» View our adventures to El Salvador
The earliest inhabitants of El Salvador were most likely cave-dwellers, members of scattered tribes approximately 10,000 years ago. By the time the Spanish arrived in the 1520s, the local inhabitants were the Pipils, a major founding force for El Salvador—but the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century changed everything. Led by Pedro de Alvarado, the Spanish began a takeover, backed by thousands of Maya warriors.
By the 1800s, revolutions against other European powers began to inspire the local population to break off from Spain’s colonial rule. Hoping for better trade and more say in their government, the merchant class—along with several indigenous groups who were seeking better treatment—joined together in a revolt against the Spanish on Nov. 5, 1811. The 1811 revolt was unsuccessful.
Only ten years later, on Sept. 15, 1821, five provinces—El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica—succeeded in breaking off from Spain. After a short-lived union with Mexico, they joined together to form the Federal Republic of Central America. Discontent with the lack of reforms in the new federation led to a several small rebellions.
For the next 80 years, El Salvador’s history would be dominated by a single crop—coffee. By 1920 it was estimated that roughly 95% of El Salvador’s economy was based on coffee, but that only 2% of the population controlled the profits from the crop. It was the severe drop in coffee prices, along with the stock market crash of 1929, that pushed El Salvador into a new phase. In 1932, an uprising of peasants and displaced coffee workers was met with a brutal response by the government. Roughly 30,000 people were killed for being suspected of taking part in the uprising. As a result, the country was placed under military control and a series of dictatorships began.
From the 1930s through the 1970s, El Salvador was controlled by military dictators and authoritarian governments. Between the loss of their few political gains and the destabilized economy, many Salvadorans were drawn to left-wing political groups that promised reform. When the reforms were not delivered by the ruling government, many left-wing groups began advocating armed revolution instead of political action. They banded together to form a coalition known as the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN).
During the 1980-1992 Salvadoran Civil War, was fought between the FMLN and the government troops, the government used the power of “death squads”—groups of soldiers authorized to execute citizens, even civilians—to frighten and control the population. More than 75,000 people are thought to have died in the conflict.
In January of 1992, the opposing sides reached an agreement and a cease-fire was declared. The FMLN was declared a legitimate opposition party and received promises of certain reforms, such as land distribution. Perhaps to everyone’s surprise, the agreement has worked better than expected. Land distribution was carried out in the 1990s, and the FMLN has become a left-wing party that participates in elections.