Conchagüita

The Isla Conchagüita is an island in the Gulf of Fonseca, it is about four kilometers south of the Isla Zacatillo in El Salvador. The island is part of the administration of the department of La Unión and is a municipality of the Canton Meanguera del Golfo

To the west of the island are now two small cultivations which are used as weekend settlements. By early 1940 the island was inhabited by fishermen and their families throughout the year.

History

José Heriberto Erquicia, archaeologist and professor at the Universidad Tecnológica de El Salvador, reported in his notes on the settlement on the island. During excavations he found artifacts and Paleolithic petroglyphs that indicate an early prehistoric settlement of the island.

15th Century

On a ceramic in the ruins they found the name of the church Iglesia Santiago. The walls of the church were built of rock stone and the roof was thatched with straw. It is believed that the church was built in the late 15th century and was expanded in the early 16th century.

Chroniclers of the Diocese of Guatemala confirm that Father Fray Alonso Ponce in 1586 and his companions there a Mass of thanksgiving in the Church celebrated as they on their journey from Guatemala coming visited the island. The location of the ruins gives the impression in its structure and its geographical location, that they must have been of particular importance. The geometrical dimensions of the floor plan are considerable ruins, impress both the inner and outer sides of the masonry. The question whether the church also served as a fortress in the later 17th century is suspected but not proven.