaya is a municipality in the Ahuachapán department of El Salvador. It covers an area of 66.64 km 2 and as of 2007 has a population of 33,587.-Cantons:It is divided into the following cantons:...
and Turín
Turín
Turín is a municipality in the Ahuachapán department of El Salvador....
; by Juayúa
Juayúa
Juayúa is a municipality in the Sonsonate department of El Salvador.Juayua is a quaint little town up in the mountains, founded in 1577. The town's central plaza faces an old white cathedral that features a black Christ statue. This statue is a sister statue to that of the revered Basilica of...
, Apaneca
Apaneca
Apaneca is a municipality in the Ahuachapán department of El Salvador.It has an area of 45.13 kilometers. Its population is of 8,597 inhabitants . The municipality is divided in 7 cantons:*El Saltillal*Palo Verde*Quezalapa*San Ramoncito...
, and Tacuba
Tacuba
Tacuba is a municipality in the Ahuachapán department of El Salvador.-Church Of Tacuba:It is located in Villa of Tacuba. It is head of the municipality of the same name in the department of Ahuachapán, at about 14 Kilometers of the city of Ahuachapán and at 700 meters over the sea level...
to the south. The climate of the municipality is very warm with the temperatures oscillating between 22°C and 27°C.
The principal river is the Río Paz. There are other tributaries but the Río Paz forms a natural border between El salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
and Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
.
Monuments/Main Attractions
Near the Iglesia La Asunción, the Francisco Menéndez Park has a monument to honor General Francisco MenéndezFrancisco Menéndez
Francisco Menéndez was Provisional President of El Salvador 22 June 1885 to 1 March 1887, thenPresident of El Salvador 1 March 1887 until his death 22 June 1890....
who was president of the republic. There is a bronze plate indicating the house where he lived. One of the main attractions is the Central Plaza, which contains the Central Park, known as Parque Concordia, surrounded by the City Hall, a modern style building with a little resemblance of art deco, rebuilt after a fire in the 1950s, the town's main church, Iglesia de La Asunción, which is over 100 years old, and the renewed Pasaje Concordia, which is "the new place in town", restored in the early twentyfirst century, a pedestrian-only street.
Lagoon of El Espino
It was formerly called Huitziapan or "Laguna de las Espinas" and is four kilometers to the north-west of the city of Ahuachapan, along the international highway to Guatemala. Between this gathering of water and the city of Ahuachapán, the first battle in the history of independent Central America took place; the battle of Espino, on March 12, 1822. It was won by the Guatemalans commanded by the Sergeant Mayor Nicolás Abos Padilla.Other attractions include Los Ausoles, the Lagoon Morán, Atehuecillas and Malacatiupán. Close to Las Chinamas is "Los Encuentros" where the "Rio Paz" river and the "El Pulula" river (Guatemalan river) merge. "La Poza de la Yerba Buena" of the Pueblo Viejo river in the Santa Cruz Canton is nearby. El Arco Duran, situated in the perimeter of the city of Ahuachapan, is a replica of a famous French arch, with all kinds of "Pupusas" nearby.
Cantons
The municipality is divided into 29 cantons.These are: Ashapuco, Chancuyo, Chipilapa, Cuyanausul, El Anonal, Canton Platanares, El Roble, El Tigre, El Barro, Guayaltepec, La Coyotera, La Danta, La Montañita, Las Chinamas (Puesto Fronterizo), Llano de Doña María, Llano de La Laguna o El Espino, Loma de La Gloria, Los Huatales, Los Magueyes, Los Toles, Nejapa, Palo Pique, Río Frío, San Lázaro, San Ramón, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa Acacalco, Suntecumat y Tacubita.
Towns and villages in the municipality
- Agua Shuca
- Ahuachapan
- Ashapuco
- Ataco
- Calapa
- Chancuyo
- Chipilapa
- Cuyanausul
- El Anonal
- El Barro
- El Espino
- El Jobo
- El Junquillo
- El Mojon
- El Roble
- El Saitillal
- El Tigre
- Guayaltepec
- Hacienda San Isidro
- Hacienda San Luis
- La Angostura
- La Coyotera
- La Danta
- La Guascota
- La Montanita
- Las Chinamas
- Llano de Dona Maria
- Llano de La Laguna
- Loma de La Gloria
- Los Horcones
- Los Huatales
- Los Magueyes
- Los Toles
- Palo Pique
- Rio Frio
- San Jose
- San Lazaro
- San Luis
- San Ramon
- San Raymundo
- Santa Cruz
- Santa Rita
- Santa Rosa Acacalco
- Suntecumat
- Tacuba
Economy
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, textiles and construction
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
materials.
Traditions
The most important tradition is the Día de los Farolitos (Day of the Little lights), held on September 07 where a parade and celebration is conducted to honor Jesus Christ.Notable people
- Alfredo EspinoAlfredo EspinoAlfredo Espino was a poet from El Salvador. Born in Ahuachapán, his only book is Jícaras Tristes , a collection of 96 poems. It is one of the most published books of poetry in El Salvador. Espino died in San Salvador....
- Humberto Escapini
- Roberto Galicia
- Miguel Ángel EspinoMiguel Ángel EspinoMiguel Angel Espino was an El Salvadoran writer, journalist and lawyer.- Life :Born into a literary family, Espino was the younger brother of the lyric poet Alfredo Espino...
- Santiago José CelisSantiago José CelisSantiago José Celis was a Salvadoran physician who participated in the 1811 Independence Movement.-Biography:...
- Byron I. Milla Nicia
Sports
The Once MunicipalOnce Municipal
Once Municipal or 11 Municipal is a Salvadoran football club from Ahuachapán, El Salvador. The club currently plays in the top tier after getting promoted for the Apertura 2010. The club won its first league championship during the 1948–49 season...
(11 Municipalities) is the local professional football club of the Department of Ahuachapán. The home stadium of Once Municipal is Estadio Simeón Magaña
Estadio Simeón Magaña
Estadio Simeón Magaña is a multi-use stadium in Ahuachapán Department, El Salvador. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Once Municipal....
.