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All 23 San Salvador Attractions »

Joya de Ceren Archaeological Site

San Salvador, El Salvador
Website
Structure found in Joya de Ceren
estructura
estructura
estructura
24 visitor photos
Ranked #2 of 15 attractions in San Salvador
4.5 of 5 stars 45 Reviews
Type: Ancient Ruins
Description: Excavation at "Jewel of the Ceren", a pre-Columbian Mayan farming village, that was buried under a volcanic eruption around 600 A.D.
World Heritage Site
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45 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    27
    12
    5
    1
    0
Date Rating
Contributor
16 reviews 16 reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
“Unesco world heritage "Pompeii of the Americas"”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 15 May 2012

A great, small site that is worth a visit. This site has been preserved by black ash that covered it when a volcano erupted many hundreds of years ago. The site is well kept and is easy to walk through. It is within a 10-15 minute driving distance to San Andres Mayan ruins, which is also worth visiting. More

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Los Angeles, California
Contributor
17 reviews 17 reviews
Reviews in 12 cities Reviews in 12 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
“Beautiful, a must see!!!”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 14 May 2012

Joya de Ceren is a beautiful place to visit and know about the way our ancestors lived. My partner is from France and he truly enjoyed the small museum and the archaeological site. The guides are very friendly and very knowledgeable of the history of the site. The entire place is beautiful, clean and really well preserved. It is a... More

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Puerto de la Libertad, El Salvador
2 reviews
“A Place I May Have Once Called HOME”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 30 April 2012

This is a classic and treasured gift to all of us. I so enjoy imagining living here, and I sense a continuity that makes a person a part of a home, a community and an ageless lifestyle. The Guides talk in Engllish and answer all my questions with confidence. More

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New York City, New York
Contributor
13 reviews 13 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
16 helpful votes 16 helpful votes
“A great visit to the past”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 11 April 2012

I went to " Joya de Ceren" while visiting El Salvador and I was impressed! The guide was very informative, knowledgeable and very pleasant. It is great to see how the Maya Civilization lived in the past. Particularly this trip, alllowed me see as a Southamerican, that after all we were not that " backwards' as the Spaniards wants to... More

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Pewaukee, Wisconsin
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
“Incredible history”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 31 March 2012

We saw this as part of our tour. This was our first time to see Mayan ruins and the site and our tour guide made it very memorable. More

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See 5 more reviews by kstoll for San Salvador
Washington DC, District of Columbia
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
“Very Unusual Site”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 27 March 2012

We had been to the more famous sites in Guatemala, but Joya de Ceren was unique in that it provided evidence of everyday life since the site was not abandoned like the others, but like Pompei was buried by a volacanic eruption. More

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whitehorse
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
“Part of a 1/2 day trip...”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 7 March 2012
1
person found this review helpful

ElSalvador boasts many archeological site and this one is very accessible. The tour is worth taking and included in the admission price. More

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See 2 more reviews by YukonAnne for San Salvador
Raleigh, North Carolina
Contributor
17 reviews 17 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
“Excellent site, easy access from San Salvador”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 19 February 2012

This is one of the few exhibited pre-Columbian sites in El Salvador that is easily accessible (another, the Mayan site of Tazamal is near Santa Ana). Well-presented with signage in Spanish. More

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See 3 more reviews by wjr5108 for San Salvador
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
“Wow”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 8 February 2012
1
person found this review helpful

Another must see. Easy trip to the site. They offer a short but informative tour More

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See 3 more reviews by dougpilot for San Salvador
Seongnam
Senior Contributor
41 reviews 41 reviews
Reviews in 32 cities Reviews in 32 cities
24 helpful votes 24 helpful votes
“Best archaeological site in El Salvador”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 7 February 2012
2
people found this review helpful

Don't expect a Tikal or Copan...but Joya de Ceren is unique in its own way...and it's really the only archaeological site in El Salvador that is worth going out of the way to visit...I found it fascinating...it'll only take an hour to look around...Joya de Ceren and nearby San Andres ruins can be done in half a day pretty easily... More

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