Central America
El Salvador
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San Salvador
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Joya de Ceren Archaeological Park
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Joya de Ceren Archaeological Park

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Joya de Ceren Archaeological Park
4.5
About
Excavation at "Jewel of the Ceren", a pre-Columbian Mayan farming village, that was buried under a volcanic eruption around 600 A.D.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
601 reviews
Excellent
345
Very good
185
Average
60
Poor
8
Terrible
3
Face_The_Elements
Edmonton, Canada281 contributions
History buffs will enjoy!
Apr 2023 • Friends
The archeological park wasn’t hard to get to but our GPS took us off roading just prior to arrival. So be careful! We arrived as soon as it opened and there wasn’t anyone there. They didn’t have any English speaking tour guides so we went without. The museum has many interesting artifacts and stories about the locals in the area. There were some well preserved pieces to see and when you continue to the ruins, you can see the dig site and how it’s also still intact. Very interesting place to visit, especially if you like history.
Written 29 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nanci P
2 contributions
A Disappointment
Mar 2023 • Couples
We were very disappointed. First of all, it was expensive for what you get. The exhibits lack enough descriptive information and the museum is very small and limited. Would not recommend.
Written 10 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rtln
California140 contributions
a very interesting archaeological dig
Feb 2023
This site lacks the drama of the grand pyramid sites of Mesoamerica, but it illustrates the life in smaller villages and farms of the Mayan and post-Mayan civilizations. The pyramids in El Salvador are mostly buried. I found particularly interesting the layers and layers of ash that delineate the eruptions which continually interrupted the development of the towns in this area. Joya de Cerén is different from Pompeii, in that the people all fled before the volcano erupted. The only skeleton that was found was that of a duck.
Written 26 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeff K
Pittsburgh, PA1,897 contributions
Interesting Park
Jan 2023 • Couples
We saw a lot of Mayan ruins on this trip but this one was different as it showed how Mayans lived over 1500 years ago. We toured with a guide which I recommend as you’ll learn a lot more.
Written 25 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Inspired2
Guildford, UK421 contributions
Interesting site
Jan 2023
Nice museum with English, French and Spanish Translations. Great how they have preserved the buildings which were covered by ash. Makes me wonder what other sites are yet to be found!
Written 14 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stephen L
Cambridge, UK502 contributions
El Salvadors Pompei
Nov 2022 • Friends
Buried around 600AD. Rediscovered in recent times. Plenty of unearthed buildings. The layering of ash shows the site was hit many times volcanic eruptions over the next 1300 years
Written 3 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DesertRose
231 contributions
A unique ruin
Jun 2022 • Couples
While this isn't as imposing as many other ruins it is impressive in it's own right for giving a different perspective on Myan culture and certainly is worth a stop.
Written 25 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
packedandready2go
California933 contributions
Modes but well preserved and well displayed Mayan ruins.
May 2022 • Friends
Though the site is small compared to some other world famous ruins, it is well laid out. The ruins are well preserved and well displayed. As a bonus we saw some exotic birds while visiting the ruins.
Written 3 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dori P
1 contribution
Only allowed 30 minutes to visit Unesco site
Feb 2022 • Couples
Not worth it. We paid 21$ for 2 people and parking. Only allowed to stay 30 minutes including 5 minutes in the museum. This was on a Wednesday morning 11am and we were the only ones there. Terrible experience.
Written 23 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kody G
Denver, CO144 contributions
Small, but interesting; limited access
Oct 2021
I rated this only 4 stars for a number of reasons. It is a very interesting site, but pales in comparison to other Mayan sites, like Copan, for example. There just isn't much to see here. The whole complex consists of a large metal roofed structure to protect the site that is still (periodically) being excavated. A lot of the remaining structures have been destroyed one way or another, which is not unexpected, of course (although seeing the petrified lava ash leaning against one of the house walls was pretty cool!). There is a one-way path that leads you around the whole site and then ends at the museum, which I found to be informative and have some interesting artifacts (and small enough to be able to see it all in a short amount of time). Despite the site being small, the fact that it was preserved by volcanic ash is pretty remarkable, making it the "Pompeii of Central America." Getting in was a bit of a problem. Joya de Ceren finally opened back up in Aug 2021 after being closed for a year or two (mix of excavations and COVID). At the time we visited (early October), it was only open Saturday and Sunday from 0900-1600, and a guide or tour was required to enter. We had showed up to the gated entrance and told we couldn't enter because we didn't had a guide, even though we were willing to pay more. We were very disappointed, but it turned out to be our lucky day because a guide had showed up right before we left, giving a private tour to a patron, and he offered to be our guide, too, essentially just to get us into the site. We were then allowed in. It was quite expensive ($10 per person, plus another $1 for the parking), at least by Salvadoran standards. All this being said, if you're like me and try to see as many UNESCO sites as you can, then you should come here (it's the only one in El Salvador at the time of this writing). Otherwise, may want to wait for it to have more regular hours and less work (ie not needing a guide/tour) to get in.
Written 9 November 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Joya de Ceren Archaeological Park, San Salvador

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