Self-possessed SANTA ANA , the second most important city in El Salvador, lies in a superb location in the Cihautehuacán valley. Surrounded by green peaks, with the slope of Volcán Santa Ana rising to southwest, the gently decaying colonial streets exude a certain bourgeois complacency. Cooler and far mellower than San Salvador, and regarding itself as being above the unseemly commercial bustle of San Miguel, it's a good place to relax, admiring the handful of grandiose buildings or simply walking the streets soaking up the atmosphere. The natural attractions of Lago de Coatepeque , the forest reserve of Cerro Verde and the Santa Ana and Izalco volcanoes are all easy day-trips away.