Last Updated on: 2nd August 2024, 11:17 pm
Scattered around the modern town of Chalchuapa, the Chalchuapa Archaeological Zone is home to no less than ten known ancient Mayan sites. But among them, only Tazumal and Casa Blanca are currently open to the public.
Just a short distance from the city of Santa Ana, Tazumal is especially worth the trip to see, and it could even be considered El Salvador’s most impressive archaeological site.
Though first inhabited thousands of years ago, Tazumal mainly thrived during the Classical Period (350-900 AD). The area had to be temporarily abandoned following the eruption of the Ilopango Volcano in the 5th century AD, though it would eventually bounce back.
Eventually, however, the site would be largely abandoned. And from around 900-1400 AD, it would be taken over by Nahua-speaking settlers from central Mexico. Fascinatingly, even Toltec-style chac mool sculptures were discovered in the area.
Excavations led by archaeologist Stanley Boggs began here in 1942, while the archaeological site was officially inaugurated in 1952. And as more visitors make it to El Salvador these days, Tazumal is bound to become more well-known.
For more information on how to reach Tazumal and Casa Blanca as well as the best places to stay in Santa Ana, be sure to check the end of the article.
Tazumal
At the time of writing, Tazumal is open from Tue.-Sun., 9:00-16:00 and costs $5 for foreigners to enter.
As we’ll cover below, the site can be reached directly via public bus (or even Uber) from Santa Ana, while the neighboring site of Casa Blanca is just fifteen minutes away on foot.
Past the ticket gate, you’ll see the on-site museum on your left and a small community cemetery on your right. The area around the cemetery is home to what archaeologists think could have been an ancient ball court.
But it wasn’t built until 1000-1200 AD after settlers from central Mexico came and took over the area. Their descendants are now known as the Pipil people.
Deciding to save the museum for last, I headed straight for the ruins. While you can explore Tazumal in any way you like, I chose to explore it clockwise, turning left past the entrance.
As mentioned, before its abandonment, Tazumal was occupied by settlers from central Mexico. But the city also had communications with a Mexican civilization from very early on in its history.
Outside the museum is Monument 12, a large boulder carved in Olmec-style art. The Olmec, who thrived from around 1200-400 BC, are widely regarded as the ‘mother civilization’ of Mesoamerica. And the stele is estimated to have been carved sometime between 900 and 400 BC.
While the Olmec were based along the Mexican Gulf Coast, in what are now the states of Tabasco and Veracruz, Olmec-style are can be found in far-reaching places, such as the state of Morelos and of course, here in Central America.
Walking alongside the massive platform which holds up the main pyramid, you’ll pass by various staircases, revealing what a complex structure this once was. Over to the corner, meanwhile, is a smaller modern staircase for visitors.
Ascending the stairs, you’ll find a special area known as the ‘Archaeological Window,’ which at the time of my visit was only viewable through a chain link fence.
Notably, many of Tazumal’s structures were built of adobe bricks, much like Guatemala’s Kaminaljuyu. And this area gives visitors a glimpse of different layers of construction built over the course of centuries.
Over time, different layers would be buried to create new ones. But ultimately, the whole space was covered over to create the large platform on which you’ll be standing.
Near the Archaeological Window is an area simply known as the ‘Smaller Temple.’ Situated at the base of Tazumal’s main pyramid, it’s considered to be one of the city’s oldest structures.
Today, you’ll see a ceremonial platform in the middle, while a series of tombs and offerings were dug up by archaeologists. One individual even showed signs of cranial deformation, an ancient Mayan practice which often delineated royalty.
Coming around the corner, you’ll encounter a long rectangular space that archaeologists believe may have functioned as a court for the Mesoamerican ball game.
While there were a lot of variations amongst ball courts in the pre-Hispanic world, a court like this would be quite unusual given how one side of it is actually part of the main pyramid.
In any case, numerous offerings, including a ceremonial axe and vessel, were found buried beneath.
Over to the south side of the archaeological complex, you’ll encounter a platform which stands in front of the main pyramid.
While the main pyramid itself isn’t climbable, the platform in front of it is, allowing for great views of the pyramid and the temples along its base.
The pyramid, officially known now as Structure B1-1, reaches up to 23 m high. Built between 350 and 600 AD, it was likely modified at least seven times over the course of its history.
