San Miguel
El Salvador · Americas
About San Miguel
San Miguel is a city in eastern El Salvador. It is the country's third most populous city. It is located 138 km (86 mi) east of the capital, San Salvador. It is also the capital of the department of San Miguel and a municipality. The population of the city in 2024 was 290,612.
Luis de Moscoso Alvarado established the village of San Miguel de la Frontera (Saint Michael of the Frontier) on May 8, 1530, as a bastion for the conquest of the Lenca kingdom of Chaparrastique (Place of Beautiful Orchids). By 1586 the village had obtained the title of city.
In 1655, a volcanic eruption almost destroyed the entire city. According to legend, the devastation was so severe that only an image of Mary in the parish church was spared.
The city has been an important center of the agriculture, textile and chemical industries of El Salvador. Since the early 21st century, the services sector, especially health care and commerce, have increased considerably, resulting in significant private investments in hospitals and shopping malls within the city. This has usually been attributed partly to the high inflow of remittances (at least 35...
Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.