San Salvador Cathedral

Teatro Nacional de El Salvador, or National Theatre of El Salvador, is the oldest theatre in Central America. It began construction on November 3, 1911, by the French architect Daniel Beylard; and inaugurated March 1, 1917. It is of French Renaissance style with modern touches. It was decorated by the Italian architect Lucio Cappellaro, and its Great Hall is one of the most beautiful and elegant in Central America.

Protests against re-election occurred in San Salvador, El Salvador on 1 May 2023 and 15 September 2023. In two protest marches, protesters marched from the Cuscatlán Park and the Rosales Hospital to the Gerardo Barrios Plaza in protest of the 2022–23 gang crackdown and President Nayib Bukele's re-election campaign. Protesters also demanded an increase in minimum wage and that the government respects the rights of syndicates and respects the constitution.

The Plaza Gerardo Barrios is a plaza in the historic center of the city of San Salvador, El Salvador. The monumental statue in the center of the plaza, dedicated to president Gerardo Barrios, was made by Francisco Durini and inaugurated in 1909. The project for the monument was conceived by brothers Antonio and Carlos Ezeta, with participation of educator Rafael Reyes. The statue, cast in bronze, shows an equestrian statue of the military leader. The statue is placed on a pedestal of granite that shows battle scenes cast in bronze and the coat of arms of El Salvador. The plaza is an important point of reference for the salvadoran capital because it is surrounded by emblematic structures such as the National Palace and the Metropolitan Cathedral. It has also been the scene of various historic moments, such as: The assassination attempt against president Manuel Araujo (1865–1913), on 4 February 1913, when four men attacked him with machetes. The president died five days later. The disturbances on 30 March 1980 during the funeral of archbishop Óscar Romero, assassinated 6 days earlier during a mass. The celebration of the end of the Civil War, on 2 February 1992. The presidential inauguration of the 2019 presidential election, leaving Nayib Bukele as president of the republic for the period of 2019–2024.In 1999, the plaza was remodeled during the administration of mayor Héctor Silva, and once more in 2012 during Norman Quijano's administrations, during which a fountain and a ceramic floor was added.Currently, the plaza is the site of distinct activities of public and religious interest; it is the principal site for the celebration of the patron saint San Salvador during August, since it is where the procession dedicated to the Divine Savior of the World ends, typically called "la bajada". It is also the site of parades.

San Salvador (Spanish pronunciation: [san salβaˈðoɾ]; lit. 'Holy Saviour') is the capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, which comprises the capital itself and 13 of its municipalities, has a population of 2,404,097. The urban area of San Salvador has a population of 1,600,000 inhabitants.San Salvador is an important financial hub of Central America. The city is home to the Consejo de Ministros de El Salvador (Council of Ministries of El Salvador), the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador, the Supreme Court of El Salvador, and other governmental institutions, as well as the official residence of the President of El Salvador. San Salvador is located in the Salvadoran highlands, surrounded by volcanoes and prone to earthquakes. The city is also home to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Salvador, as well as many Protestant branches of Christianity, including Evangelicals, Latter-day Saints, Baptists, and Pentecostals. San Salvador has the second largest Jewish community in Central America and a small Muslim community. San Salvador has been the host city for various regional and international sporting, political, and social events. It hosted the Central American and Caribbean Games in 1935 and 2002, and the Central American Games in 1977 and 1994, as well as the Miss Universe 1975 pageant. San Salvador was also the host city of the 18th Ibero-American Summit in 2008, the most important sociopolitical event in the Spanish and Portuguese sphere. The Central American Integration System has its headquarters in San Salvador.

The 1811 Independence Movement (Spanish: Movimiento de Independencia de 1811), known in El Salvador as the First Shout of Independence (Primer Grito de Independencia), was the first of a series of revolts in Central America in modern day El Salvador against Spanish colonialism and dependency on the Captaincy General of Guatemala. The independence movement was led by prominent Salvadoran and Central American figures such as José Matías Delgado, Manuel José Arce, and Santiago José Celis.

