Plaza Cívica José Simeón Cañas de Zacatecoluca

Zacatecoluca () is the capital

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

of the La Paz Department of El Salvador. Located in Southern El Salvador, in the Rio Lempa valley, at the foot of San Vicente (Chinchotepec) Volcano. A commercial center for the surrounding agricultural area, it also trades in cotton goods, baskets, salt, and lumber.

History

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...

in 1932 caused severe damage. Zacatecoluca was the birthplace of José Simeón Cañas, who fought for and secured the emancipation of slaves in

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

by Spaniards in 1825. Zacatecoluca houses many traditional Spanish buildings including the Santa Lucia Catholic Church and used to hold the house where José Simeón Cañas lived, until poor economy due to the many years of war caused the local government to sell the house to a supermarket branch, the house was destroyed and a poorly marked stone on the left of the supermarket entrance is all that is left of Cañas' housing legacy. Santa Lucia Catholic Church holds a dear history to the people of Zacatecoluca, as an image of

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

placed on top is said to have stopped an eruption of

lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...

and ash from completely destroying the city and its local population. On May 11, 1844, Zacatecoluca received the title of Generous and Loyal City becoming the Departmental Head of La Paz on February 21, 1852.

Climate

Sports

The local professional football club is named Platense and they are former national league champions. They currently play in the Salvadoran First Division.

Gallery

File:Iglesia Colonial San Sebastian Analco, Zacatecoluca.jpg, San Sebastian Analco church. File:Concha acústica de Zacatecoluca.jpg, Concha Acústica. File:Monumento a José Simeón Cañas.jpg, José Simeón Cañas monument. File:Centro Historico Zacatecoluca.jpg, Zacatecoluca's history center.

References

{{Authority control Municipalities of the La Paz Department (El Salvador)