As you may have noticed by now, Tazumal looks quite different from most Mayan sites, as the pyramid’s interior stones aren’t exposed. Rather, they’ve been covered over with a mix of stucco and concrete, similar to what was done at the Guatemalan site of Zaculeu.
On the one hand, ancient Mayans certainly didn’t use concrete. But their pyramids were indeed covered over with stucco. As such, it could be argued that Tazumal does in some ways appear more true to the original site’s appearance.
When finished with the platform, be sure to walk up to the base of the pyramid to admire a building with multiple pillars. Originally, it may have once served as the pyramid’s main facade. Containing ten pillars, the room was originally painted white.
The Museum
As mentioned earlier, the on-site museum is located right near the entrance, though you might want to save it for last in order to explore the ruins before the crowds arrive.
It’s officially known as the Dr. Stanley H. Boggs Museum after the lead archaeologist who excavated the site in 1942. Inside, you’ll find information on the history of Tazumal as well as an overview of archaeological excavations here.
Various artifacts, including ceramics, figurines and carved stones are on display which span multiple centuries. Conveniently, as with the on-site informational placards, all information here is bilingual.
Tazumal’s on-site museum isn’t the only place to see artifacts uncovered at the ancient city. A couple of the most important findings are now on display at the Museo Nacional de Antropología David J Guzmán in San Salvador, the country’s premier archaeological museum.
Notable artifacts include a massive urn discovered at Tazumal in addition to a sculpture of Xipe Totec, a prominent Mesoamerican agricultural deity. Apparently, the statue was once displayed at Tazumal itself before being moved to San Salvador at some point.
All in all, I wouldn’t recommend the Museo Nacional de Antropología David J Guzmán for most visitors, as the two pieces from Tazumal are arguably the most impressive pieces of the entire museum. Furthermore, they charge foreigners an exorbitant $10. Hopefully, these images will satisfy your curiosity.
Casa Blanca
The ruins of Casa Blanca – named after a local coffee plantation – are just fifteen minutes on foot from Tazumal. Though much smaller, Casa Blanca requires its own entry ticket which also costs $5 for foreigners.
While Casa Blanca also features an on-site museum, it was unfortunately closed for renovations at the time of my visit.
As opposed to Tazumal, the Casa Blanca ruins have a designated path that visitors are supposed to follow, taking you counterclockwise.
Amazingly, most of Casa Blanca’s structures were built atop a single massive manmade platform which stretches out to 240 x 220 m. Its construction dates back to the Late Preclassic period (400 BC–300 AD), and it consists of materials like mud, stones and soil.
But walking around the site today, it’s far from obvious that such an artificial platform once existed here.
Casa Blanca consists of various unexcavated mounds that you’ll pass as you walk along the trail. But among those that’s been partially excavated is also the largest structure at the site. It’s officially known as Structure 5.
Structure 5 was built over three construction phases, ranging from 1700 BC up until the Late Classic period (600–900 AD). Unlike most Mayan pyramids, it was largely built of adobe and mortar.
The Nahua-speaking group from central Mexico that arrived here later likely used the pyramid as a necropolis, as evidenced by numerous burials found inside.
Further along the path is Structure I, which looks similar to Structure 6 albeit smaller. Again, numerous burials were found within. Fascinatingly, a Teotihuacan-style vessel was discovered here as well.
Finally, a tour of the Casa Blanca ruins ends with an ‘Archaeological Window’ similar to that of Tazumal. But this one goes a bit deeper. Interestingly, one of the layers here consists of ash left by the Ilopango Volcano eruption from around the 5th century AD.
And that concludes what one can see at Casa Blanca – aside from the on-site museum, of course. So all in all, is it worth visiting?
On the one hand, $5 is too much for what you get. But considering how close it is to Tazumal, archaeology lovers who make the effort to come out this way may as well check out both sites.
Additional Info
The Tazumal and Casa Blanca archaeological sites are situated in the town of Chalchuapa, just a thirty-minute drive west of central Santa Ana. To get there, you have a few different options.
The quickest and easiest option would be to just take an Uber. When checking at the time of my visit, a one-way Uber ride from the city cost no more than $5.