The current National Palace of El Salvador, located in San Salvador, the capital city of the country of El Salvador, replaced the old National Palace built in 1866–1870, which was destroyed by fire on December 19, 1889. The construction, done between 1905 and 1911, was the work of engineer José Emilio Alcaine, under the direction of the foreman Pascasio González Erazo. To finish the project, legislation was passed that collected one colón for every quintal of coffee exported. The materials used were imported from several European countries including Germany, Italy and Belgium. The Palace's facilities were occupied by government offices until 1974. The building contains four main rooms and 101 secondary rooms; each of the four main rooms has a distinctive color. The Red Room (Salon Rojo) is used for receptions held by the Salvadoran Foreign Ministry, and the ceremonial presentation of ambassadors' credentials. It has been used for ceremonial purposes since the administration of General Maximiliano Hernández Martínez. The Yellow Room (Salon Amarillo) is used as an office for the President of the Republic, while the Pink Room (Salon Rosado) housed the Supreme Court and later the Ministry of Defense. The Blue Room (Salon Azul) was the meeting place of the Legislature of El Salvador from 1906, and its classical architecture with Ionian, Corinthian and Roman elements is notable. The room is now called the Salvadoran Parliament in commemoration of its former purpose, and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974.

The National Library of El Salvador (Spanish: Biblioteca Nacional de El Salvador, abbreviated BINAES) is a national library located in San Salvador, the capital city of El Salvador. The library was opened in November 2023 and stands on the former site of the Francisco Gavidia National Library. It was built with the cooperation of China.

The National Civil Police of El Salvador (Spanish: Policía Nacional Civil de El Salvador), also known as PNC, is the national civilian police of El Salvador. Although the National Civil Police is not part of the Armed Forces of El Salvador (Army, Navy, and Air Force), it constitutes along with them the "Civilian Force". It was created after the Peace Accords were signed at Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City on January 16, 1992, and began the operations on February 1, 1993, in order to guarantee the order, safety, and the public tranquility for every single corner of El Salvador. The PNC is a replacement of the National Police of El Salvador.

St. Stephen's Church (Iglesia San Esteban) is a historic Roman Catholic church in downtown San Salvador, El Salvador. It belongs to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Salvador and its patron saint is the protomartyr, Saint Stephen. Built 1880–1890, it was heavily damaged during the January 2001 and February 2001 El Salvador earthquakes, and is currently closed pending repairs. At the time of its construction, the church's building materials, imported from Belgium, were widely admired by 19th-century residents of San Salvador. The church is one of the important churches of San Salvador, having a key role in the "semana santa" (Holy Week) celebrations of San Salvador. The Church marks the start of "The Road of Bitterness" (la Calle de la Amargura), El Salvador's analog of the Via Dolorosa, over which the Good Friday Via Crucis procession makes its way, to the destination Church "El Calvario." The two churches mark the vertical axis of a giant cross formed over the Salvadoran capital with its horizontal axis formed by a third church, La Vega, and the Metropolitan Cathedral.

The 1625 El Salvador earthquake was described as a "violent earthquake that caused serious damage", it affected the city of San Salvador, and left it in ruins. Surrounding pueblos were also affected.

The Zona Rosa attack was a guerrilla attack that took place in the Zona Rosa restaurant area of San Salvador, El Salvador at approximately 21:30 on June 19, 1985, during the Salvadoran Civil War. The attack was conducted by gunmen dressed as Salvadoran soldiers, and in total twelve people were killed: four United States Marines, two United States businessmen, a Guatemalan, a Chilean, and four Salvadorans. A left-wing guerrilla group, the Revolutionary Party of Central American Workers, and its armed wing, the Mardoqueo Cruz Urban Commando claimed responsibility for the attack. In July 1985, as part of the Combat Terrorism Act, the United States offered a reward of US$100,000 for information leading to the conviction of the attackers. By September 1985, the Salvadoran government had arrested four men; one of them was Américo Mauro Araujo, a high-ranking Salvadoran Communist Party official. Seven others who were involved in the attack, however, were never apprehended.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of San Salvador, El Salvador.