San Salvador 's colonial structures , especially its colonial cathedrals , have been destroyed over time by historic earthquakes , consequently Modernist and Gothic style cathedrals have taken their place . During the Salvadoran civil war , large building construction projects were halted and eventually cancelled due to the collapse of the economy ; the remainder of early Modernist office and hotel buildings collapsed during the 1986 San Salvador earthquake and the 2001 El Salvador earthquakes , while the few remaining old buildings were left uninhabitable . Only a few large structures have survived the earthquakes , including the Sheraton Presidente San Salvador Hotel and the Hilton Princess San Salvador Hotel . The seismic nature of the San Salvador area has until recently hindered the construction of high rise buildings and skyscrapers in the city ; however , with new technological advances and the advent of earthquake-resistant structures , high rise buildings have begun rising over San Salvador . Today the city has monuments , plazas , stadiums , high rise buildings , large malls and cathedrals built in Gothic , Modernist , Populuxe , Googie , Streamline Moderne , Art Deco and Futurist style architecture
1986 San Salvador earthquake
1986 San Salvador earthquake
San Salvador