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Santa Ana () is the second largest city in
El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...
, after the capital of San Salvador. It is located 64 kilometers northwest of
San Salvador San Salvador () is the Capital city, capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its San Salvador Department, eponymous department. It is the country's largest agglomeration, serving as the country's political, cultural, educational and fin ...
, the capital city. Santa Ana has approximately 250,760 (2024) inhabitants and serves both as the capital of the department of Santa Ana and as the municipal seat for the surrounding
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...
of the same name. For its administration the municipality is divided into 35 colonias (neighborhoods) and 318 small villages. A major processing center for El Salvador's sizable coffee bean industry is located near Santa Ana. Santa Ana has become a tourist destination, especially for tourists eager to learn about Salvadoran culture and traditions. Currently, the mayor of Santa Ana is Gustavo Acevedo, from
Nuevas Ideas Nuevas Ideas (; abbreviated N or NI) is the current ruling political party of El Salvador. The party was founded on 25 October 2017 by Nayib Bukele, the then-mayor of San Salvador, and was registered by the Supreme Electoral Court (El Salvado ...
.


Geography

The city of Santa Ana is located on a
plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...
about 665 meters above sea level. The city has year-round warm climate with an average temperature of around . The main river is the Guajoyo river which is a major tributary of the much larger Lempa River. There is a major Hydroelectric Power station at the Guajoyo river that provides electricity to most of the western sector of the country. The city is situated among a number of green hills, including Tecana Hill and the Hills of Santa Lucía. In the southern part of the municipality is the Ilamatepec volcano, the highest volcano in the country, which had a moderate eruption in 2005 that killed two people. Close to it is another famous volcano, Izalco, known to sailors throughout the mid-19th century and early 20th century as "The lighthouse of the Pacific" due to its constant eruptions.


Surrounding mountains

The highest elevation in the town is the Santa Ana volcano (which measures 2365 meters).


Physio-graphic regions

The relief of the municipality may be divided into three physiographic regions, which are: The Apaneca Range, which is located in the southern part of town and home to the Santa Ana volcano (which is the highest volcano in the country), the Izalco volcano (which the youngest volcano in the country having originated in 1770), and the Cerro Verde, located in the Natural Park of Cerro Verde (which was re-opened after a closure in 2001, due to earthquakes that occurred earlier that year). Apaneca from the mountains to the center of town lies a plain or plain, which lies on the plateau where the city is located. North of the plateau is the mountain range- Comecayo Mita, in which small rise orographic configurations including the Tecan, Pinalito, Pinalón, Santa Lucia and Camones hills.


Hydrology

Guajoyo River is one of the major rivers in the municipality of Santa Ana The city and the greater part thereof is located in the Lempa River basin region, while the remaining parts of the municipality are in the basin region of Coatepeque. Within the Lempa River basin region, the city and Most of the municipality is located in the upper Lempa River. The city is surrounded both above aquifers located in the basement, of which most are moderate vulnerability.


Surface waters

Within the streams that flow through the territory of the municipality including the City, the main rivers are: *Lempa River, which forms the border with the municipality of Nueva Concepcion *Guajoyo River (where a hydroelectric plant is located) *Suquiapa River, which forms the confluence of the Apanchacal and Zarco rivers bordering the town of Coatepeque. The southern part of the city is connected with Lake Coatepeque, which has become one of the main attractions of the entire Department of Santa Ana. In addition, another 15 rivers and 52 minor streams flow through the municipality of Santa Ana. The city is criss-crossed by the El Molino, Apanchacal, and Apanteos rivers.


Climate

The city and the entire municipality of Santa Ana are located in the tropics and have a
tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry "winter") and ''As'' (for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than ...
(according to the
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
). The city experiences two distinct seasons, which are: the dry season (November to May) and rainy season (May to November). The municipality of Santa Ana has a mean annual temperature of with a temperature around and minimum and maximum. Although at times the maximum temperatures often exceed , since it is a city with a very hot climate. It also has an annual relative humidity between 70% and 75%. The city is dominated by winds from the southwest and west, both during the dry season and during the rainy season, these winds have an annual rate of 7.8 km/h.24 In addition, any municipality, including the city, is affected by the hurricane season in the Atlantic (June–November). In which, the continuous tropical storms and hurricanes increase the flow of rivers, damaging some areas with flooding.


