Suchitoto

Suchitoto sits on a ridge above Lake Suchitlan with cobbled streets, single-storey colonial houses and the white church of Santa Lucia on its square, and it has become El Salvador's cultural centre - galleries, workshops, a permanent arts festival culture and a slower pace than anywhere else in the country. Indigo, which made the region wealthy in colonial times, has been revived as a craft and workshops teach the dyeing process. Boats run out onto the lake, which was created by a dam and now hosts migratory birds.

History

The area was densely settled by Nahua people when the Spanish arrived, and in April 1528 Diego de Alvarado re-founded the town of San Salvador in the Bermuda Valley, about 12 km from Suchitoto, on the orders of Jorge de Alvarado. That town had a hard life, and from around 1539 its settlers moved to the Hamacas Valley, the site of today's San Salvador, a transfer approved in 1545; by 1550 Suchitoto had about 600 inhabitants. It became the parish seat of a wide territory, with Vicente Aguilar among its priests, and grew with the indigo industry from the 17th century, counting 911 people in 1807. Suchitoto was made head of the department of Cuscatlán in 1835 and received the title of town on 22 March 1836, and through the 19th century indigo and early coffee paid for its neoclassical and adobe houses built around courtyards. The Cerrón Grande hydroelectric dam on the Lempa River later flooded around 13,500 hectares to form the 135 km² Lake Suchitlán, covering 24 archaeological sites and several hamlets, among them the cantons of El Tablón and San Juan (Wikipedia, Suchitoto).

The main sights

• Santa Lucia church and the square - the colonial centre of town.
• Indigo workshops - learning the dyeing craft that built the region.
• Lake Suchitlan boat trips - birdlife and islands on the reservoir.
• Los Tercios waterfall - hexagonal basalt columns near town.

When to go

The dry season from November to April gives the clearest weather; the lake's bird numbers peak in the northern winter with migratory arrivals. Los Tercios waterfall only flows in the rainy season, though the columns are visible year round.

Before you go

The town is small and quiet - two days is plenty. Cobbles are hard going for wheels and heels. Accommodation is limited to small hotels and books out during festivals.

Nearby

Lake Suchitlan, San Salvador and the northern Cabanas department.

Key facts