Cojutepeque
Encyclopedia
Cojutepeque is the capital city of El Salvador
's Cuscatlán
department
. It also serves as the administrative centre for the surrounding municipality
of Cojutepeque. Its population is estimated at 70,000 people with about 85% living in the urban areas of the municipality.
The Pan-American Highway
connects Cojutepeque with San Salvador 33 km away.
Its height is 850 meters above sea level; it enjoys a pleasant climate. Its nickname is "City of the Mists."
The name Cojutepeque is derived from the Nahuatl
words for "place [or peak] of turkeys." It received the title of city in 1846. The ancient churches of San Juan Degollado, San José and San Sebastián can be found in the city. Cojutepeque's patron saint
is Saint Sebastian, and there is a fair in honor of Saint John the Baptist (San Juan Degollado).
Cereals, sugarcane, loaf-sugar, panela
, and fruit are cultivated and grown here, and local industries include the manufacture of hats made out of palm-fronds. The sausages of Cojutepeque (los chorizos de Cojutepeque) are known throughout El Salvador.
The football club Cojutepeque F.C.
is based here.
Its principal tourist attraction is Cerro de las Pavas, from which the lake of Ilopango
, the volcano of San Vicente
, and the Valley of Jiboa can be seen.
In 1924, Governor Fidel Novoa began an improvement program for the peak and built the park known as Parque de Montaña. During the administration of President Óscar Osorio
, the pathways leading to the peak were improved thanks to the efforts of the poet Raúl Contreras.
There is a grotto
on the peak that displays an image of the Our Lady of Fátima
. A pilgrimage
to this grotto occurs in May and is a major religious festival in El Salvador.
, sodium benzoate
, achiote
, herbs, and spices).
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...
's Cuscatlán
Cuscatlán Department
Cuscatlán is a department of El Salvador, located in the center of the country. With a surface area of , it is El Salvador's smallest department. It is inhabited by over 200,000 people. Cuscatlán or Cuzcatlán was the name the original inhabitants of the Western part of the country gave to most of...
department
Departments of El Salvador
||A list of the departments of El Salvador in alphabetical order.Department :# Ahuachapán # Cabañas # Chalatenango # Cuscatlán # La Libertad # La Paz...
. It also serves as the administrative centre for the surrounding municipality
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...
of Cojutepeque. Its population is estimated at 70,000 people with about 85% living in the urban areas of the municipality.
The Pan-American Highway
Pan-American Highway
The Pan-American Highway is a network of roads measuring about in total length. Except for an rainforest break, called the Darién Gap, the road links the mainland nations of the Americas in a connected highway system. According to Guinness World Records, the Pan-American Highway is the world's...
connects Cojutepeque with San Salvador 33 km away.
Its height is 850 meters above sea level; it enjoys a pleasant climate. Its nickname is "City of the Mists."
The name Cojutepeque is derived from the Nahuatl
Nahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
words for "place [or peak] of turkeys." It received the title of city in 1846. The ancient churches of San Juan Degollado, San José and San Sebastián can be found in the city. Cojutepeque's patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
is Saint Sebastian, and there is a fair in honor of Saint John the Baptist (San Juan Degollado).
Cereals, sugarcane, loaf-sugar, panela
Panela
Panela is unrefined whole cane sugar, typical of Latin America, which is basically a solid piece of sucrose and fructose obtained from the boiling and evaporation of sugarcane juice....
, and fruit are cultivated and grown here, and local industries include the manufacture of hats made out of palm-fronds. The sausages of Cojutepeque (los chorizos de Cojutepeque) are known throughout El Salvador.
The football club Cojutepeque F.C.
Cojutepeque F.C.
Cojutepeque Futbol Club is a Salvadoran professional football club based in Cojutepeque, Cuscatlán. The team was in the first division of El Salvador for several years. Cojutepeque F.C. was a runner-up in the 1988-89 season, losing to L.A. Firpo in the finals.-Year-by-Year:*Record League...
is based here.
Its principal tourist attraction is Cerro de las Pavas, from which the lake of Ilopango
Lake Ilopango
Lake Ilopango is a crater lake which fills a scenic 8 x 11 km volcanic caldera in central El Salvador. The caldera, which contains the second largest lake in the country and is located immediately east of the capital city, San Salvador, has a scalloped to high rim.-Eruptive History:Four...
, the volcano of San Vicente
San Vicente (volcano)
San Vicente is a stratovolcano in central El Salvador. It is located next to the town of San Vicente and is the second highest volcano in El Salvador. In the indigenous language Nahuat, Chichontepec means the mountain of the two breasts, because its double summit resembles a woman's bosom...
, and the Valley of Jiboa can be seen.
Cerro de las Pavas
The peak known as Cerro de las Pavas can be reached via two roads from Cojutepeque: one for cars, the other a zigzagging path for pedestrians.In 1924, Governor Fidel Novoa began an improvement program for the peak and built the park known as Parque de Montaña. During the administration of President Óscar Osorio
Óscar Osorio
Óscar Osorio ruled as a member of the revolutionary government Council of December 14, 1948 to September 14, 1950...
, the pathways leading to the peak were improved thanks to the efforts of the poet Raúl Contreras.
There is a grotto
Grotto
A grotto is any type of natural or artificial cave that is associated with modern, historic or prehistoric use by humans. When it is not an artificial garden feature, a grotto is often a small cave near water and often flooded or liable to flood at high tide...
on the peak that displays an image of the Our Lady of Fátima
Our Lady of Fatima
Our Lady of Fátima is a famous title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary as she appeared in apparitions reported by three shepherd children at Fátima in Portugal. These occurred on the 13th day of six consecutive months in 1917, starting on May 13...
. A pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
to this grotto occurs in May and is a major religious festival in El Salvador.
Chorizos
Cojutepeque is known in El Salvador for various sausages or chorizos, especially the Chorizos de Cojutepeque. These chorizos are typically tied with corn husks between the links. The chorizos are shipped to other parts of the country and sold. The example on the left is made with pork, beef, iodized salt, and additives (soy protein, sodium nitrateSodium nitrate
Sodium nitrate is the chemical compound with the formula NaNO3. This salt, also known as Chile saltpeter or Peru saltpeter to distinguish it from ordinary saltpeter, potassium nitrate, is a white solid which is very soluble in water...
, sodium benzoate
Sodium benzoate
Sodium benzoate has the chemical formula NaC6H5CO2; it is a widely used food preservative, with E number E211. It is the sodium salt of benzoic acid and exists in this form when dissolved in water. It can be produced by reacting sodium hydroxide with benzoic acid.-Uses:Sodium benzoate is a...
, achiote
Achiote
Achiote is a shrub or small tree from the tropical region of the Americas. The name derives from the Nahuatl word for the shrub, achiotl. It is also known as Aploppas, and its original Tupi name urucu. It is cultivated there and in Southeast Asia, where it was introduced by the Spanish in the...
, herbs, and spices).