Santa Ana Historic Center

Santa Ana grew rich on coffee in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and the wealth was spent on the buildings around its central plaza. The cathedral, completed in 1913, is neo-Gothic in a way unusual in Central America, with pointed arches and pinnacles in pale stone. Facing it across the plaza is the Teatro de Santa Ana, opened in 1910 in a French renaissance style with a painted ceiling and boxes, restored after decades of decline and now working again. The Palacio Municipal of 1874 completes the ensemble. The city around is a working commercial centre, and the Santa Ana volcano and Coatepeque lake are within an hour.

What you actually see

• The neo-Gothic cathedral - the 1913 church on the plaza.
• Teatro de Santa Ana - the restored 1910 theatre and its interior.
• The Palacio Municipal - the 1874 civic building.
• The plaza - the square the three buildings enclose.

When to go

November to April in the dry season. The theatre can be visited by tour when no performance is on, so check the programme. The city fiestas in July fill the centre. Mornings are cooler.

Honest expectations

The theatre is open for tours at limited times and closes for rehearsals and performances. The city outside the plaza is workaday and congested. The cathedral keeps service hours. Heat in the middle of the day is heavy.

Nearby

Coatepeque lake lies south; Chalchuapa and Tazumal are west.