Chalchuapa is a town and a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...
located in the
Santa Ana department
Santa Ana () is a department of El Salvador in the northwest of the country. The capital is Santa Ana, one of the largest cities in El Salvador. It has 2,023 km² and a population of over 613,000. The Santa Ana Volcano
The Santa Ana Volc ...
of
El Salvador
El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south ...
. The city of Chalchuapa is in a wide valley at 650 meters above sea level, and watered by the Pampe River.
Overview
It is situated 15 kilometers west from Santa Ana city, in the valley of Cuscachapa. The 'El Trapiche' pool is in the countryside of the city, filled with fresh and transparent waters; and the Mayan structure of Casa Blanca, which exhibits the rock on which General Justo Rufino Barrios from Guatemala was fatally wounded and murdered in the bloody battle of April 2, 1885.
It also possesses an old-fashioned church of pure colonial style. It is a beautiful architectural jewel consecrated to the patron of the city of Santiago Apostol whose lyric representation on horseback crowns the dome of the Catholic Church.
Chalchuapa, which in Nahuatl means 'Río de Jadeitas' or Jade River, was the most remarkable emporium of the civilization of the Pok'omames, town of the Mayan-quiche or Mayan family. It also constitutes some of the most important archaeological areas of the country, with five ceremonial centers: Tazumal, Pampe, Trapiche, Casa Blanca, and Las Victorias; also, Cuzcachapa Lagoon. These pre-Columbian vestiges are scattered in an area of 6 square km.
The ruins of
Tazumal
Tazumal () is a pre-Columbian archeological site in Chalchuapa, El Salvador. Tazumal is an architectural complex within the larger area of the ancient Mesoamerican city of Chalchuapa, in western El Salvador. The Tazumal group is located in the so ...
include a main pyramidal structure 23 meters in height (the inferior structures are still buried) located in a block and forming two truncated pyramids to the west. It has eight pilasters with chiseled figures. Northernmost, there are other complex constructions and a memorial dance ground with ladders. The 'Ball Game' field, almost totally destroyed, used to be located in the current cemetery area.
On the western flank of Ku or Teocali, there is a monolith carved in basaltic rock called “Estela de Tazumal” 2.65 meters high and 1.16 meters wide. It represents a richly adorned character, showing on the side hieroglyphical inscriptions that are possibly chronological, but different from the classical of the Mayan culture.
Battle of Chalchuapa
The Battle of Chalchuapa (Spanish: ) was a battle between the military forces of El Salvador and Guatemala from 1–2 April 1885. Guatemalan President Justo Rufino Barrios was killed during the battle.
Background
Since the end of Second Ce ...
An important battle took place in Chalchuapa on April 2, 1885. Guatemalan President
Justo Rufino Barrios
Justo Rufino Barrios Auyón (19 July 1835 – 2 April 1885) was a Guatemalan politician and military general who served as President of Guatemala from 1873 to his death in 1885. He was known for his liberal reforms and his attempts to reuni ...
died during this battle.
{{Authority control
Municipalities of the Santa Ana Department