Acajutla
Encyclopedia
Acajutla is a seaport and municipality
in Sonsonate Department
, El Salvador
. The town is located at 13°35′24"N 89°50′01"W on the Pacific Coast
of Central America
and is El Salvador's principal seaport from which a large portion of the nation's exports of coffee, sugar, and balsam
are shipped. As a municipality, Acajutla is one of seventeen such districts in Sonsonate. As of 1992, the population of the town was 18,008, and of the municipality 47,678.
Nearby towns and villages to the main town include Hacienda Atalaya
(0.5 nm), El Flor (1.7 nm), Hacienda San Antonio (1.7 nm) and Club Salinitas (3.6 nm).
Pedro de Alvarado
, under the command of Hernan Cortés
, had conquered Mexico
and Guatemala
before coming to the vicinity of Acajutla. There he met heavy resistance, but defeated the indigenous people in 1524 and conquered all of present-day El Salvador at the Battle of Acajutla
.
Acajutla became an important colonial port for the Spanish Empire
as part of the Kingdom of Guatemala, which was subordinate to the Viceroyalty of New Spain
.
Following the complete independence of El Salvador in 1838, the economy of the nation became increasinging dependent on the export of coffee. The rapid growth of this lucrative "cash crop" led to profound socio-economic changes in the region, and drew of the attention of foreign investors and the local plantation owners to Acajutla, where infrastructure development was seen as necessary to assure the transport of crops from the interior and the ability to load them efficiently aboard ships.
The 1855 completion of the Panama Railway
across the Isthmus of Panama
further added to the activity at the port of Acajutla. With a convenient means of transporting goods between the Caribbean
and the Pacific
, additional shipping lines were created to carry these goods up and down the Pacific coast to and from the western terminus of the railway. Acajutla was a regular port of call from which coffee and sugar were shipped to the East Coast of the United States
and Europe
.
On June 4, 1882, the first railway line in El Salvador began operations, with Sonsonate as the northern terminus and Acajutla as the southern terminus.
During the 1932 Salvadoran peasant uprising
, two destroyers of the Royal Canadian Navy
anchored off the shore of Acajutla at the request of the British Consul in El Salvador who feared for the safety of British nationals and assets. Armed Canadian sailors briefly landed against the wishes of the Salvadoran government and began preparing to continue on to San Salvador before the situation improved and the British no longer deemed an armed Canadian presence necessary.
During the twelve-year Salvadoran civil war (1980-1992), the oil refinery at Acajutla (then the only operating refinery in El Salvador), was a target for anti-government rebels.
of Central America
, the climate at Acajutla is continuously hot and humid. Daytime high temperatures are usually in the 32°C - 34°C range.
. Its oil refinery is the nation's largest and it mainly refines petroleum imported from Venezuela
.
The town is also the site of a petroleum refinery, a fertilizer plant, and seafood-processing plants. The beaches there attract tourists to a growing beach-resort industry.
One of the most important celebration is made between March and April when they celebrate the passion of Christ. In that day, people clean the roads and create decoratives images in the sand they bring from the beach, and at noon they begin the simulation of the passion from San Francisco de Asis church near Barrio La playa ending in the same location the next day in the early hours of the day.
On October 24 they make celebrations of the fishermen, in honor of San Rafael Arcangel, a day that is not highly concurred by citizens that take a little trip by fishing boat.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in Sonsonate Department
Sonsonate Department
Sonsonate is a department of El Salvador in the western part of the country. The capital is Sonsonate.The department has a population of over 500,000 and an area of 1,226 km².Created on June 12, 1824...
, El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
. The town is located at 13°35′24"N 89°50′01"W on the Pacific Coast
Pacific Coast
A country's Pacific coast is the part of its coast bordering the Pacific Ocean.-The Americas:Countries on the western side of the Americas have a Pacific coast as their western border.* Geography of Canada* Geography of Chile* Geography of Colombia...
of Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and is El Salvador's principal seaport from which a large portion of the nation's exports of coffee, sugar, and balsam
Myroxylon
Myroxylon J.R.Forst. & G.Forst is a synonym of Xylosma.Myroxylon is a genus of two species of Central American and South American trees in the Fabaceae . The tree is well known in the western world as the source for Peru balsam and Tolu balsam. The tree is often called Quina or Balsamo...
are shipped. As a municipality, Acajutla is one of seventeen such districts in Sonsonate. As of 1992, the population of the town was 18,008, and of the municipality 47,678.
Nearby towns and villages to the main town include Hacienda Atalaya
Hacienda Atalaya
Hacienda Atalaya is a village in Acajutla municipality in the Sonsonate Department on the coast of El Salvador.It is located half a mile from the town of Acajutla itself. Nearby towns and villages include El Amatal , Suncita , Hacienda San Pedro , Hacienda San Antonio andClub Salinitas ....
(0.5 nm), El Flor (1.7 nm), Hacienda San Antonio (1.7 nm) and Club Salinitas (3.6 nm).
History
Spanish conquistadorConquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
Pedro de Alvarado
Pedro de Alvarado
Pedro de Alvarado y Contreras was a Spanish conquistador and governor of Guatemala. He participated in the conquest of Cuba, in Juan de Grijalva's exploration of the coasts of Yucatan and the Gulf of Mexico, and in the conquest of Mexico led by Hernan Cortes...
, under the command of Hernan Cortés
Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca was a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century...
, had conquered Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
before coming to the vicinity of Acajutla. There he met heavy resistance, but defeated the indigenous people in 1524 and conquered all of present-day El Salvador at the Battle of Acajutla
Battle of Acajutla
The Battle of Acajutla was a battle in 1524 between the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Alvarado and a battalion of Pipiles, in the neighborhoods of present day Acajutla, near the coast of El Salvador.- Antecedents :...
