Salvadorans (
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
: ''Salvadoreños''), also known as Salvadorians (alternate spelling: Salvadoreans), are citizens of
El Salvador
El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...
, a country in
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
. Most Salvadorans live in El Salvador, although there is also a significant Salvadoran
diaspora
A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin. Historically, the word was used first in reference to the dispersion of Greeks in the Hellenic world, and later Jews after ...
, particularly
in the United States, with smaller communities in other countries around the world.
El Salvador's population was 6,218,000 in 2010, compared to 2,200,000 in 1950.
In 2010, the percentage of the population below the age of 15 was 32.1%, 61% were between 15 and 65 years of age, while 6.9% were 65 years or older.
Demonym
Although not the academic standard, ''Salvadorian'' and ''Salvadorean'' are widely-used English demonyms used by those living in the United States and other English-speaking countries. All three versions of the word can be seen in most Salvadoran business signs in the United States and elsewhere in the world.
''Centroamericano/a'' in Spanish and in English ''Central American'' is an alternative standard and widespread cultural identity term that Salvadorans use to identify themselves, along with their regional isthmian neighbors. It is a secondary demonym and it is widely used as an interchangeable term for El Salvador and Salvadorans. The demonym Central American is an allusion to the strong union that the Central America region has had since its independence. The term Central America is not only a regional cultural identity, but also a political identity, since the region has been united on various occasions as a single country such as the ''United Provinces of Central America'',
Federal Republic of Central America
The Federal Republic of Central America ( es, República Federal de Centroamérica), originally named the United Provinces of Central America ( es, Provincias Unidas del Centro de América), and sometimes simply called Central America, in it ...
, ''National Representation of Central America'', and
Greater Republic of Central America
The Greater Republic of Central America (Spanish: ''República Mayor de Centroamérica''), later the United States of Central America (Spanish: ''Estados Unidos de Centroamérica''), originally planned to be known as the Republic of Central Ame ...
. The same can be said for El Salvador's neighbors, specifically the original five states of
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
.
National Symbols
History
Lithic era
File:Pinturas Rupestres Corinto Morazan 06.JPG, Humanoid petroglyph in Holy Spirit Grotto
The Holy Spirit Grotto (''La Gruta del Espíritu Santo'' in Spanish), also known as Corinto Cave, in Corinto, Morazán, El Salvador, is a registered national monument of petroglyphs. The cave is largely associated with the Xibalba legend. The arc ...
(corinto cave), Morazan, El Salvador.
File:Pinturas Rupestres Corinto Morazan.JPG, Petroglyphs in Holy Spirit Grotto
The Holy Spirit Grotto (''La Gruta del Espíritu Santo'' in Spanish), also known as Corinto Cave, in Corinto, Morazán, El Salvador, is a registered national monument of petroglyphs. The cave is largely associated with the Xibalba legend. The arc ...
(corinto cave), Morazan, El Salvador.
El Salvador was inhabited by
Paleo-Indians, the
first peoples
Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
who subsequently inhabited, the
Americas
The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World.
Along with th ...
during the
glacial episodes of the
late Pleistocene period. Their paintings (the earliest of which date from 8000 BC) can still be seen in caves outside the towns of
Corinto and
Cacaopera
Cacaopera is a municipality in the Morazán department of El Salvador.
According to UNESCO:
The community of Cacaopera is the sole surviving representative of an otherwise vanished ethnic group, variously referred to as Ulua, Matagalpa, or C ...
, both in Morazán. Originating in the
Paleolithic
The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (), also called the Old Stone Age (from Greek: παλαιός ''palaios'', "old" and λίθος ''lithos'', "stone"), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone too ...
period, these cave paintings exhibit the earliest traces of human life in El Salvador; these early Native Americans people used the cave as a refuge, Paleoindian artists created cave and rock paintings that are located in present-day El Salvador.
The
Lencas
The Lenca or Lepawiran "people of the jaguar" are from present day southwest Honduras and eastern El Salvador in Central America. They once spoke many Dialects such as Chilanga, Putun, Kotik etc. Although there were different dialects, they un ...
later occupied the caves and utilized them as spiritual spaces. Other ancient petroglyphs are located in
San Jose Villanueva, La Libertad and
San Isidro, Cabañas. The rock petroglyphs in San Jose Villanueva near a cave in Walter Thilo Deininger National Park are similar to other ancient rock petroglyph around the country. Regarding the style of the engravings, it has been compared with the petroglyphs of La Peña Herrada (
Cuscatlán), el Letrero del Diablo (La Libertad) and la Peña de los Fierros (
San Salvador
San Salvador (; ) is the capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, which comprises the capital i ...
