Joya de Cerén (Jewel of Cerén) is an archaeological site in El Salvador featuring a Pre-Columbian Maya farming village preserved remarkably intact under six metres of volcanic ash from the Laguna Caldera volcano eruption some 1400 years ago. It is often referred to as the "Pompeii of the Americas" in comparison to the famous Ancient Roman ruins. It is one of the most important archaeological sites in Mesoamerica because it shows how life was for the normal people. Inhabited as early as 900BC, you can see traces of the daily lifestyle here, although you won’t find any human remains, it is believed the villagers were able to flee in time. They left behind utensils, ceramics, furniture, and even half-eaten food in their haste to escape.

History and Culture
The site was discovered in 1976 by Payson Sheets, a professor of anthropology at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Since then the excavation process has continued. About 70 buildings have been uncovered. Joya de Cerén was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.

Getting there
You can reach the site by taking Bus 108 from Terminal de Occidente in San Salvador, then walking from the other side of the bridge.