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In truth, El Salvador’s capital city, in the country’s central highlands, is not a popular stop on the Central American tourist trail. Congested, smoggy and with more than a hint of menace, the city has also suffered repeated earthquakes that have destroyed much of its historical legacy. However, San Salvador is a useful travel hub that features some tempting attractions. The David J. Guzman National Museum of Anthropology displays a strong collection of Mayan and indigenous Pipil artifacts. The llopango marketplace and Mercado de Artesanías are good bets for local handicrafts, but San Salvador is actually better known for its super-modern Metrocentro shopping mall, the largest in Central America.
El Salvador possesses some of the most awesome landscapes in Central America: dramatic volcanoes, bottomless volcanic crater lakes, and beautiful green valleys ideal for growing the country's number one crop, coffee. This smallest of the Mayan countries boasts pristine archaeological sites and numerous traditional handicraft villages. Unfortunately, El Salvador's beauty has been overshadowed by the country's recent violence. El Salvador endured a 12-year civil war during the 1980s that left 75,000 people dead, the economy in dire straights and the environment devastated. Tragically, only five percent of virgin forest survives and 99 percent of the country's rivers are dangerously polluted. Conditions in the country's capital, San Salvador, have also been tough. Smog is common and the city is subject to frequent losses of water and electricity, even in the major hotels. The city has also been leveled by all-too-common earthquakes several times over the past 400 years, and little remains of the colonial flavor found in other Central American capitals. Nevertheless, adventure travelers who want to add San Salvador to their "been-there" list can cut loose in the city's numerous nightclubs and discos after hours, but caution is the watchword and a flashlight is a necessity. The sad but simple fact is that El Salvador is not a comfortable place for tourists. The peace is a fragile one. Eventually, perhaps, El Salvador will stabilize and the world can once again enjoy the outstanding Olmec and Mayan ruins, the impressive volcanoes, and the Pacific Coast's virgin beaches where the surfing is reputed to be some of the best in the western hemisphere.