). Other cave locations include the cave of Los Fierros and La Cuevona, both in Cuscatlán.
Archaic Period
Native Americans appeared in the
Pleistocene era
The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was finally confirmed in ...
and became the dominant people in the
Lithic stage
In the sequence of cultural stages first proposed for the archaeology of the Americas by Gordon Willey and Philip Phillips in 1958, the Lithic stage was the earliest period of human occupation in the Americas, as post-glacial hunter gatherers s ...
, developing in the
Archaic period in North America
In the classification of the archaeological cultures of North America, the Archaic period in North America, taken to last from around 8000 to 1000 BC in the sequence of North American pre-Columbian cultural stages, is a period defined by the ''a ...
to the
Formative stage
Several chronologies in the archaeology of the Americas include a Formative Period or Formative stage etc. It is often sub-divided, for example into "Early", "Middle" and "Late" stages.
The Formative is the third of five stages defined by Gord ...
, occupying this phase for thousands of years until European contact at the end of 16th century, spanning from the time of the arrival to the
Upper Paleolithic
The Upper Paleolithic (or Upper Palaeolithic) is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age. Very broadly, it dates to between 50,000 and 12,000 years ago (the beginning of the Holocene), according to some theories coin ...
era to
European colonization of the Americas
During the Age of Discovery, a large scale European colonization of the Americas took place between about 1492 and 1800. Although the Norse had explored and colonized areas of the North Atlantic, colonizing Greenland and creating a short ter ...
during the early modern period.
Mesoamerican-Isthmus cultures
File:Temazcal en Joya de Cerén.jpg, Joya de Cerén
Joya de Cerén (''Jewel of Cerén'' in the Spanish language) is an archaeological site in La Libertad Department, El Salvador, featuring a pre-Columbian Maya farming village.
The ancient Maya site of Joya de Cerén is located in the Zapotitán V ...
File:Tazumal 10.jpg, Tazumal
Tazumal () is a pre-Columbian archeological site in Chalchuapa, El Salvador. Tazumal is an architectural complex within the larger area of the ancient Mesoamerican city of Chalchuapa, in western El Salvador. The Tazumal group is located in the so ...
File:Casa Blanca 1.JPG, Casa Blanca
File:ES SanAndres 06 2011 Panorama Estructura 1 y 2 La Acropolis 2194.jpg, San Andres
File:Piramide Cihuatan.jpg, Cihuatán
Cihuatán is a major pre-Columbian archaeological site in central El Salvador.Proyecto Argueológico Cihuatán. Bruhns 1980, p. 6. It was a very large city located in the extreme south of the Mesoamerican cultural area, and has been dated to the E ...
File:Maya cup, Museo de América 9.jpg, Late Classic Maya cup from El Salvador. 600–900 AD.
File:ES Joya Ceren Museum 05 2012 1521.JPG, Mayan artifact found at the Joya de Cerén
Joya de Cerén (''Jewel of Cerén'' in the Spanish language) is an archaeological site in La Libertad Department, El Salvador, featuring a pre-Columbian Maya farming village.
The ancient Maya site of Joya de Cerén is located in the Zapotitán V ...
archaeological site
File:ES Joya Ceren Museum 05 2012 1520.JPG, Mayan artifact found at the Joya de Cerén
Joya de Cerén (''Jewel of Cerén'' in the Spanish language) is an archaeological site in La Libertad Department, El Salvador, featuring a pre-Columbian Maya farming village.
The ancient Maya site of Joya de Cerén is located in the Zapotitán V ...
archaeological site
File:Maya bowl, Museo de América, Madrid.jpg, Late Classic Maya bowl, El Copador style, El Salvador.
File:Postclassic vessel from El Salvador.jpg, Late Postclassic ceramic vessel from El Salvador, with face decoration. 1200–1520 AD.
File:Maya vessel, Museo de América 2.jpg, Late Classic Maya vessel from El Salvador, 600–900 AD
File:Maya plate, Museo de América 3.jpg, Late Classic Maya plate, El Salvador.
