San Andrés, El Salvador

San Andrés is a pre-Columbian archaeological site on the Pacific coastal plain of La Libertad Department in El Salvador. It is an inland-coastal settlement with visible platform mounds, plazas and a ballcourt that reflect its ceremonial and civic functions.

The site contains a central plaza framed by earthen and masonry platform mounds and a formal ballcourt, and is representative of regional settlement patterns during the Late Classic era. Visitors explore the exposed mounds and plaza areas and can see archaeological features laid out across the site.

Excavations and research have identified primary occupation and monument construction during the Late Classic period of Mesoamerican chronology, when the site functioned as a regional ceremonial center. Over time the site fell out of use and later agricultural and colonial-era activity altered parts of the landscape.

San Andrés lies on the coastal plain of La Libertad Department, near the Pacific coast of El Salvador, west of the modern city of La Libertad and south-west of San Salvador.

• Dating: Most visible surface structures date to the Late Classic period, when the site was an important coastal center with ceremonial architecture.
• Visiting: The archaeological site comprises earthen mounds and exposed plaza areas that are best viewed with a site guide or from raised walkways where provided.

What to See #

• Main plaza and mounds: A central ceremonial plaza surrounded by earthen and masonry platform mounds representing the site's civic core and focus for public rituals and gatherings.
• Ballcourt: A formal ballcourt area that is part of the site's ceremonial architecture and is typical of Mesoamerican-influenced settlements in the region.