History

Recent History

Despite the implementation of some reforms, many Salvadorans consider the current situation to be no better than before the war. Unemployment, poverty and a proliferation of guns has led to high homicide rates.

Although the FMLN has made great strides, the presidency has been dominated by the parties of the right, especially ARENA - Francisco Guillermo Flores Pérez was elected president in 1999.

In 2001, an earthquake caused a mudslide that buried the neighbourhood of Las Colinas - 1200 people died and 250,000 were left homeless.

Flores gained approval for his handling of the spread of criminal gangs, particularly cracking down on youth gangs. Human rights activists decried police abuse, but the public supported the effort.

In 2004, the election was won by another ARENA candidate, Tony Saca. In 2006, Saca oversaw the implementation of the Central America and Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement, designed to loosen US-Central American trade barriers.

Modern Day History

By the 20th century, 95% of El Salvador's income came from coffee exports, but only 2% of the population controlled that wealth. Efforts by the poor majority to redress injustices were met with repression.

Movement for change followed the stock-market crash of 1929 and the subsequent plummet in coffee prices. An uprising by peasants and indigenous peoples resulted in the military killing 30,000 people in what became known as la Matanza (the Massacre). The leader, Farabundo Martí, was executed and the military took control of the nation. The FMLN revolutionary army would later take Martí's name in his honor.

By the 1960s, overpopulation and a struggling economy saw thousands of Salvadorans cross into Honduras seeking work. In 1969, allegations of mistreatment of Salvadoran immigrants were raised as a World Cup qualifying match between the countries was being played. Full-scale war broke out and the conflict became known as la Guerra de Fútbol (the Soccer War).

In 1972, the military arrested and exiled the president, and installed their own. 'Death squads' were formed, murdering and torturing thousands of Salvadorans.

In 1979, the president was overthrown and opposition parties banded together as the Federación Democrático Revolucionario (FDR). The 1980 assassination of Archbishop Óscar A Romero, sparked an armed insurrection.

The Reagan government in the US, unnerved by Nicaragua's socialist revolution, funnelled money (6 billion US dollars, all up) to the Salvadoran government. The military retaliated by decimating villages, causing 300,000 citizens to flee the country. In 1982, the ARENA party took power and death squads targeted trade unionists and agrarian reformers.

In 1990, the UN began mediating negotiations between the government and the FMLN. In 1992, a compromise was signed and a ceasefire took effect. The FMLN became the opposition and the government agreed to reforms.

During the war, an estimated 75,000 people were killed. In 1994, Calderón Sol was voted president.

Pre 20th Century History

El Salvador was inhabited by Paleo-Indians around 10,000 years ago, and their intriguing paintings (dating from 8000BC) can still be marveled at in caves outside the towns of Corinto and Cacaopera, both in Morazán.

The Olmecs were the first advanced MesoAmercian civilization and are believed to have lived in El Salvador as early as 2000 BC. The Olmec Boulder, a stone sculpture of a giant head found near Casa Blanca in western El Salvador, is similar to those found in Olmec centers in Tabasco, Mexico, and is evidence of Olmec presence in the region from at least 2000 BC.

El Salvador was an important trading center, and its archeological remains suggest a number of influences including Teotihuacán and Pipil Mayan in the west and Lenca, Chorti and Pok'omama in the east. The step-pyramid ruins at Tazumal, San Andrés and Casa Blanca show there has been nearly constant pre-Hispanic occupation for more than 3000 years and that the Maya lived in western El Salvador for over 1000 years.

When the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, the country was dominated by the Pipil, descendants of Náhuatl-speaking Toltecs and Aztecs, both Mexican tribes. The Pipil came to central El Salvador in the 11th century, just after the Mayan dynasty collapsed. They called the land Cuscatlán, which means 'Land of Jewels', and built their capital - now known as Antiguo Cuscatlán - outside San Salvador. Their culture was similar to that of the Aztecs, with heavy Mayan influences, a maize-based agricultural economy that supported several cities, and a complex culture that embraced hieroglyphic writing, astronomy and mathematics. They spoke Nahua, a dialect related to Náhuatl. Tazumal, San Andrés and Joya de Cerén all show signs of a Pipil presence.

Spain's claim was staked by the conquistador Pedro de Alvarado, who arrived in the area in 1524. He founded the colony's first capital near present-day Suchitoto before it was moved to its current location a few years later. After a year-long struggle against the Pipil, the Spaniards prevailed and laid claim to the land, sowing plantations of cotton, balsam and indigo.

Throughout the 1700s agriculture boomed, but a group of 14 elite European families maintained control of most of the land, which was farmed by indigenous and African slaves.

Father José Matías Delgado organized a revolt against Spain in 1811, but it was quickly suppressed. Napoleon's invasion of Spain the following year increased the impetus for reform, and El Salvador eventually gained independence in 1821. However, this did not alter the dynamics of land ownership, an issue at the core of an unsuccessful rebellion by indigenous peoples in 1833, led by Anastasio Aquino. In 1841, following the dissolution of the Central American Federation (formed between El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua), El Salvador became a sovereign independent nation.