In January and February 2001, a series of powerful earthquakes (the strongest measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale) ripped through El Salvador, killing over 1000 people and causing widespread destruction. The earthquakes produced over 600 landslides and destroyed more 145,000 homes, along with schools and hospitals across the country. Few towns remained unaffected, while main arterial roads and infrastructure were also badly damaged. The cost of repairing the devastation is estimated at US$2.8billion, and rebuilding will take years to complete.

The hardest hit areas were the central departments of San Vicente and Cuscatlán and the coastal regions of Sonsonate, La Paz and Usulután. As a result of the devastation caused by the earthquakes, some of the information in this guide may no longer be accurate, especially in the most badly affected towns, such as San Vicente, La Libertad, Zacatecoluca, Sonsonate and Ahuachapán. Although some parts of the capital, San Salvador, were damaged, the city was not badly affected, while the popular northern town of Suchitoto escaped totally unscathed.