Zacatecoluca (Spanish pronunciation: [sakatekoˈluka]) is the capital municipality of the La Paz Department of El Salvador.

Zacatecoluca
Municipality
Our Lady of the Poor Cathedral
Our Lady of the Poor Cathedral
Flag of Zacatecoluca
Official seal of Zacatecoluca
Zacatecoluca is located in El Salvador
Zacatecoluca
Zacatecoluca
Location in El Salvador
Coordinates: 13°30′N 88°52′W / 13.500°N 88.867°W / 13.500; -88.867
Country El Salvador
DepartmentLa Paz
Founded1852
Area
 • Total425.69 km2 (164.36 sq mi)
Elevation
210 m (690 ft)
Population
 (2016 census)
 • Total75,100
 • Density180/km2 (460/sq mi)
Zacatecoluca's historic center from the air.

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

edit

An earthquake 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 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 placed on top is said to have stopped an eruption of lava 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.

Geography

edit

Climate

edit
Climate data for Zacatecoluca
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 32.1
(89.8)
32.2
(90.0)
33.3
(91.9)
33.1
(91.6)
31.7
(89.1)
30.2
(86.4)
31.4
(88.5)
30.8
(87.4)
29.7
(85.5)
29.8
(85.6)
30.5
(86.9)
31.0
(87.8)
31.3
(88.4)
Daily mean °C (°F) 24.4
(75.9)
24.5
(76.1)
26.0
(78.8)
26.5
(79.7)
26.0
(78.8)
25.0
(77.0)
25.4
(77.7)
25.0
(77.0)
24.4
(75.9)
24.3
(75.7)
24.2
(75.6)
23.8
(74.8)
25.0
(76.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 16.7
(62.1)
16.8
(62.2)
18.7
(65.7)
19.9
(67.8)
20.3
(68.5)
19.8
(67.6)
19.5
(67.1)
19.2
(66.6)
19.2
(66.6)
18.9
(66.0)
17.9
(64.2)
16.7
(62.1)
18.6
(65.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 9
(0.4)
3
(0.1)
14
(0.6)
47
(1.9)
200
(7.9)
379
(14.9)
318
(12.5)
327
(12.9)
412
(16.2)
328
(12.9)
60
(2.4)
8
(0.3)
2,105
(83)
Source: Climate-Data.org[1]

Sports

edit

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

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "Climate: Zacatecoluca". Climate-Data.org. 9 May 2018.