Nueva San Salvador, formerly Santa Tecla, city in central El Salvador, capital of La Libertad Department, at the southern foot of San Salvador Volcano, near San Salvador. Situated on the Pan-American Highway, the city is in an area of coffee plantations, livestock farms, and many large estates. Local industries manufacture leather products, soap, and candles. The city was founded as Ciudad de Nueva San Salvador in 1854 after San Salvador, the capital, had been destroyed by an earthquake; it served as capital of the republic from 1855 to 1859 and became departmental capital in 1865. Population (1992) 116,575.
