Cihuatan Archaeological Site

Cihuatan covers around three square kilometres on a plain north of San Salvador, making it the largest archaeological site in the country, and it was founded around 900 AD after the collapse of the southern Maya cities, apparently by a population arriving from central Mexico, since the architecture and the ceramics show strong central Mexican influence. It had a ceremonial centre with a pyramid, ball courts, plazas and enclosures, and it was burned and abandoned around 1100. Excavation and consolidation have exposed the western ceremonial area, which is what visitors see, with the pyramid, two ball courts and platforms, and a small site museum. Much of the site remains unexcavated under grass.

What you actually see

• The pyramid - the main structure of the ceremonial centre.
• The ball courts - two courts in the western ceremonial area.
• Plazas and platforms - the consolidated structures around them.
• The site museum - the small display of finds at the entrance.

When to go

November to April in the dry season; the rains make the grounds muddy and the grass high. Mornings are cooler; there is little shade on the site. It closes on Mondays.

Honest expectations

Only a small fraction of the site is excavated and most is grass-covered mounds. Interpretation is limited and largely in Spanish. There is very little shade. The museum is small.

Nearby

Aguilares lies south; Suchitoto is east.