Heading east from La Libertad, the Carretera Littoral swings inland, running north of the international airport to the small city of ZACATECOLUCA , with its impressive whitewashed Catedral Santa Lucía, in front of which stands a monument to the city's most famous son, José Simeon Cañas - if a priest is around he may let you climb the tower to see the marvellous views over the town and its volcano. Zacatecoluca was a pre-Columbian Nonualco city with about two thousand inhabitants when the Spanish first arrived. No records of conflict exist and in 1594, Don Juan de Pineda reported to the Spanish court that "there are three pueblos next to each other that are good, called San Juan and Santiago Nonualco and Zacatecoluca. In Zacatecoluca there is a corregidor who administers in the name of your majesty." In 1833, however, the indigenous revolt led by Anastasio Aquino from the nearby village of Santiago Nonualco posed a serious threat to the newly independent country. Supported both by local tribes and poor mestizos, and meeting with little effective resistance, Aquino at one point looked capable of marching on and taking the capital. Instead, his army contented itself with sacking Zacatecoluca before moving on to San Vicente, giving government forces time to regroup.

Apart from its big daily market, there's little of interest in Zacatecoluca except its proximity to the nearby beaches, but it's a pleasant enough place, with a couple of acceptable hotels . Just across the street from the bus terminal, Hotel Primavera (tel 334 1346; US$5-10), at Av Juan Viacortez 23, has tidy rooms with bath and hammock, while round the corner Hotel Brolyn (tel 333 8410; US$5-10), at 7a C Ote 25, is similar but slightly more expensive. Buses run every fifteen minutes from San Salvador's Terminal del Sur to Zacatecoluca, while bus #193 from Zacatecoluca runs all the way along the Costa del Sol.