History


Pre-Columbian era

The city of Santa Ana has a
pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era, also known as the pre-contact era, or as the pre-Cabraline era specifically in Brazil, spans from the initial peopling of the Americas in the Upper Paleolithic to the onset of European col ...
origin. There is evidence of Preclassic settlements in the area of the city, mainly in the archaeological site of Villa Rosita, where the dominant centre was located in the area. This and other settlements were depopulated by the eruption of Lake Ilopango in 250 AD. The city was founded by the Maya Poqomam in the classical period. The first name of the settlement is unknown, however, it is known that when the Pipil entered and conquered the area in 1200 during the post-classic period, translated the original
Nahuatl Nahuatl ( ; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahuas, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller popul ...
name, which was Sihuatehuacán, which means place of priestesses. Sihuatehuacán was located in what is now the suburb of Santa Barbara, west of the Apanchacal and Apanteos rivers.guanaquin.com


Conquest and colonization

The town was conquered by the Spanish between 1530 and 1540. On July 26, 1569,
Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...
n bishop
Bernardino Villalpando Bernardino is a name of Italian, Hispanic, or Portuguese origin. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Bernardino of Fossa (1420–1503), Italian Franciscan historian and ascetical writer *Bernardino of Siena (1380–1444), Italian ...
changed the name from Sihuatehuacán to that of Santa Ana. The new town at the time was part of the Greater Mayorship of San Salvador. San Salvador, the city of Santa Ana, and the western and central part of the current Salvadoran territory (except St Vincent and the paracentral area) was administered by the mayor of the department of San Salvador.Templo cristiano , consultado el 28 de enero de 2009. Since 1770, the central parish of the city (located where the cathedral was built later) was the head of the parish of Santa Ana. From 1786-1824, the Santa Ana district was part of the San Salvador municipality (''
Intendencia de San Salvador An intendant (; ; ) was, and sometimes still is, a public official, especially in France, Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. The intendancy system was a centralizing administrative system developed in France. In the War of the Spanish Success ...
'').FISL-Conoce a tu municipio


19th century

In 1806, the council of the town of Santa Ana was established. Its first mayor was José Mariano Castro. Five years later, there were two uprisings in the town as part of the uprising in San Salvador, the first on 17 November 1811, another on 24 June 1812. In November 1812, it was designated with the title of town. On 21 December 1821, the council declared independence from Spain. In 1824, it received the title of city, as part of the department of Sonsonate. In 1835, it became the head of that department. In 1854, the town of Santa Lucia Chacalcingo became part of Santa Ana. A year later, the Department of Santa Ana was created. In 1894, a revolution that would overthrew President
Carlos Ezeta Carlos Basilio Ezeta y León (14 June 1852 – 21 March 1903) was President of El Salvador from 22 June 1890 to 9 June 1894, when he was overthrown in the Revolution of the 44. He was a military ruler. He died on 21 March 1903, aged 50. Earl ...
, who had ruled the country as de facto dictator (from the current headquarters of the Second Infantry Brigade of Santa Ana) occurred. Since then, the town earned the nickname of "the heroic city" as the 44 rebels who led the revolution were from the municipality. They stormed the government headquarters to end the dictatorship.


Postwar 20th century and Civil Santa Ana in 1916

In the so-called "golden age of coffee" in El Salvador, Santa Ana was the most prosperous city in the country, because many of the businessmen who lived in that town owned important coffee processing plants that prepared the coffee for sale. La Hacienda El Molino, owned by the Colombian Rafael Alvarez, was the main plantation and coffee processing plant because of its fame and its technological modernism at the time. During the civil war in El Salvador (1980–1992), the municipality of Santa Ana was also affected by armed conflict, which led to the emigration of many residents of the city. After the war, Santa Ana and all of El Salvador began to address the problem of rising crime rates, mostly due to the existence of "maras" or gangs, mainly generated by the deportation of illegal immigrants from the United States. This scourge has been fought with government programs and ordinances issued by the council municipal. Since the civil war, the municipality has received allowances sent by Salvadorians living abroad to their friends and family. This money has become the largest source of revenue for Santa Ana and El Salvador. In 1999 the Urban Development Master Plan (PLAMADUR) was launched by the municipal administration of Moses Macall Monterrosa. The PLAMADUR spurred the growth, expansion and management of ciudad. Also in 2004, the Salvadorian government introduced the National Land Management Plan and Territorial Development (PNODT) that promotes the development, integration and competitiveness of Salvadoran municipalities. For the purposes of planning and development of municipalities, these have been grouped into regions, subregions and microregions. The municipality of Santa Ana was incorporated into the region, "West Central subregion, Santa Ana - Resume" and "microregion of Santa Ana".


Education

The city of Santa Ana has 183 schools according to statistics from the Salvadoran Ministry of Education, out of those 53 are private. Some of the best known schools are:
Colegio BautistaLiceo San Luis
#
Escuela Interamericana Inter-American Magnet School (IAMS; ) is a K-8 magnet school in Lake View, Chicago, Illinois. The oldest two-way bilingual school in the Midwestern United States,Sesenac, Barbara V. Kirk (Central Michigan University).Two-Way Bilingual Immersio ...
# Colegio Latinoamericano #Colegio Salesiano San José #Colegio Santa María # CE INSA #Colegio María Auxiliadora #Liceo Santaneco Santa Ana has a few universities, including Universidad Católica de El Salvador, Universidad Modular Abierta, Universidad de El Salvador Facultad Multidiciplinaria de Occidente, Universidad Francisco Gavidia, and Universidad Autónoma de Santa Ana.