File:Maya bowl, Museo de América.jpg, Late Classic Maya bowl from El Salvador.
File:ES Tazumal 06 2011 Xipe Totec 2292.jpg, Tazumal
Tazumal () is a pre-Columbian archeological site in Chalchuapa, El Salvador. Tazumal is an architectural complex within the larger area of the ancient Mesoamerican city of Chalchuapa, in western El Salvador. The Tazumal group is located in the so ...
's Xipe Totec.
![Indigenous houses in El Salvador](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Indigenous_houses_in_El_Salvador.png)
Historically El Salvador has had diverse Native American cultures, coming from the north and south of the continent along with local populations mixed together. El Salvador belongs to both to the
Mesoamerican region
The Mesoamerican region (often abbreviated MAR) is a trans-national economic region in the Americas that is recognized by the OECD and other economic and developmental organizations, comprising the united economies of the seven countries in Centra ...
in the western part of the country, and to the
Isthmo-Colombian Area
The Isthmo-Colombian Area is defined as a cultural area encompassing those territories occupied predominantly by speakers of the Chibchan languages at the time of European contact. It includes portions of the Central American isthmus like eastern E ...
in the eastern part of the country, where a myriad of indigenous societies have lived side by side for centuries with their unique cultures and speaking different
indigenous languages of the Americas
Over a thousand indigenous languages are spoken by the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. These languages cannot all be demonstrated to be related to each other and are classified into a hundred or so language families (including a large numbe ...
in the beginning of the
Classic stage
In archaeological cultures of North America, the classic stage is the theoretical North and Meso-American societies that existed between AD 500 and 1200. This stage is the fourth of five stages posited by Gordon Willey and Philip Phillips' 1958 ...
.
The
Lenca people
The Lenca or Lepawiran "people of the jaguar" are from present day southwest Honduras and eastern El Salvador in Central America. They once spoke many Dialects such as Chilanga, Putun, Kotik etc. Although there were different dialects, they un ...
are an indigenous people of eastern El Salvador where population today is estimated at about 37,000. The Lenca was a matriarchal society and was one of the
first civilization
A cradle of civilization is a location and a culture where civilization was created by mankind independent of other civilizations in other locations. The formation of urban settlements (cities) is the primary characteristic of a society that c ...
s to develop in El Salvador and were the first major civilization in the country. The pre-Conquest
Salvadoran Lenca
Salvadoran Lenca was spoken in Chilanga and Potón. Lencans had arrived in El Salvador about 2,000 years B.C.E and founded the site of Quelepa. One speaker remains in Potón.
Salvadoran Lenca is of the small language family of Lencan languages ...
had frequent contact with various Maya groups as well as other indigenous peoples of Central America. The origin of Lenca populations has been a source of ongoing debate amongst anthropologists and historians. Throughout the regions of Lenca occupation, Lenca pottery is a very distinguishable form of
Pre-Columbian art
Pre-Columbian art refers to the visual arts of indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, North, Central, and South Americas from at least 13,000 BCE to the European conquests starting in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. The Pre-Columbian era c ...
. Handcrafted by Lenca women, Lenca pottery is considered an ethnic marking of their culture. Some scholars have suggested that the Lenca migrated to the Central American region from South America around 3,000 years ago, making it the oldest civilization in El Salvador. Guancasco is the annual ceremony by which Lenca communities, usually two, gather to establish reciprocal obligations in order to confirm peace and friendship.
Quelepa
Quelepa is an important archaeological site located in eastern El Salvador. Generally considered to have been settled by the Lenca people, the site was founded around 400 BC in the Late Preclassic period (500 BC - AD 250). The inhabitants const ...
is a major site in eastern El Salvador. Its pottery shows strong similarities to ceramics found in central western El Salvador and the Maya highlands. The Lenca sites of Yarumela, Los Naranjos in Honduras, and Quelepa in El Salvador, all contain evidence of the
Usulután
Usulután () is the fifth largest city in El Salvador, and capital of the Usulután Department in the south-east of El Salvador.
As of 2006, it is estimated to have population of 71,636 people. Usulután rests in a rich agricultural valley and ...
-style ceramics.
