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A cobbled street with tiled roofs in Suchitoto

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Colonial Towns of El Salvador: Suchitoto, Panchimalco, Izalco and the Ruta de las Flores

Away from the cities, El Salvador keeps towns of cobbled streets, tiled roofs and colonial churches. Suchitoto was the site of the first capital in 1528; the church of Panchimalco was begun in 1543 and is a National Monument; Izalco holds some of the most solemn Holy Week ceremonies in the country. In the west, the towns of the Ruta de las Flores add murals, coffee and food fairs.

Updated November 2026 · Figures checked 9 November 2026

Photo: ElmerGuevara, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Suchitoto, site of the first capital
15281
Suchitoto, site of the first capital
Work begins on the church of Panchimalco
15434
Work begins on the church of Panchimalco
Years of the Día de los Farolitos in Ataco
200+6
Years of the Día de los Farolitos in Ataco

Colonial Towns of El Salvador: Suchitoto, Panchimalco, Izalco and the Ruta de las Flores

Map of the towns

Colonial and mountain towns of El Salvador 1 Suchitoto 2 Panchimalco 3 Izalco 4 Concepción de Ataco 5 Apaneca 6 Juayúa 7 Salcoatitán 8 Nahuizalco
Town Places are approximate, from Wikidata and OpenStreetMap. Boundaries: geoBoundaries SLV ADM1 (OpenStreetMap contributors, CC BY-SA 2.0)1,3,5,11
  1. 1 Suchitoto Cuscatlán Norte; site of the capital founded in 1528
  2. 2 Panchimalco San Salvador Sur; church of Santa Cruz de Roma
  3. 3 Izalco Sonsonate Este; Holy Week and cofradías
  4. 4 Concepción de Ataco Ahuachapán Centro; murals and coffee at 1,260 m
  5. 5 Apaneca Ahuachapán Centro; 1,477 m, Laguna Verde
  6. 6 Juayúa Sonsonate Norte; food fair and Siete Cascadas
  7. 7 Salcoatitán Sonsonate Norte; murals and the Printing Museum
  8. 8 Nahuizalco Sonsonate Norte; crafts and night market

The towns

The towns
Town Municipality Population (2024) Known for
Suchitoto Cuscatlán Norte 22,716 Site of the first capital in 1528; the Santa Lucía church of 1853–1857; arts, corn and film festivals
Panchimalco San Salvador Sur 44,404 The church of Santa Cruz de Roma, begun in 1543; the Flores y Palmas festival
Izalco Sonsonate Este 77,529 Holy Week, the cofradías and the alcalde del común
Concepción de Ataco Ahuachapán Centro 12,968 Murals, coffee and the Día de los Farolitos on 7 September
Apaneca Ahuachapán Centro 9,436 A town at 1,477 m with crater lakes and coffee
Juayúa Sonsonate Norte 24,344 The Black Christ church and the weekend food fair
Salcoatitán Sonsonate Norte 7,504 Mosaic murals and the Printing Museum
Nahuizalco Sonsonate Norte 55,641 The 18th-century church of San Juan Bautista and the night market

Source: BCR and ONEC: VII Population Census 2024, population by department, municipality and district, urban and rural (Excel, in Spanish); El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Suchitoto; Parish of Santa Lucía, Suchitoto: history; Ministry of Culture: the parish church of Panchimalco, a National Monument; El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Izalco; El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Concepción de Ataco; El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Apaneca; El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Juayúa; El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Salcoatitán; El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Nahuizalco12,1,2,4,5,6,7,8,9,10

Population: the district of each town, 2024 census. A district includes the town and its rural area.

Protected churches

  • Santa Cruz de Roma, Panchimalco: a National Monument by Legislative Decree 209 of 27 February 1975.
  • Santa Lucía, Suchitoto: a National Monument since 1978.

Source: Ministry of Culture: the parish church of Panchimalco, a National Monument; Parish of Santa Lucía, Suchitoto: history4,2

For investors

Small hotels, cafés, restaurants and coffee tours serve the visitors of these towns, and tourism projects can apply for the incentives of the Tourism Law. In historic centres, building work on old houses can need permits from the Ministry of Culture; ask your lawyer and the town hall before you buy.

The towns, one by one

  • Suchitoto

    Cobbled streets, the Santa Lucía church and Lake Suchitlán.

    1528 The first capital of the country was founded here

    Read more

  • Panchimalco

    A colonial church of 1543 and the Flores y Palmas festival.

    1543 Year work began on the church

    Read more

  • Izalco

    Holy Week, cofradías and an Indigenous mayor.

    77,529 Inhabitants of the district, 2024 census

    Read more

Sources

  1. El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Suchitoto
  2. Parish of Santa Lucía, Suchitoto: history (in Spanish)
  3. El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Panchimalco
  4. Ministry of Culture: the parish church of Panchimalco, a National Monument (in Spanish)
  5. El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Izalco
  6. El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Concepción de Ataco
  7. El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Apaneca (in Spanish)
  8. El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Juayúa
  9. El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Salcoatitán
  10. El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Nahuizalco
  11. El Salvador Travel: the Ruta de las Flores, nature, adventure, coffee and food (in Spanish)
  12. BCR and ONEC: VII Population Census 2024, population by department, municipality and district, urban and rural (Excel, in Spanish)

Figures checked 9 November 2026. Prepared by InvestSalvador.com for general information. Figures come from the sources listed.

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