Nahuizalco

Nahuizalco on the map of El Salvador

Nahuizalco (formerly Nahuitzalco, Nawat: Nawitzalku ) is a municipality (administrative unit ) of the department of Sonsonate, El Salvador. It lies on the " flowers road " ( Ruta de las Flores ), 9 km from Sonsonate and 74 km from San Salvador, at 540 m above sea level on the south side of the mountain range of Apaneca and Ilamatepec. According to the last census of 2007, it has 49 081 inhabitants.

History

The area of Nahuizalco was probably inhabited before 900 by the Nahua - Pipil ethnic group. From 1200 to 1528 it belonged to the rule Cuzcatlán.

The Nawat name Nawitzalku consists of two word Häften, the number word nawi, "four" and the place name Itzalku ( Izalco ). This is again itz from the roots, " Obsidian ", (k ) al, "house" and the locative -ku ( Nahuatl -co ) composed and can be roughly translated as "place of obsidian houses". According to a chronicle of the Franciscan Relación Breve y Verdadera 1586 Nahuizalco got its name because it was once four times as many inhabitants had as the neighboring Izalco. In an information sheet of the community Nahuizalco of 15 October 1859 on the other hand means that four families from Izalco had founded the city after its conquest by the Spaniards, and so the place came to its name.

At the time of the Spanish colony Nahuizalco belonged to the province Izalco. According to the Chronicle Relación Breve y Verdadera from 1586, the village had less than 200 inhabitants.

From 1821 to 1823 Nahuizalco belonged to Guatemala and came in 1824 to the department of Sonsonate. Circa 1856 the municipality had 4,983 inhabitants.

1932 Pipil peasants of Nahuizalco involved in the uprising against the landlords and the military rule of General Maximiliano Hernández Martínez. After the suppression of the rebellion it came to Matanza, a massacre, the beginning of 1932 about 30,000 people fell across El Salvador to the victim, in Izalco about a quarter of the total population, almost every man over 12 who could not escape. The mass shootings lasted for about a month. The Nawat the Pipil language was forbidden in the sequence and so brought to the brink of extinction within a few decades.

1955 Nahuizalco received city rights.

In the earthquake of 2001, among other things, the church was severely damaged. It was then restored.

Pipil culture today

Nahuizalco one of the last places where occasionally the Pipil language Nawat is still heard. Due to the efforts of the indigenous organization Asociación Coordinadora de Comunidades indigenous de El Salvador ( Accies ) and Don Bosco University in San Salvador is taught despite the lack of government programs at individual schools of the department of Sonsonate Nawat. In 2008 Nahuizalco learned at a school 500 students at three teachers Nawat, in three other locations within the municipality additional 255 students. The project has been running since 2003.

Economy

Nahuizalco is agricultural. Traditional crafts are basketry and Mattenflechterei. Nahuizalco has a night, lit by candle market on which the braiding are sold to 22 clock.

Attractions

Nahuizalco has a church dating from the colonial era (San Juan Bautista ) with patronal festival from June 20 to 25.