Economy

Santa Ana today is the second largest city in population and importance in El Salvador. The main economic engines of the city are in retail and manufacturing. In the north and west of the city are factories and assembly plants mostly of foreign origin. The southern part of the city is more commercially developed, containing many restaurants, commercial banks, hotels and shopping malls. The largest shopping mall in the city is Metrocentro. Santa Ana has two main markets: the Colón and Central Markets, only a few streets from one another, offering a great variety of products. With respect to tourism, the city has many old buildings such as: Catedral de Santa Ana (The Cathedral of Saint Anne), Alcaldía Municipal de Santa Ana (Santa Ana
City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...
) and the Teatro de Santa Ana (Santa Ana Theater). The only museum in the city registered by the Concultura is the Occidental Regional Museum, also known as the Museum of the West. However El Museo Aja is also located in the city. There are also the Apanteos and Sihuatehuacán water parks. Fiestas Julias is a big traditional celebration in Santa Ana during the 15 through the 31 of July. Every year they usually take place in the Oscar quiteño stadium.


Culture and art

The
culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...
of Santa Ana and all of
El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...
is a result of the influence of the
pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era, also known as the pre-contact era, or as the pre-Cabraline era specifically in Brazil, spans from the initial peopling of the Americas in the Upper Paleolithic to the onset of European col ...
indigenous inhabitants and the Spanish colonization. The government agency that is responsible for preserving and promoting culture throughout the country is the Ministry of Culture. Likewise, the city has its own decentralized office that is responsible for preserving and promoting culture and art throughout the city: the Coordinator of culture, recreation, art and education (''Culturarte'').


Centers for Cultural Development

The city has its own Casa de Cultura, which is managed by the Ministry of Culture and is responsible for disseminating and promoting research, and for expanding local art and art from the entire municipality. Likewise, there are centers of culture and art education in the city, such as the Western Arts Center which was developed by the Cultural Heritage Association of Santa Ana (''Apaculsa''). The main
museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...
of the city is the Western Regional Museum, which is a historical site and also one of culture and art. Another is the Aja Museum, developed by the movement Siglo XXIII, which promotes culture and popular art. Also, the city has its own
public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...
, whose official name is " David Granadino” Public Library, which is managed by Concultura. For the presentation of the
performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which involve the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. P ...
, the city has important
venues A venue is the location at which an event takes place. It may refer to: Locations * Venue (law), the place a case is heard * Financial trading venue, a place or system where financial transactions can occur * Music venue, place used for a conce ...
. The main venue, because of its size and age, is the National Theater of the city. Other establishments used for the presentation of performing arts are the Cine Principal (Main Theatre) and the Centro Municipal de Usos Múltiples ''El Palmar''.


Notable people

* Agustín García Calderón (born 1948), former President of the Supreme Court of El Salvador


Sport

Santa Ana is home to C.D. FAS, one of the most famous football (soccer) clubs in El Salvador. Their home stadium is
Estadio Óscar Quiteño Estadio Óscar Quiteño is a multi-purpose stadium in Santa Ana, El Salvador, Santa Ana, El Salvador. It is currently used mostly for association football, football matches, and is the home stadium of Club Deportivo FAS. The stadium holds 17,5 ...
, built in 1963 with an approximate capacity of 20,000 fans.


Religion

In regard to religion, as in the rest of the country, the population is mostly Catholic, being the host city of the Diocese of Santa Ana, which occupies the departments of Santa Ana and Ahuachapán. It is part of the ecclesiastical province of El Salvador. Among the most important Catholic churches are the Cathedral of Santa Ana, (where is the image of the patron saint of the city), the El Calvario church (rebuilt in the late 19th century by Fray Felipe de Jesús Moraga, which was destroyed partially by the earthquake of 13 January 2001, and subsequently rebuilt), El Carmen (which has been administered by the Dominican priests since 1929), the Church of Santa Lucia, San Lorenzo church, Santa Barbara Church, the Mother of the Saviour parish church, and San José Obrero. Also, several Christian evangelical churches, which have seen an increased influx of believers. Other religious groups, such as
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
and
Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a Christian denomination that is an outgrowth of the Bible Student movement founded by Charles Taze Russell in the nineteenth century. The denomination is nontrinitarian, millenarian, and restorationist. Russell co-fou ...
also have followers here.


Twin towns – sister cities

Santa Ana is twinned with: *
La Ceiba La Ceiba () is a municipality, the capital of the Honduran department of Atlántida (department), Atlántida, and a port city on the northern Caribbean coast in Honduras. It forms part of the southeastern boundary of the Gulf of Honduras. With ...
, Honduras * León, Nicaragua *
Piracicaba Piracicaba ( ) is a Municipalities of Brazil, Brazilian municipality located in the Interior of São Paulo, interior of São Paulo (state), São Paulo state, in the Southeast Region, Brazil, Southeast Region of Brazil. It serves as the main city ...
, Brasil * Miramar, United States * Nueva Trinidad, El SalvadorAlcaldía Municipal de Santa Ana , consultado el 22 December 2008 * Nejapa, El Salvador * Acajutla, El Salvador


References


External links

* * * * {{Authority control Municipalities of the Santa Ana Department Tourist attractions in El Salvador