El Zapote Barracks Military Museum

For the better part of two decades, El Salvador was crippled by a brutal Civil War that left the country in tears. Entire villages were sent to slaughter, helicopters fell from the sky, and the sound of mortars striking their target was a constant reminder of the violence. Though the fighting ended in the early 1990s, Civil War stories and military relics live on inside this museum, including former military uniforms that date to the 18th century. Aside from the tanks, weaponry, and medals, the museum houses a number of items that have nothing to do with the military, like a massive, 3D, topographical map that shows all of El Salvador’s volcanoes, to the “Pope Mobile” that transported the Pope when he visited in 1981. Highlighting military in more modern times, there’s an interesting exhibit on the Salvadoran forces who recently served in Iraq, fighting alongside coalition soldiers from all different corners of the world. While the slant of the museum is decidedly pro military, it’s still an insightful, informative stop for learning El Salvador’s past.