The Tazumal Archaeological Park (Parque Arqueológico Tazumal) is a pre-Columbian archaeological site in Chalchuapa, El Salvador, about 12 km from Santa Ana. I backpacked Tazumal in February 2022.
I was staying at the Pool House in Santa Ana. Chalchuapa is just a short ride from Santa Ana.
After a breakfast of ayote (squash) con queso (cheese) pupusas, I took bus #214 from the “Francisco Lara Pineda” bus terminal in Santa Ana, to Atiquizaya and got off coming into Tazumal.
First, I toured the Casa Blanca Archaeological Site, then the Tazumal Archaeological Park.
Ernesto “Che” Guevara visited El Tazumal in April 1954. There is a statue near the entrance:
Visiting Tazumal:
These are the details taken from the official Tazumal Archaeological Park website, 2025:
- Hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
- Guided tour: 35 to 45 minutes
- Capacity: 15 people per group
- Admission: Salvadorans $1.00, Central Americans and foreign residents $3.00, and non-residents $5.00. Local residents, students with a valid ID, people with disabilities, seniors, and children under 12 are admitted free.
The Parque Arqueológico Tazumal is pretty small, and there is a map with the points written English as well as Spanish:
The museum is well worth the effort. When I was there, all the texts was only in Spanish:
Tazumal is a pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site inhabited since the Preclassic period.
This is the main pyramid at Tazumal. Yes, I was there during Covid, so I had the place to myself:
Despite having been occupied since 1200 BC, it wasn’t formally investigated in 1940, when archaeologist Stanley Boggs identified 13 structures, ranging from small platforms to the large mound, 24 meters high