The
Cacaopera people
The Cacaopera people also known as the Matagalpa or Ulúa., are an indigenous people in what is now El Salvador and Nicaragua.
History
The Matagalpa are one of the most important cultures in the historical development of the Nicaraguan territory ...
are an indigenous people in El Salvador who are also known as the Matagalpa or Ulua. Cacaopera people spoke the
Cacaopera language
Cacaopera is an extinct language belonging to the Misumalpan family, formerly spoken in the department of Morazán in El Salvador by the Cacaopera people. It was closely related to Matagalpa, and slightly more distantly to Sumo, but was geograp ...
, a
Misumalpan language
The Misumalpan languages (also Misumalpa or Misuluan) are a small family of languages spoken by indigenous peoples on the east coast of Nicaragua and nearby areas. The name "Misumalpan" was devised by John Alden Mason and is composed of syllables ...
. Cacaopera is an extinct language belonging to the Misumalpan family, formerly spoken in the department of Morazán in El Salvador. It was closely related to Matagalpa, and slightly more distantly to Sumo, but was geographically separated from other
Misumalpan languages
The Misumalpan languages (also Misumalpa or Misuluan) are a small family of languages spoken by indigenous peoples on the east coast of Nicaragua and nearby areas. The name "Misumalpan" was devised by John Alden Mason and is composed of syllables ...
.
The
Xinca people
The Xinka, or Xinca, are a non-Mayan indigenous people of Mesoamerica, with communities in the southern portion of Guatemala, near its border with El Salvador, and in the mountainous region to the north.
Their languages (the Xincan languages) are ...
, also known as the Xinka, are a non-Mayan indigenous people of Mesoamerica, with communities in the western part of El Salvador near its border. The Xinka may have been among the earliest inhabitants of western El Salvador, predating the arrival of the Maya and the Pipil. The Xinca ethnic group became extinct in the Mestizo process.
El Salvador has two
Maya
Maya may refer to:
Civilizations
* Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America
** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples
** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples
* Maya (Ethiopia), a populat ...
groups, the
Poqomam people
The Poqomam are a Maya people in Guatemala and El Salvador. Their indigenous language is also called Poqomam and is closely related to Poqomchi'. Notable Poqomam settlements are located in Chinautla (Guatemala (department)), Palín (Escuintla), ...
and the
Ch'orti' people Ch'orti' (or Chorti) may refer to:
* Ch'orti' people - one of the indigenous Maya peoples of southeastern Guatemala and western Honduras
* Ch’orti’ language - a Mayan language, spoken by the Ch'orti' people
{{disambig ...
. The Poqomam are a Maya people in western El Salvador near its border. Their indigenous language is also called Poqomam. The Ch'orti' people (alternatively, Ch'orti' Maya or Chorti) are one of the indigenous Maya peoples, who primarily reside in communities and towns of northern El Salvador. The Maya once dominated the entire western portion of El Salvador, up until the eruption of the
lake ilopango
Lake Ilopango is a crater lake which fills an 8 by 11 km (72 km2 or 28 sq mi) volcanic caldera in central El Salvador, on the borders of the San Salvador, La Paz, and Cuscatlán departments. The caldera, which contains the second lar ...
super volcano. Mayan ruins are the most widely conserved in El Salvador and artifacts such as
Maya ceramics
Maya ceramics are ceramics produced in the Pre-Columbian Maya culture of Mesoamerica. The vessels used different colors, sizes, and had varied purposes. Vessels for the elite could be painted with very detailed scenes, while utilitarian vessels we ...
Mesoamerican writing systems
Mesoamerica, along with Mesopotamia and China, is one of three known places in the world where writing is thought to have developed independently. Mesoamerican scripts deciphered to date are a combination of logographic and syllabic systems. Th ...
Mesoamerican calendars
Mesoamerican calendars are the calendrical systems devised and used by the pre-Columbian cultures of Mesoamerica. Besides keeping time, Mesoamerican calendars were also used in religious observances and social rituals, such as for divination.
T ...
and
Mesoamerican ballgame
The Mesoamerican ballgame ( nah, ōllamalīztli, , myn, pitz) was a sport with ritual associations played since at least 1650 BC by the pre-Columbian people of Mesoamerica, Ancient Mesoamerica. The sport had different versions in different pl ...
can be found in all Maya ruins in El Salvador which include
Tazumal
Tazumal () is a pre-Columbian archeological site in Chalchuapa, El Salvador. Tazumal is an architectural complex within the larger area of the ancient Mesoamerican city of Chalchuapa, in western El Salvador. The Tazumal group is located in the so ...
