San Andrés, El Salvador

This early establishment was vacated by the year 250 because of the enormous eruption of the caldera of Lago Ilopango, and was occupied again in the 5th Century, along with many other sites in the valley of Zapotitán.

Archaeology demonstrates that San Andrés had strong contacts with Copán and the Guatemalan Highlands,[1] and received goods from such distant places as the present territories of Petén and Belize.

After the Spanish Conquest, the ruins of San Andrés lay within a colonial estate dedicated to cattle and indigo production.

The site was buried due to the eruption of the Playón volcano in 1658 AD, preserving the Colonial indigo production almost intact.

In 1996, the Government of El Salvador inaugurated the Archaeological Park of San Andrés, where the visitor can climb the pyramids, see the indigo production area, and visit the site museum.