{"id":9373,"date":"2022-03-28T07:13:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-28T07:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/elsalvadorviajar.com\/en\/?p=9373"},"modified":"2022-11-23T01:07:01","modified_gmt":"2022-11-23T01:07:01","slug":"cuscatlan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elsalvadorviajar.com\/en\/departments\/cuscatlan\/","title":{"rendered":"\u25b7 CUSCATL\u00c1N DEPARTMENT \u00bb What to See and Do"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

El Salvador is a country with an abundance of history, culture, and millenary traditions. We can find cities with a colonial aspect that make us travel back in time. But today, we want to talk about Cuscatl\u00e1n Department<\/strong>, where its cities, mountains, forests, and rivers have become its main attraction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A special place<\/strong> where tourism is conceived differently but still excellent. With natural landscapes that both nationals and foreigners love<\/strong>. To such an extent that week after week, more and more people visit the town of Cuscatl\u00e1n and its surroundings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cuscatl\u00e1n Data<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Country:<\/th>El Salvador<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Category:<\/th>Departments<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Capital:<\/th>Cojutepeque<\/td><\/tr>
Surface:<\/th>756 km\u00b2<\/td><\/tr>
Population:<\/th>286,23 hab\/km\u00b2<\/td><\/tr>
Elevation:<\/th>588 metros<\/td><\/tr>
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Location of Cuscatl\u00e1n<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Location<\/a>
Location of Cuscatl\u00e1n Department<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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What to see and do in Cuscatl\u00e1n Department<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Do you know what the most exciting thing about Cuscatl\u00e1n<\/strong> is? Although it is one of the departments of El Salvador<\/strong> without access to the beach, it has other charming attractions. It started with the city of Suchitoto<\/a>, Los Tercios<\/a><\/strong>, and even the Art Center for Peace.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Guazapa
Guazapa Hill in Cuscatl\u00e1n. Photo by Daniel chavez castro. Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Its areas for enjoyment, squares, rivers, and mountains<\/strong> are unique in the country, even considered city symbols. To know each one of them is to delve into its history while simultaneously, you can perform different activities that will make your vacation the best of all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without further ado, we invite you to discover what to see and do in Cuscatl\u00e1n Department<\/strong> during your visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monuments and places of interest<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To talk about Cuscatl\u00e1n<\/strong> is to refer to its cities and their attractions. Among them, the main and most visited by tourists is Suchitoto because almost all the tourist sites of the department are located here.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Suchitoto
Suchitoto in Cuscatl\u00e1n Department. Photo by ElSalvadorViajar.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In addition, it is a city where you will not be able<\/strong> to see a before and after because everything has been stopped in time. Its cobblestone streets, facades, and everything in the environment are colonial. So when you arrive, you will feel an incomparable peace and tranquility.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here you can also find the Art Center for Peace <\/strong>with its music workshops, a museum with permanent exhibitions, a hostel, and hire boat rides. But right in the center of town is one of the most critical architectural beauties of Cuscatl\u00e1n<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Los
Los Tercios Waterfall, a visual spectacle in Suchitoto. Photo by ElSalvadorViajar.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

We refer to the Santa Lucia Church<\/strong> and the Central Plaza of Suchitoto<\/strong>. Both are attractions of par excellence of the town and, by far, are a clear example of the ancient architecture of El Salvador.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the above, the San Martin Park Monument<\/strong>, the House of Alejandro Cotto, the Water Museum Project, and the Botanical Garden sites are intensely interesting in Cuscatl\u00e1n. The latter represents innovation and environmental development for El Salvador.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attractive places to visit<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In Cuscatl\u00e1n Department<\/strong>, you can do any activity you want, and you can choose hiking, rural tourism, swimming, fishing, or boat rides. So we recommend you visit the Cerro de Las Pavas.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Las
Las Pavas Hill Sanctuary. Photo by JMRAFFi. Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

