Sonsonate was the third and last village founded by Spanish settlers during the first century of the invasion (San Salvador, 1525; San Miguel, 1530) and called it Villa del Espiritu Santo de Sonsonate in 1552. The word Sonsonate means many rivers or great river in Nahualt language.
Looking west, this town is characterized by huge agricultural and cattle breeding lands, especially for such crops as coffee and sugar cane. Divided in 16 municipalities, its 384,078 inhabitants are scattered in 1,225.77 square kilometers.
The city is famous for its beautiful surrounding beaches that round up its exuberant geographical formation. In the suburbs of Sonsonate, visitors will find the sought-after temple of San Antonio del Monte, as well as the Atecozol Spa –with medicinal and crystal-clear waters- on their way back to San Salvador. Women wearing traditional indigenous garments can still be seen on the premises. Sonsonate’s May Festival is one of the country’s most popular festivities.
