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CHALCHUAPA |
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 Heading northeast from Ahuachapán, the road winds down through the
last spurs of the cordillera onto a broad and scenic plain, running to
CHALCHUAPA , which in addition to its faded but beautiful colonial
church produces jade artesanías, including replicas of Maya artefacts.
Chalchuapa's main draw is the archeological site of Tazumal (Tues-Sun
9am-5pm; US$3), located on the edge of town. The most important site in
El Salvador, the ruins are - by comparison with sites in Honduras and
Guatemala - rather small, although they do have their own, impressive
beauty. Tazumal is an easy trip from Ahuachapán or Santa Ana. Buses from
Ahuachapán (1hr) and Santa Ana (30min) drop passengers off at a small
plaza a few blocks from the centre of town; from here, walk uphill for
about four blocks and turn left at the sign.
What is now the town of Chalchuapa was the seat of power for a strong
and thriving Maya population from 900 BC onwards. The inhabitants
produced "Usulután" ceramics, key items of commerce in the Maya zone,
and also controlled the trade in obsidian from Guatemala. This early
society was literate - evidence suggests that they had both calendar and
writing systems - and highly stratified, while artefacts indicate strong
links with Olmec civilizations in Mexico. The catastrophic eruption of
Volcán Ilopango in around 250 AD, covering an area of ten thousand
square kilometres in ash, did not affect Chalchuapa as badly as the
central zone of the country; the area quickly repopulated and Tazumal
gradually became the main settlement.
The site as a whole was constructed in thirteen different stages over a
period of 750 years, mostly during the Late Classic period (600-900 AD).
Of the nine structures identified, only two remain in reasonable
condition, with a third partially excavated; the rest have been
destroyed by the expansion of the town. The central and largest
structure - a stepped ceremonial platform, influenced by the style of
Teotihuacán in Mexico - dates back to the Classic period (300-900 AD);
traces of a platform dating back to between 100-200 AD have been found
beneath it. A number of smaller temples were originally attached to the
main structure. At the base of its northern edge, a number of tombs
(Late Classic period) have yielded artefacts such as Tiquisate ware from
Guatemala, jade jewellery, items for religious rites and a flask
containing powdered iron-oxide. The last was used for decorating a
ceremonial stone hacha or head, used during games of pelota. The pelota
court itself lay on the southern edge of the structure.
Tazumal as a Maya city was abandoned around the end of the ninth
century, during the collapse of the Classic Maya culture; unusually,
Pipils moved in and occupied the site. Structure 2, to the west of the
main platform, is a Pipil pyramid dating back to the Early Postclassic
period (900-1200 AD). The new residents also constructed another pelota
court, to the northwest corner of the site. Tazumal was finally
abandoned around 1200 AD, with the focus of settlement in the area
moving towards the centre of the current town.
An informative (Spanish only) museum displays artefacts discovered
during excavations. The nearby ruins of El Trapiche and Casa Blanca are
currently being excavated and aren't yet open to the public.
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