The earthquake of 1986 severely damaged the area, and due to rising unemployment it has been occupied by a large number of street vendors and other informal traders.

In 1986, Mayor Morales Ehrlich closed streets in the downtown of the city to create a large pedestrian mall, which has resulted in chronic traffic congestion.

Since 2009, Mayor Quijano has worked for the redevelopment of parks and historic buildings in the Rescate del Centro Historico, which involves the removal of the street vendors.

The Red Room (Salon Rojo) is used for receptions held by the Salvadoran Foreign Ministry, and the ceremonial presentation of ambassadors' credentials.

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 square in front of the Cathedral was the site of celebrations after the signing of the Chapultepec Peace Accords that ended the Salvadoran Civil War in 1992.

The building features an ellipsoidal dome containing a mural by painter Carlos Cañas and a crystal chandelier; other impressive spaces include the Chamber Hall and the Grand Foyer.

The theater is open to tourists, and since the Historic Downtown Restoration has been used for plays, shows, operas, song recitals, and modern dance performances.

Mayor Norman Quijano inaugurated the first phase of its redevelopment near the Plaza de la Salud, which focuses on improvements to the sidewalks between 21st and 19th Avenida Norte.

Calle Arce is monitored by 24 members of the Corps Metropolitan Agents (CAM), who specialize in the maintenance and protection of the new public space.

To maximize its potential, the street will be developed through environmentally and sociologically conscious urban interventions, the construction focusing on creation of suitable spaces for cultural and academic activities, social and health services, as well as formal and informal trade in the area.

The project is intended to serve as a model for the rehabilitation of other arteries in the historic center, counting on strong support from related institutions and the general public.

The plaza is also the focal point for celebrations accompanying the feast day of the Holy Savior (Spanish: San Salvador) on August 5 and 6.

Previously called Plaza las Américas, it is the site of the Monumento al Divino Salvador del Mundo (Monument to the Divine Savior of the World), first erected in 1942.

[1] After its founding in 1545, San Salvador grew around an empty space called "Plaza Mayor o de Armas", laid out according to the guidelines of the Cuadrícula Española (Spanish Grid).

Construction of the National Palace next to Bolivar Park (now Plaza Gerardo Barrios) began in the late 1860s; this was the beginning of a new city core with buildings of neo-colonial architecture.

Plaza Libertad is the location of the Monumento de los Héroes (Monument to the Heroes), a commemoration of the centenary of the "First Cry of Independence" in 1811.

Six successive U.S. ambassadors resided there, and occasional guests such as former Presidents Richard Nixon and Lyndon B. Johnson, Senator Robert Kennedy, and movie stars Clark Gable and Tony Curtis stayed there.