Skip to content

San Salvador

Free World Class Education
FREE Catholic Classes

(SANCTI SALVATORIS IN AMERICA CENTRALI)

Diocese. The Republic of Salvador, often incorrectly called San Salvador from the name of its capital, is the smallest and most thickly populated state of Central America. It is bounded on the W. by Guatemala, on the N. and E. by Honduras, on the S. by the Pacific Ocean. It lies between 92° 26´ 55´´ and 89° 57´ W. long., and 14° 27´ 20´´ and 13° 2´ 22´´ N. lat., being 50 miles long and 186 miles broad. It is 7225 square miles in area and is divided politically into 14 departments. The population in 1906 was 1,116,253, of whom 772,200 were Ladinos (mixed Spanish and Indian blood), and 224,648 Indians, the latter being principally Pipils, but partly Chontalli. The chief towns are San Salvador (59,540), Santa Anna (48,120), San Miguel (24,768), and Nueva San Salvador (18,770); the chief port is La Union (4000). With the exception of a narrow alluvial seaboard Salvador is a high plateau, intersected by mountains containing many volcanoes, five of which are active. The most remarkable of the latter, Izalco, popularly called the "Lighthouse of Salvador" from its almost continual eruptions (three to each hour), broke out in a small plain on 23 February, 1770, and has now a cone over 6000 feet high. Earthquakes are frequent and San Salvador has often suffered, especially on 16 April, 1854, when the entire city was levelled in ten seconds. Salvador is rich in minerals, gold, silver, copper, mercury, and coal being mined. The chief imports, which in 1909 had a value of $4,176,931 (gold), are machinery, woollens, cottons, drugs, hardware; the chief exports besides minerals are indigo, sugar, coffee, and Peruvian balsam, valued at $16,963,000 (silver).

Deacon Keith Fournier Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you. Help Now >

Railroads connect the capital with Santa Tecla and the port of Acajutla. Education is free and compulsory but very backward. There are about 600 primary schools, with 30,000 enrolled pupils, 20 high schools (3 normal, and 3 technical), and a university at San Salvador with faculties of engineering, law, medicine, pharmacy, and dentistry. The National Library (founded 1867) has 20,000 volumes; a National Museum was established in 1903. Salvador was invaded by Pedro Alvarado in 1524, emancipated from Spain in 1821, and made part of the Federation of Central America in 1824. In 1839 it became free. Its Constitution finally adopted in 1886 provides for a president elected for four years, with a right to nominate four secretaries of State, and a National Assembly of 70 members, 42 of whom are landholders, all elected by universal male suffrage. Catholicism is the state religion, but the civil authorities are hostile and have confiscated the sources of church revenue. San Salvador on the Rio Acelhuate in the valley of Las Hamacas was founded in 1528, but rebuilt in 1539, about twenty miles south of its first site; the diocese, erected on 28 September, 1842, is suffragan of Santiago of Guatemala, and contains 589 churches and chapels, 190 secular and 45 regular clergy, 70 nuns, 89 parishes, 3 colleges for boys and 3 for girls, and a Catholic population of over 1,000,000; the present bishop, who succeeded Mgr. Carcamo, is Mgr. Antonio Adolfo Pérez y Aguilar, born at San Salvador, 20 March, 1839, and appointed on 13 January, 1888.

Join the Movement
When you sign up below, you don't just join an email list - you're joining an entire movement for Free world class Catholic education.

Prayer of the Day logo
Saint of the Day logo

We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.

Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.

Help Now >

Catholic Online Logo

Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, © Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited.

Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.