Panchimalco is a town in the San Salvador department of El Salvador.
Panchimalco ("The Place of Flags and Shields," from the Nahuatl, "Pantli," meaning banner or flag; "Chimalli," meaning shield or herald, and "co," place) Its 35,000 inhabitants, sometimes called "Panchos," are descendants of Nahua Indians fleeing the Spanish takeover of San Salvador during the 16th century, into areas originally inhabited by Mayan and Nahuatl peoples.
Indigenous people
Panchimalco is known for its indigenous population and its festivities. Together with Izalco, Panchimalco is considered one of the last two remaining bastions of Amerindian peoples in El Salvador. Villagers still weave and wear colorful native textiles and maintain many indigenous traditions. However, the native language is not one of them. As of the last few years, no Nahuatl speakers remain in Panchimalco. Amerindians comprised 51.6 percent of the Salvadoran population in the 1769-1798 census, but at current time they are numbered at less than 100,000 in all of El Salvador. The number was greatly reduced when forces loyal to Gen. Maximiliano Hernandez massacred up to 30,000 peasants during the Salvadoran peasant uprising of 1932 known as La Matanza.
History
Panchimalco was founded by the pre-Columbian Toltec people who may have emigrated to the area following the fall of their empire in Tabasco in what is now Mexico. During the Spanish conquest of the territory, the area was called "El Fuerte" (the fortress) because of the concave shape of the land that gave the indigenous population an advantage.
The Spanish established Panchimalco as a village, and built its famous colonial church, one of the most important historical monuments in El Salvador. Its original construction date, circa 1725, make it the oldest surviving colonial structure in El Salvador. The clay floor is not original, but marks a restoration completed in 1970.
Culture
The festivities held in Panchimalco are colorful and religious in nature. The Flower & Fronds Fair (Feria de las Flores y Palmas) celebrates the Virgin Mary devotion of the local Catholic church. The cofradías or "co-fraternities" are civic organizations in support of different church festivals, and they organize the various carnivals and celebrations. The procession of the Holy Cross of Rome is the town's official patronal festival. The dance of the Moors and Christians is an odd vestige of a tradition brought over by the Spaniards, which celebrates a Spanish victory over Muslim invaders during the Dark Ages.