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SAN VICENTE |
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 SAN VICENTE was founded in 1635 by fifty local Spanish families in
accordance with the 1600 Law of the Indies, which prohibited the Spanish
from living among the indigenous people. Gathering under the shade of a
tempisque tree near Río Alcahuapa on December 26, 1635, the families
formally inaugurated San Vicente de Lorenzana, in honour of the Spanish
martyr San Vicente Abad.
Until the 1980s, the biggest threat to the stability of San Vicente came
on February 16, 1833, when the forces of Anastasio Aquino, leader of the
Nonualco indigenous uprising, arrived in the city. "Inebriated with
alcohol and success", they removed the crown from the statue of San José
in the Iglesia El Pilar and crowned Aquino "Emperor of the Nonualcos".
The rebels then returned to Santiago Nonualco, some 30km away; here,
Aquino was captured by government forces on April 23 and later sent back
to San Vicente and hanged.
Today, San Vicente is a calm, low-slung city, in a rich agricultural
area producing sugar cane, cotton and coffee. It was attacked several
times by guerrillas during the 1980s - an obvious military presence
remains, with a huge barracks near the centre - and was also very badly
hit by one of the earthquakes in 2001, during which the Iglesia El Pilar
and the Torre Kiosko were badly damaged. The central Parque Cañas acts
as a focus for the city, dominated by the Torre Kiosko , an eye-catching
open-work clocktower, which you can climb for great views of the
cathedral and Parque. On the eastern edge of the Parque is the rather
bare city cathedral; walk down its side, along C Daniel Díaz, and you
come to the original tempisque tree, under which the city was founded,
and which was declared a historic monument in 1984. Two blocks south of
the Parque on Av Mirondo Sur is the Iglesia El Pilar (or Iglesia Nuestra
Señora del Pilar, to give it its full name); the statue of San José -
complete with crown - remains in the church. The church has a beautiful
carved wooden altar, and a plaque by the entrance honours José Simeon
Cañas, the man who abolished slavery in El Salvador.
The military barracks takes up an entire block between Iglesia El Pilar
and the Parque; a walk west up the side of the barracks brings you to
the extensive market , stretching over several streets. Hammock vendors
can be found on most street corners - the hammocks are made in the
surrounding villages and add a notable splash of colour to the town.
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