A natural space where you can walk around without problems and connect with nature. The best thing is that there you will find the Grotto of the Virgin of Fatima<\/strong>, a place of pilgrimage every year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, when you reach the highest point, you can see the Jiboa Valley, the Chinchontepec Volcano<\/a><\/strong>, and Ilopango Lake<\/a><\/strong>. You can also go to Lake Suchitl\u00e1n<\/a><\/strong>, where you can enjoy its waters. You can choose boat rides, ferry, kayaking, fishing, or enjoy the breathtaking scenery of its surroundings.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Suchitl\u00e1n
Suchitl\u00e1n Lake. Photo by Alex Romero. Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Other places you should visit in tCuscatl\u00e1n Department are the caves of Los Fierros, El Guaro, and La Pe\u00f1a<\/strong>. In each of them, perfectly preserved petroglyphs have been found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of the three options, we recommend the route to La Pe\u00f1a because you can enjoy the Guaza River<\/strong> with its waterfall of more than 15 m high. On the other hand, we find the Cerro Guazapa between Cuscatl\u00e1n and San Salvador<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"San
San Cristobal Island. Lake Ilopango. Photo by zambomba. Flickr.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Thousands of years ago, it was an active volcano of imposing strength<\/strong>. Its summit is 1,438 meters above sea level and is a favorite destination for the most adventurous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Destinations near Cuscatl\u00e1n that you should visit<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As we have seen so far, in Cuscatl\u00e1n Departmen<\/strong>t, there are plenty of places to visit. That is why we want to show you others of great importance, which will surely put adrenaline into your vacation.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Churches
Churches of Cuscatl\u00e1n. Photo by Daniel chavez castro. Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

We start with Cerro Tecomatepe in Ciudad Vieja de Suchitoto. Although it has an altitude of only 950 meters above sea level, it is the source of the rivers that feed the Lempa River<\/a><\/strong>. Other mountains in Cuscatl\u00e1n are Cerro Macance towards Quebrada Las L\u00e1grimas and Cerro El Jiote<\/strong> near the Sirigual River.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can have an ecotourism experience full of adrenaline and adventure in each of these places. Now, if you take a hike to the Mirador Lago Suchitl\u00e1n<\/strong>, you will be able to see the center of the island El Ermita\u00f1o and everything around it.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Los
Los Tercios waterfall in Suchitoto. Photo by ElSalvadorViajar.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Other options that we can recommend to finish the tour are the Sinacamap\u00e1n River and the Los Tercios waterfall<\/strong> until you reach its viewpoint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

History of Cuscatl\u00e1n Department<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The origins of Cuscatl\u00e1n Department<\/strong> date back to the time of the pre-Columbian Pipil tribes. Whose original name is Kuskatan, in Nahuatl means “Place of precious things.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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\"San
San Bartolom\u00e9 Perulapia. Photo by Ll1324 Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

By then, it came to stand out as the capital of the kingdom of the indigenous monarchs. In the early sixteenth century<\/strong>, its leader was Topiltz\u00edn Acxitl. Then came Atlacatl, who became the lord of these lands until the arrival of the Spaniards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cojutepeque and Suchitoto<\/strong> constituted Cuscatl\u00e1n in 1786, officially a department in 1,835. Its capital was Suchitoto, although, in 1861, this was changed by decree, passing the title to the city of Cojutepeque.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Geography and municipalities of Cuscatl\u00e1n Department<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cuscatl\u00e1n Department has an area of 756.19 km2. It is bordered by the departments of Chalatenango to the north, Caba\u00f1as<\/a><\/strong> to the east, San Vicente<\/a><\/strong> to the southeast, Lake Ilopango and La Paz<\/a><\/strong> to the south, and San Salvador<\/a><\/strong> to the west.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At its highest point are the sources of springs and rivers that feed the Lempa River and which allowed the creation of the Cerr\u00f3n Grande<\/strong> reservoir. Which, in turn, is the largest artificial lake in El Salvador.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Views
Views of the Guazapa Volcano. Photo by Daniel chavez castro. Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

On the other hand, it is characterized as a mountainous region with plains and plains suitable for crop production. Such is the case of sugar cane, coffee, and various kinds of cereal. Cuscatl\u00e1n is one of the 14 departments of El Salvador<\/strong> and is divided into 16 municipalities:<\/p>\n\n\n\n