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History
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Shortly after founding Villa San Salvador in 1528, the Spanish began to turn their minds to the territory east of CuscatlA?n, motivated by the need to consolidate their gains against both the hostile indigenous population and against rival conquistador forces, based in Nicaragua under Pedrarias Davila. Exasperated by the capture of an expedition led by Diego de Rojas by these forces in 1530, Pedro de Alvarado dispatched
Luis de Moscosco
to finalize the conquest of the east. Around May 8, 1530, the day of San Miguel ArcA?ngel, de Moscosco founded
San Miguel de Frontera
, on a site thought to have been in the vicinity of the Lenca city of Chaparrastique ("place of beautiful gardens"). Surviving a number of ferocious uprisings, the settlement thrived after
gold
was found in the area in 1537, being granted the title of city in 1574. A fire in March 1586 destroyed much of the town, however, and it was moved the few kilometres to its present location at the northern base of VolcA?n Chaparrastique.
Initially the least important of the Spanish cities, San Miguel soon began to grow wealthy, at first on the profits of gold and trade, and then on the coffee, cotton and henequA©n grown on the surrounding fertile land. A number of religious orders also brought a certain prestige to the city - by 1740, the city boasted two convents and two friaries - and in 1812 it was granted the title of "most noble and faithful city". Another nickname, sometimes still used, was "pearl of the east", because of its great wealth. Guerrillas were active in the city and surrounding area during the 1980s and the city's barracks and electrical installations were attacked on several occasions. The city was also used as a wartime trading centre for arms and weaponry, which may explain why, even today, there remain an unusual number of gun shops across the city. Now, however, there is a less visible military presence than in other towns in the east and north, and the city's flat streets hum and rattle self-importantly with commerce and trade Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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El Salvador,
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