Santa Tecla (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈsanta ˈtekla]) is a city and a municipality in the La Libertad department of El Salvador.

She is not mentioned in the New Testament, but the earliest record of her comes from the apocryphal Acts of Paul and Thecla, probably composed in the early 2nd century.

On the occasion of its 150th anniversary(1854–2004) 2 concerts were presented by the renowned tenor, Fernando del Valle, great, great-grandson of Andrés del Valle, president of El Salvador in 1876, and a direct descendant of Colonel José María San Martín,[3] President of El Salvador (1854–56).

[5] In recent decades, Santa Tecla has received a major influx of new residents, which among other things, has led to the invasion of the main streets by informal sector traders in search of livelihood.

The urban extension to Santa Tecla breaks the boundaries of the restricted nature areas established by the Metro Plan 80–2000 (which regulates land use planning and land use in the municipalities of Greater San Salvador), producing a great impact environment in the foothills of the San Salvador volcano and in the Balsam mountains.

That combination of factors led to the loss of human lives in the Colonia Las Colinas, a development authorized by the Central Government in restricted areas of the Cordillera del Balsamo, during the earthquakes of January and February 2001.

Most homes have the servicios tecleños basic water and sewer, electric power, telephone and garbage collection[citation needed].

The volcano of San Salvador or Quezaltepec is located 7.1 miles north of the city of Santa Tecla, with an elevation of 1893.39 meters above sea level on the edge of the crater.

As is the case for many regions of El Salvador, the makeup of Santa Tecla's terrain and its many natural springs makes the area prone to landslides.

Considered a Santa Tecla landmark this eclectic building with 17 rooms, imposing columns and a central courtyard reflects several architectural styles, among them: neo-gothic, neo-romantic, neo-renaissance and neo-vicentine.

It is assumed that much of the infrastructure in Santa Tecla's early years is the work of architect José Jeréz, who is responsible for this Municipal Palace and several other buildings like “Hogar del Niño Adalberto Guirola” El Carmen Church, The Guirola House, the former Santa Tecla Penitentiary (now MUTE museum).

In October 2008 the work was concluded and the building became The Municipal Palace of Fine Arts in order to establish an artistic home for children, youth and adults.

Located along the Pan-American highway in downtown Santa Tecla, Daniel Hernández is a place to relax and enjoy the city's history.

Some of the highlights to be found within the square include: A monument to the memory of Daniel Hernandez; a teacher who at the early age of fifteen was considered an expert on subjects as diverse as mathematics, geography, astronomy and chemistry.

Hernandez, from whom the square receives its name, also contributed to the foundation and design of the streets of Villa Santa Tecla, which at the time was meant to be the new capital of El Salvador.

Hernandez also promoted community development projects such as the installation of water services and the first illuminated plaza in the city; he was also one of the founders of San Rafael Hospital (located on the outskirts of Santa Tecla).

Located at 17th Avenue North, and Chiltiupan Street, Plaza Merliot was built by the Salvadoran construction company, Grupo Agrisal, in 1994.

[citation needed] Ecoparque El Espino is located in the villa of the same name in the foothills of Boqueron (San Salvador) Volcano, just 5.1 km north of the Santa Tecla Downtown.

Another attraction is the site called “El Infiernillo” (the little hell) a small area of land where steam is emanating deep from the depths of the earth.

The park monitors this volcanic activity with the help of high tech equipment donated by the Spanish International Cooperation Agency (AECI) in 2004 for purposes of education and scientific research.

There you will find a spectacular panoramic view of the capital city metropolitan area that contrasts with the green of the Cordillera del Balsamo.

This tourist center opened in 1952, thanks to the vision of Salvadoran poet Raul Contreras, who wanted his remains buried at the park.

You can request the company of guides, such as the Tourism Police (POLITUR) if you are brave and fit enough to hike down to “El Boqueroncito” inside the large crater.

En 2007, el Santa Tecla Fútbol Club nació por iniciativa del entonces alcalde de la ciudad, Óscar Ortiz, quien se asoció con varios empresarios locales para comprar una plaza en la Liga de Ascenso.

Apadrinado por el gobierno municipal, el club ascendió a la Liga Mayor de Fútbol en 2012, bajo la dirección técnica del argentino Oswaldo Escudero, campeón mundial Sub 20 en 1979 junto a Diego Armando Maradona.

The total number of citizen in Santa Tecla (aged from 5 to 19) is as of 2001 53,228, thus the public school district cover approximately 46.2% of the student population.

This leaves an 8.6% of the youth (age 5 to 19) to fall under the categories of home schooled, or not attending to either a private nor public institution for various reasons, which among the top one is poverty.

Officially out of the student population only 0.17% are registered as home schooled, the other 8.43% are children who are not attending to either a private nor public education institution is mainly due to rural poverty factors, and others.

[13] Other important schools are Colegio Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Fátima, and Escuela Alberto Masferrer, both operated by the Dominican Sisters of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin.