Cinquera is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality ...

in the

Cabañas department Cabañas () is a department of El Salvador in the north central part of the country. Its capital is Sensuntepeque and it is one of coolest parts of El Salvador. Classified as a department in February 1873, it covers an area of and has over 164, ...

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 by ...

Local Attractions

* Hostal de Cinquera (translation: Hostel of Cinquera) * Memorial de el conflicto armado Park (translation:

memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or works of ...

of the

armed conflict War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regu ...

park) * las flores Park (translation: the

flowers A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

park) * Iglesia Catolica de Cinquera (translation:

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

of Cinquera)

Cinquera Ecological Park

Walk through the peaceful woods of Cinquera Ecological Park, a former base for guerrilla bands during the civil war and now a serene conservation region. The area around the small town of Cinquera, 18km from

Suchitoto Suchitoto is a municipality in the Department of Cuscatlán, El Salvador that has seen continuous human habitation long before Spanish colonization. Within its municipal territory, Suchitoto holds the site of the original founding of the Villa ...

in northern

was afflicted by heavy fighting during the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...

, many of the inhabitants left the area and the

guerrillas Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tacti ...

moved in. Their bases came under attack from the army and they took shelter within the forests landscapes. After the war, the returning population started to clear the woodland for agriculture, much to the chagrin of former rebels who respected the environment for having offered them shelter. An

ecological reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

was established to conserve what remained of the native vegetation. It also maintains various vestiges of the war such as the rebel hospital and kitchen. You can walk around the reserve with a local guide: most guides are former guerrillas and can relate many poignant tales from the wartime period. You’ll also appreciate the beauty and serenity of the countryside at peace.

References

{{Cabañas Department Municipalities of the Cabañas Department