,
San Andrés, El Salvador
San Andrés (formerly known as Campana San Andrés) is a pre-Columbian site in El Salvador,Kelly 1996, p.300. whose occupation began around the year 900 BC as an agricultural town in the valley of Zapotitán in the department of La Libertad. T ...
,
Casa Blanca, El Salvador
Casa Blanca is a pre-Columbian Maya archeological site in Chalchuapa, El Salvador. The site possesses several pyramids dating to the Late Preclassic period (500 BC – AD 250) and the Classic period (AD 250–900). This ruin is part of th ...
,
Cihuatan, and
Joya de Cerén
Joya de Cerén (''Jewel of Cerén'' in the Spanish language) is an archaeological site in La Libertad Department, El Salvador, featuring a pre-Columbian Maya farming village.
The ancient Maya site of Joya de Cerén is located in the Zapotitán V ...
.
Alaguilac people
Alaguilac were an indigenous Nahua people who lived on the Río Motagua in what is now eastern Guatemala and northern El Salvador. The Alagüilac language
Alagüilac is an unclassified languages, undocumented Indigenous peoples of the Americas, ...
were a former indigenous group located on northern El Salvador. Their language is unclassified. The
Alagüilac language
Alagüilac is an unclassified languages, undocumented Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous American language that is thought to have been spoken by the Alaguilac people, Alaguilac people of Guatemala at the time of the Spanish conquest. ...
is an undocumented indigenous American language that is now extinct. The Alaguilac ethnic group became extinct during the Mestizo process.
The
Mixe people
The Mixe (Spanish ' or rarely ' ) are an indigenous people of Mexico inhabiting the eastern highlands of the state of Oaxaca. They speak the Mixe languages, which are classified in the Mixe–Zoque family, and are more culturally conservative tha ...
is an indigenous group that inhabited the western borders of El Salvador. They spoke the
Mixe languages
The Mixe languages are languages of the Mixean branch of the Mixe–Zoquean language family indigenous to southern Mexico. According to a 1995 classification, there are seven of them (including one that is extinct). The four that are spoken in ...
which are classified in the Mixe–Zoque family, The
Mixe languages
The Mixe languages are languages of the Mixean branch of the Mixe–Zoquean language family indigenous to southern Mexico. According to a 1995 classification, there are seven of them (including one that is extinct). The four that are spoken in ...
are languages of the Mixean branch of the
Mixe–Zoquean language family. The Mixe ethnic group became extinct during the Mestizo process.
The Mangue people, also known as Chorotega, spoke the
Mangue language
Mangue, also known as Chorotega,Daniel G. Brinton. 1886. Notes on the Mangue; An Extinct Dialect Formerly Spoken in Nicaragua Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society , Vol. 23, No. 122 (Apr., 1886), pp. 238-257 is an extinct Oto-Mangue ...
, a now-extinct
Oto-Manguean language
The Oto-Manguean or Otomanguean languages are a large family comprising several subfamilies of indigenous languages of the Americas. All of the Oto-Manguean languages that are now spoken are indigenous to Mexico, but the Manguean branch of the ...
. They occupied land near the eastern El Salvador border, near the gulf.
The
Pipil people
The Nahua people, also academically referred to as ''Pipil'', are an indigenous group of Mesoamerican people inhabiting the western and central areas of present-day El Salvador. Although very few speakers are now left, they speak the Nawat langua ...
are an indigenous people who live in western El Salvador. Their language is called Nahuat or Pipil, related to the Toltec people of the
Nahua peoples
The Nahuas () are a group of the indigenous people of Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. They comprise the largest indigenous group in Mexico and second largest in El Salvador. The Mexica (Aztecs) were of Nahua ethnicity, a ...
and were speakers of early Nahuatl languages. However, in general, their mythology is more closely related to the
Maya mythology
Maya or Mayan mythology is part of Mesoamerican mythology and comprises all of the Maya tales in which personified forces of nature, deities, and the heroes interacting with these play the main roles. The myths of the era have to be reconstructed ...
