Panchimalco

Panchimalco sits in a valley below the Puerta del Diablo ridge and is one of the towns where Pipil descent and custom remained most visible in a country where indigenous dress and language largely disappeared over the twentieth century. The church of Santa Cruz de Roma, built in the eighteenth century, has a plain white facade and a wooden interior with painted columns and a coffered ceiling. The Casa Taller Encuentros arts centre works with local artists. The town's known event is the Procesion de las Palmas on the first Sunday of May, when women carry decorated palm fronds hung with flowers and fruit through the streets to the church, in a festival that draws visitors from the capital.

History

The name Panchimalco comes from the Nahuatl for "place of flags and shields", and its people are descended from Nahua who withdrew here in the 16th century as the Spanish took over San Salvador; during the conquest the area was called El Fuerte, "the fortress", because the hollow shape of the land favoured its defenders. The Spanish made Panchimalco a village and built its church of Santa Cruz de Roma, begun around 1725 and considered the oldest surviving colonial building in El Salvador, a single nave under a roof carried on 16 wooden beams, with a French baroque altarpiece and a white facade on a square centred on a large cypress. Damaged by earthquakes from 1736 on, it was restored with a new clay floor in 1970 and declared a national historic monument on 27 February 1975 (Wikipedia, Panchimalco).

Highlights

• Santa Cruz de Roma church - the eighteenth-century church and its interior.
• The Palm Procession - the May flower and palm festival.
• The valley setting - the town below the Balboa ridge and the split rock.
• The arts centre - the local workshop and gallery.

When to go

The first Sunday in May for the Procesion de las Palmas, which is the reason most visitors come. November to April otherwise for the dry season. The town is quiet on ordinary days.

Things to know

Outside the May festival there is little organised for visitors and the town is small. The church keeps irregular hours. Facilities are minimal. Photography during the procession should be considerate.

Nearby

Puerta del Diablo is on the ridge above; San Salvador lies north.

Key facts