Morazán Department

Morazán
[[Image:|100px|Coat of Arms of Morazán Department]] Flag Coat of Arms
Location
Statistics
Created (given current status)	1875
Capital	San Francisco Gotera
Area    •%	1,447 km²   Ranked 7th
Population    •(2006)	251,447   Ranked 12th
ISO 3166-2	SV-MO

El Chorreron, San Fernando

Morazán is a department of El Salvador. Located in the northeast part of the country, its capital is San Francisco Gotera. It covers a total surface area of 1,447 km² and has a population of more than 200,000.

History

Gotera was made a department in 1875, with its capital at Osicala. On February 8, 1877, Gotera was made the capital. The department changed its name from Gotera to Morazán on March 14, 1877.

Morazán was a major stronghold of the guerrilla movement during the 1979-1992 civil war. The infamous El Mozote massacre took place in this department in the village of El Mozote on December 11, 1981, when Salvadoran armed forces killed an estimated 900 civilians in an anti-guerrilla campaign. Originally dismissed by the Salvadoran and United States governments as an invention of anti-government propaganda, the massacre was confirmed in the early 1990s through exhumation of bodies buried at the site. A museum commemorating the Salvadoran civil war, the Museum of the Revolution, was established in the municipality of Perquín.

Agriculture

Among the agricultural products that stand out are the basic grains, sugar cane, henequen, grass, orchard plants, bananas, cocoa, and coffee. The upbringing of bovine, horses, sheep, and asinine livestock exists.

Municipalities

Arambala Cacaopera Chilanga Corinto Delicias de Concepción El Divisadero El Rosario Gualococti Guatajiagua

Joateca Jocoaitique Jocoro Lolotiquillo Meanguera Osicala Perquín San Carlos San Fernando

San Francisco Gotera San Isidro San Simón Sensembra Sociedad Torola Yamabal Yoloaiquín

Morazán Vicinity

Llano del Muerto waterfall in Perquin

Rio Sapo

The Sapo River is an ecotourism destination whose turquoise-colored waters have their source in the heights of the north of Morazán. The Sapo River is reached by the highway that drives from Joateca to Arambala. 1 km. after the bridge there is a deviation with access to housing operated by Prodetur.

Grotto Of Corinto

Located at 48 kilometers from San Francisco Gotera, is the village of Corinto and a kilometer and a half to the northeast is located the "La Gruta del Espíritu Santo" (The Holy Spirit Grotto). The grotto's walls of talpetate contain a series of petroglyphs.

Perquín

Main article: Perquín

The village of Perquín was founded by Lenca tribes before European settlement. It is located at 29 kilometers to the north of San Francisco Gotera. It is the site of El Salvador's Museum of The Revolution. It is also the site of the Deadman's Plain, the Bailadero del Diablo, La Cascada del Perol.

External links

• Legislative Information (in Spanish)
• Tourist Information (in Spanish)