Suchitoto, a Colonial Town in El Salvador

At a glance

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^3,1,2

Map

The town

• The first capital: Suchitoto was the site of the first capital of the country in 1528. It was a trading centre, and today lives mostly from tourism, with hostels, restaurants and cafés.
• Architecture: cobbled streets, clay-tiled roofs, wrought-iron window bars and old doors, with cultural centres, galleries, museums and craft shops.
• Festivals: the International Arts and Culture Festival every February, the Corn Festival every August and the Suchitoto International Film Festival every November.

Source: El Salvador Travel (Ministry of Tourism): Suchitoto¹

The church of Santa Lucía

• Built 1853 to 1857: the present church replaced an earlier one destroyed by fire. It was promoted by the priest Cayetano Bosque and designed by Pío José Araujo, and has porcelain plates set into its domes.
• National Monument: the church was declared a National Monument in 1978.

Source: Parish of Santa Lucía, Suchitoto: history²

Visiting

The Ministry of Tourism suggests staying the night to enjoy the evenings in the restaurants, cafés and bars; places to stay range from hostels to hotels. Lake Suchitlán, below the town, has its own page.¹

Opening hours of museums, markets and food fairs change. Check with the town hall or the Ministry of Tourism before you travel.

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.