, who are their near neighbors and by oral tradition said to have been adopted by Ch'orti' and Poqomam Mayan people during the Pipil exodus in the 9th century CE. The culture lasted until the Spanish conquest, at which time they still maintained their Nawat language, despite being surrounded by the Maya in western El Salvador. By the time the Spanish arrived, Pipil and Poqomam Maya settlements were interspersed throughout western El Salvador. The Pipil are known as the last indigenous civilization to arrive in El Salvador, being the least oldest and were a determined people who stoutly resisted Spanish efforts to extend their dominion southward. The Pipil are direct descendants of the Toltecs, but not of the Aztecs.
Evidence of
Olmec
The Olmecs () were the earliest known major Mesoamerican civilization. Following a progressive development in Soconusco, they occupied the tropical lowlands of the modern-day Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco. It has been speculated that t ...
civilization presence in western El Salvador can be found in the ruin sites of
Chalchuapa
Chalchuapa is a town and a municipality located in the Santa Ana department of El Salvador. The city of Chalchuapa is in a wide valley at 650 meters above sea level, and watered by the Pampe River.
Overview
It is situated 15 kilometers west ...
in the
Ahuachapan department. Olmec petroglyphs can be found on boulders in Chalchuapa portraying Omlec warriors with helmets identical to those found on the
Olmec colossal heads
The Olmec colossal heads are stone representations of human heads sculpted from large basalt boulders. They range in height from . The heads date from at least 900 BC and are a distinctive feature of the Olmecs, Olmec civilization of ancient Mesoam ...
. This suggest that the area was once an Olmec enclave, before fading away for unknown reasons. The Olmecs are believed to have lived in present-day El Salvador as early as 2000 BC. The 'Olmec Boulder, ' is a sculpture of a giant head found near
Casa Blanca, El Salvador
Casa Blanca is a pre-Columbian Maya archeological site in Chalchuapa, El Salvador. The site possesses several pyramids dating to the Late Preclassic period (500 BC – AD 250) and the Classic period (AD 250–900). This ruin is part of th ...
site in Las Victorias near Chalchuapa. "Olmecoid" figurines such as the
Potbelly sculpture
Potbelly sculptures (Spanish barrigones pl. or barrigón sing.) are in-the-round sculptures of obese human figures carved from boulders. They are a distinctive element of the sculptural tradition in the southern Maya area of Mesoamerica. The prec ...
have been found through this area, in fact most are described as looking primeval proto-Olmec.
Spanish conquest (1522)
![Rutas AndresANiñoa](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Rutas_AndresANi%C3%B1oa.jpg)
By 1521, the indigenous population of the Mesoamerican area had been drastically reduced by the
smallpox epidemic
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) cer ...
that was spreading throughout the territory, although it had not yet reached pandemic levels in Cuzcatlán or the northern portion Managuara.
The first known visit by Spaniards to what is now Salvadoran territory was made by the admiral
Andrés Niño
Andrés Niño (born in Moguer in 1475; died about 1530) was a Spanish navigator.
Biography
From early youth he navigated vessels for the Portuguese government to the coast of Africa and the East Indies, and he went in 1515 to Panama, where he ac ...
, who led an expedition to Central America. He disembarked in the
Gulf of Fonseca
The Gulf of Fonseca ( es, Golfo de Fonseca; ), a part of the Pacific Ocean, is a gulf in Central America, bordering El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
History
Fonseca Bay was discovered for Europeans in 1522 by Gil González de Ávila, ...
on 31 May 1522, at
Meanguera island, naming it Petronila,
and then traversed to
Jiquilisco Bay
The Jiquilisco Bay Biosphere Reserve is located on the southeast Pacific coast of El Salvador, in the department of Usulután. Jiquilisco Bay's mangrove-lined inlets and bay host the largest abundance of coastal-marine birds in the El Salvador, ma ...
on the mouth of
Lempa River
The Lempa River ( es, Río Lempa) is a river in Central America.
Geography
Its sources are located in between the Sierra Madre and the Sierra del Merendón in southern Guatemala, near the town of Olopa. In Guatemala the river is called ''Río O ...
. The first indigenous people to have contact with the Spanish were the Lenca of eastern El Salvador.
