DAY 106 – ACAJUTLA, EL SALVADOR – MAY 5, 2017

We tied up at Acajutla in an industrial container port …

As soon as we were ashore we loaded into a bus to head for a couple of active archeological sites. First was near Ciudad Arce about an hour and a half from the port. The site is know as San Andres. Clearly this is not what the Mayans called their city but the name refers to the Hacienda that the mounds were found on. The city which is still being uncovered is considered to be an administrative or religious center … possibly a regional Mayan capital.

We began with a discussion of Mayan trees and plants such as the cashew, cocoa and coffee trees …

Then we went through the museum to see pottery and other artifacts that had been recovered …

Finally we went out to the actual site. We saw mounds that cover Mayan structures that have not yet been uncovered and several Mayan pyramids and other buildings. We also saw from a distance and active dig in progress …

Next we drove to a site named “Joya de Ceren”, which translates as Ceren’s Jewel. This cite is also referred to as the “Pompeii of Central America” because a volcanic eruption circa 700 CE buried this Mayan village in ash preserving the Mayan dwellings and their contents!

We had a lot to think about as we headed back to the ship!