Plaza Barrios is the main square of San Salvador's historic centre and the logical starting point for a morning in the city. The Metropolitan Cathedral — rebuilt after the 1986 earthquake — faces the square alongside the National Palace, a turn-of-the-century neoclassical building in four colours of marble. The square itself is busy with vendors and pigeons and city life.
The cathedral's significance extends well beyond its architecture. Archbishop Oscar Romero, whose outspoken criticism of government violence made him a target, is buried in the crypt. The tomb is accessible to visitors. Nearby, the National Palace (closed to visitors except for guided tours) has a fine set of stained-glass windows visible through the entrance.