Ana María (17 May 1929 – 6 April 1983) was the

nom-de-guerre A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individu ...

of Dr. Mélida Anaya Montes, the second in command of the

Fuerzas Populares de Liberación Farabundo Martí The Fuerzas Populares de Liberación "Farabundo Martí" (FPL) (English: Farabundo Martí Popular Liberation Forces) was a left wing guerrilla military and political organization in El Salvador. It was the oldest of the five groups that merged in ...

(FPL), the oldest of the five guerilla organizations making up the FMLN, in El Salvador. An intellectual, she was considered as an icon among revolutionary women in the region. Eventually she was killed by her own comrades on April 6, 1983, in Managua, Nicaragua. Later, the FMLN blamed its leader

Cayetano Carpio Salvador Cayetano Carpio (6 August 1918 – 12 April 1983), also known as Commander Marcial, was the leader of the Communist Party of El Salvador in the 1960s, until he quit the party to found the Salvadoran revolutionary political-military organ ...

(sometimes referred to as the "

Ho Chi Minh (: ; born ; 19 May 1890 – 2 September 1969), commonly known as (' Uncle Hồ'), also known as ('President Hồ'), (' Old father of the people') and by other aliases, was a Vietnamese revolutionary and statesman. He served as P ...

of Latin America") as the person responsible for the crime, and he committed suicide. Though he was not in Nicaragua at the time, many believe his stance created a situation that led Ana María's associates to assassinate her.

Early life

She was born in the small town of Santiago Texacuangos, in the central zone of El Salvador. Ana María received her Doctorate of Education from the

University of El Salvador The University of El Salvador or Universidad de El Salvador (UES) is the oldest and the most prominent university institution in El Salvador. It serves as the national university of the country. The main campus, Ciudad Universitaria, is located ...

, where she became a professor of education and gave classes in the 1960s. She was the assistant director of the Alberto Masferrer University. In 1965, Anaya Montes founded the National Association of El Salvadorian Teachers (ANDES), also known as 21 de Junio, after its first demonstration in 1965. She led the strikes of educators of 1968 and 1971, which created major trouble for the government of general

Fidel Sánchez Hernández Fidel Sánchez Hernández (7 July 1917 – 28 February 2003) was a Salvadoran military officer and politician who served as president of El Salvador from 1967 to 1972. During his rule, Sánchez Hernández faced war and economic turmoil. Mil ...

. In 1970, the ex-Secretary General of the

Communist Party of El Salvador The Communist Party of El Salvador ( es, Partido Comunista de El Salvador) is a communist party in El Salvador. The Communist Party was founded by Miguel Mármol on 10 March 1930. History In the mid-1960s the U.S. State Department estimate ...

, Salvador Cayetano Carpio founded the first guerrilla detachment of El Salvador: the People's Liberation Forces Farabundo Martí (FPL).

Death

The murder of Anaya Montes was caused by a deep division that had developed within the FMLN. The majority, led by Ana María, favoured negotiation with the government. The hard line faction opposed any negotiation with the government of El Salvador, and supported a prolonged war. This faction was led by Commander Salvador Cayetano Carpio. On 6 April 1983, Ana María was murdered at her home in

Managua, Nicaragua ) , settlement_type = Capital city , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Nicara ...

. Her assassins stabbed her 83 times with an ice pick, and then slashed her neck. Nicaraguan authorities later apprehended the murderers and found them to be members of the FMLN. Rogelio Bazzaglia later confessed to Ana María's murder, stating he was under orders from Carpio, although later retracting it. After her burial and upon hearing the news that Salvador Cayetano Carpio himself was implicated in masterminding Ana María's murder, Carpio committed suicide in his home.

Legacy

Ana María is considered an iconic example for educators and those struggling against oppression, especially in El Salvador. The Melida Anaya Montes Language School in San Salvador, which uses

popular education Popular education is a concept grounded in notions of class, political struggle, and social transformation. The term is a translation from the Spanish educación popular or the Portuguese educação popular and rather than the English usage ...

techniques highlights social justice issues, is named for her. Mélida Anaya Montes Women's Movement (MAM) was created in 1992 to defend women's rights.

References

External links

FMLN
(in Spanish)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ana María 1929 births 1983 deaths People from San Salvador Department Salvadoran revolutionaries Salvadoran communists Women in war in South America Assassinated Salvadoran politicians People murdered in Nicaragua Deaths by stabbing in Nicaragua People of the Salvadoran Civil War Salvadoran people murdered abroad University of El Salvador alumni Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front politicians 20th-century Salvadoran women politicians 20th-century Salvadoran politicians Women in warfare post-1945 Female murder victims 1983 crimes in Nicaragua 1983 murders in North America 1980s murders in Nicaragua

Early life

Death

Legacy

See also

References

Further reading

External links