.
Acajutla became an important colonial port for the Spanish Empire
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
as part of the Kingdom of Guatemala, which was subordinate to the Viceroyalty of New Spain
New Spain
New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...
.
Following the complete independence of El Salvador in 1838, the economy of the nation became increasinging dependent on the export of coffee. The rapid growth of this lucrative "cash crop" led to profound socio-economic changes in the region, and drew of the attention of foreign investors and the local plantation owners to Acajutla, where infrastructure development was seen as necessary to assure the transport of crops from the interior and the ability to load them efficiently aboard ships.
The 1855 completion of the Panama Railway
Panama Railway
The Panama Canal Railway Company is a railway line that links the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean across Panama in Central America. It is jointly owned by the Kansas City Southern Railway and Mi-Jack Products...
across the Isthmus of Panama
Isthmus of Panama
The Isthmus of Panama, also historically known as the Isthmus of Darien, is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, linking North and South America. It contains the country of Panama and the Panama Canal...
further added to the activity at the port of Acajutla. With a convenient means of transporting goods between the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
and the Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, additional shipping lines were created to carry these goods up and down the Pacific coast to and from the western terminus of the railway. Acajutla was a regular port of call from which coffee and sugar were shipped to the East Coast of the United States
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
On June 4, 1882, the first railway line in El Salvador began operations, with Sonsonate as the northern terminus and Acajutla as the southern terminus.
During the 1932 Salvadoran peasant uprising
1932 Salvadoran peasant uprising
The peasant uprising of 1932, also known as La matanza , was a brief, peasant-led rebellion that occurred on January 22 of that year in the western departments of El Salvador...
, two destroyers of the Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
anchored off the shore of Acajutla at the request of the British Consul in El Salvador who feared for the safety of British nationals and assets. Armed Canadian sailors briefly landed against the wishes of the Salvadoran government and began preparing to continue on to San Salvador before the situation improved and the British no longer deemed an armed Canadian presence necessary.
During the twelve-year Salvadoran civil war (1980-1992), the oil refinery at Acajutla (then the only operating refinery in El Salvador), was a target for anti-government rebels.
Acajutla Port
The port of Acajutla was built in its initial phase at a cost of 25 million colones. The wave breaker of 338 meters inaugurated its operations in August 1961, and is managed by the Executive Commission of Autonomic Port (STUMP).Climate
As with all the Pacific CoastPacific Coast
A country's Pacific coast is the part of its coast bordering the Pacific Ocean.-The Americas:Countries on the western side of the Americas have a Pacific coast as their western border.* Geography of Canada* Geography of Chile* Geography of Colombia...
of Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, the climate at Acajutla is continuously hot and humid. Daytime high temperatures are usually in the 32°C - 34°C range.
Commerce
Acajutla's deepwater harbor is the principal port, and for some types of shipping, there is two operational port in El Salvador. Its port cargo loading facilities allow the marine shipment of a large portion of its major exports of coffee (40%), sugar, and balsamMyroxylon
Myroxylon J.R.Forst. & G.Forst is a synonym of Xylosma.Myroxylon is a genus of two species of Central American and South American trees in the Fabaceae . The tree is well known in the western world as the source for Peru balsam and Tolu balsam. The tree is often called Quina or Balsamo...
. Its oil refinery is the nation's largest and it mainly refines petroleum imported from Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
.
The town is also the site of a petroleum refinery, a fertilizer plant, and seafood-processing plants. The beaches there attract tourists to a growing beach-resort industry.
Education
There are some primary schools between them: Fe y Alegría, Lizandro Larín Zepeda, Julian Vasquéz Rojas, and some other primary schools, even a high school named Instituto Nacional de Acajutla (INA).Events
They celebrate their traditional parties between the last days of May and June 2 as the main day.One of the most important celebration is made between March and April when they celebrate the passion of Christ. In that day, people clean the roads and create decoratives images in the sand they bring from the beach, and at noon they begin the simulation of the passion from San Francisco de Asis church near Barrio La playa ending in the same location the next day in the early hours of the day.
On October 24 they make celebrations of the fishermen, in honor of San Rafael Arcangel, a day that is not highly concurred by citizens that take a little trip by fishing boat.
Sources
- "Acajutla". 2006. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Library Edition. (Retrieved September 16, 2006).
- "CENTRAL AMERICA: Interesting Record of the Voyage of the Steamship Columbus from Panama to Central American Ports — Trade of the Coast — Agriculture in Guatemala — Cochineal and Indigo Trade in Guatemala and Salvador — Increase in the Growth of Coffee in Salvador — Facilities of Trade — General News, etc.." New York Times (1857-Current file), January 29, 1858 (Accessed via ProQuest September 17, 2006).
- Meislin, Richard J. "5 Key Leaders of the Opposition Reported Kidnapped in Salvador." New York Times. October 23, 1982. (Accessed via Proquest, September 17, 2006).
- Snaden, James N. "El Salvador". Lands and Peoples. Grolier Online. (Retrieved September 16, 2006)
- "Trade with Central America and with the States of the South Pacific, via Isthmus of Panama." New York Times. July 17, 1858. (Accessed via Proquest, September 17, 2006).
- Woodward, Jr., Ralph L. "El Salvador". Encyclopedia Americana. Grolier Online. (Retrieved September 16, 2006).
External links
- Instituto Nacional de Acajutla high school official web site
- Acajutla's Official Web Site Acajutla City Website