Still, I opted for the bus. It’s worth downloading the free Maps.me app, as it features a lot of local transport information that Google Maps lacks. And on that app, you’ll find a bus stop for Tazumal marked on 9a Calle Poniente. The bus number is 218, and I had no problems catching a bus from the marked spot, despite not seeing any official bus stops.
If you’re staying nearby Santa Ana’s main ‘chicken bus’ terminal, officially known as Terminal Francisco Lara Pineda, you can also catch a bus for Ahuachapán which should pass through Chalchuapa. These buses seem to leave quite frequently.
If you have limited time in the country and will mainly be basing yourself in San Salvador, don’t worry, as you have the option of taking a tour to Tazumal and other archaeological sites.
This highly-rated tour, for example, picks you up in the capital before taking you to the ruins of Tazumal, Joya de Cerén and San Andrés. It even includes some of the landmarks around Santa Ana.
If you were hoping to visit the Casa Blanca ruins as well, this tour features Tazumal, Casa Blanca and San Andrés.
Ideally, the closer you are to the historical center, the better. Not only is this where the city’s landmarks are concentrated, but it’s also where you’ll find the most restaurants and coffee shops.
Some highly-rated midrange options near the center include Hostal Las Puertas and Casa Vieja Guest House, while those looking for something a bit more upscale should consider the Remfort Hotel.
Of course, Santa Ana is home to plenty of budget options. But if you’re hoping for a private room, you might have to stay outside the city center.
Altea Hostal looks like a good option to the north of the center, while I stayed at Casa Blanca Tu Casa to the east.
I had an overall good experience at Casa Blanca (which has no relation to the Casa Blanca ruins mentioned above). The owners were friendly and helpful, and breakfast each morning was included in the price. While bathrooms were shared, I rarely found them full, and the internet also worked great.
The only downside was the location. While walkable from the historical center, it took about twenty minutes. And there were not many restaurants or coffee shops in the area.
Most people will be getting to Santa Ana from either San Salvador or from somewhere in Guatemala. We’ll be covering both cases below.
FROM SAN SALVADOR
If you’re coming from San Salvador, you’ll want to head to Terminal de Buses de Occidente and take a 201 bus. From my experience, some of these buses appear like your typical ‘chicken buses’ (converted US school buses), while some are more like your standard city bus with separated seats.
The ride only costs a dollar and should take between one and two hours depending on traffic.
I’ve only taken this bus going from Santa Ana to San Salvador, and I’m not exactly sure where the bus terminates in Santa Ana. But when departing from Santa Ana, you should take an Uber down to the Metrocenter shopping mall in the south of the city.
Here, the 201 buses run down Avenida Independencia Sur, and you’ll find a bus stop in front of Galerias de casa Sandoval. The 201 buses are very frequent, passing by every several minutes.
Whichever direction you’re coming from, note that there’s no luggage storage on the 201 buses (from my experience). I offered to pay the driver double, as my luggage would be taking up an extra seat, but he declined, and I made the journey with zero issues.
You can also just take an Uber between San Salvador and Santa Ana, which should be about $40-50 in total.
FROM GUATEMALA
A lot of travelers skip Guatemala City altogether (which is a shame) and come to El Salvador directly from Antigua. In that case, private tourist shuttle will be your only option, unless you’re willing to transfer in Guatemala City.
From Guatemala City, you can take a direct coach bus, with a few different companies running international routes. I went with Pullmantur and had no issues with them.
Though not that cheap (about $35 USD), it was a fancy double decker bus that was similar to the VIP buses in Mexico, and it’s a shame these types of buses aren’t more common in Central America.
Anyway, before the journey, the staff will check your passport and make sure you haven’t overstayed your visa. You will eventually go through border control, but keep in mind that residents of Central American countries don’t have to get their passport stamped or pay a fee for entering El Salvador.
In my case, I was the only non-Central American on the bus, and so I was the only one who had to get off and pay the $12 entry fee for El Salvador.
Note that if Santa Ana is your final destination when coming from Guatemala City, you will not be taken to the city center. You will probably be dropped off at a roundabout to the west of the city (Redondel Santa Maria in my case).
Fortunately, Guatemalan SIM cards should work just fine on roaming in El Salvador, so you shouldn’t have any problems hailing an Uber to your hotel.