Growth of the population
File:DensidaddePoblacionenCentroamerica.jpg, Population density in Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
File:PoblacionSalvadoreñoenlosEstadosUnidos.png, Salvadoran population in the United States
File:Lanzamiento_de_las_Fuerzas_Especailizadas_de_Reacción_El_Salvador,_FES._(25942889043).jpg, Salvadoran troops
File:Seleccion salvadoreña de beisbol.jpg, Salvadoran baseball players
File:Casa Abierta-Familia Campesinas dueños de tierras. (25191777792).jpg, Young Salvadoran man playing a guitar
File:Festival para el Buen Vivir y Gobernando con la Gente-San Vicente (24811592789).jpg, Salvadoran women San Vicente, El Salvador
San Vicente () is a municipality in the San Vicente department of El Salvador. It was founded by 50 Spanish families in 1635 under the Tempisque tree, which is still standing today.
Historic sites
One point of interest is the Tower of San Vicente ...
File:Mesa Grande refugee camp 1987 116.jpg, Salvadoran refugee children during the civil war, 1987
File:A U.S. Soldier, left, assigned to Joint Task Force Jaguar gives a dental screening to a boy during Beyond the Horizon (BTH) 2013 in Metalio, El Salvador, May 18, 2013 130518-A-IA672-087.jpg, Salvadoran boy
File:5o. Feria del Jocote-San Lorenzo, Ahuachapán. (25771696524).jpg, Young Salvadoran women in Ahuachapan
File:Potada.JPG, Salvadoran model Irma Dimas
Irma Dimas (born Irma Marina Dimas Pineda; 9 August 1986, in San Salvador, El Salvador), is a Salvadoran former model who was crowned Miss El Salvador on 27 February 2005. She made headlines recently for her foray into the politics of El Salvado ...
from Sonsonate
Sonsonate () is a city and municipality of El Salvador. It is the capital of the department of Sonsonate; on the Sensunapan River and the Pan-American Highway from San Salvador to the Pacific port of Acajutla, south. Pop. (2007), about 71,541.
E ...
File:PuertoLaLibertadSV.jpg, Salvadoran boy in La Libertad, La Libertad
La Libertad (English: ''Liberty'') is a municipality in the La Libertad Department of El Salvador. It had a population of 35,997 inhabitants in 2007 according to the official census of that year. It is one of the main tourist attractions in the ...
File:Festival para el Buen Vivir y Gobernando con la Gente-San Pedro Perulapán. (25439135320).jpg, Salvadoran boy in San Pedro Perulapán
San Pedro Perulapán is a municipality in the Cuscatlán department of El Salvador. San Pedro Perulapán is a town whose origins are pre-Columbian; it received the title of city on April 28, 1921. The Battle of San Pedro Perulapán occurred h ...
File:Festival para el Buen Vivir y Gobernando con la Gente-San Pedro Perulapán. (25740938735).jpg, Salvadoran boys in San Pedro Perulapán
San Pedro Perulapán is a municipality in the Cuscatlán department of El Salvador. San Pedro Perulapán is a town whose origins are pre-Columbian; it received the title of city on April 28, 1921. The Battle of San Pedro Perulapán occurred h ...
File:Festival para el Buen Vivir y Gobernando con la Gente-San Pedro Perulapán. (25440266500).jpg, Salvadoran boys coloring, San Pedro Perulapán
San Pedro Perulapán is a municipality in the Cuscatlán department of El Salvador. San Pedro Perulapán is a town whose origins are pre-Columbian; it received the title of city on April 28, 1921. The Battle of San Pedro Perulapán occurred h ...
El Salvador
El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...
has the largest population density in
Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
, and is the third most populated country in
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
after
Honduras
Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...
and
Guatemala
Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
, from the 2005 census, the population exceeds 6 million. The total impact of civil wars, dictatorships and socioeconomics drove over a million Salvadorans (both as immigrants and refugees) into the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
;
Guatemala
Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
is the second country that hosts more Salvadorans behind the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, approximately 110,000 Salvadorans according to the national census of 2010. in addition small Salvadoran communities sprung up in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
,
Belize
Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...
,
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
,
Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, and
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
since the migration trend began in the early 1970s.
Salvadoran Diaspora in the United States
The 2010 U.S. Census counted 1,648,968 Salvadorans in the United States, up from 655,165 in 2000. By 2017, the figure had risen to over 2.3 million.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2015 American Community Survey, the top
Metropolitan statistical area
In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...
s for the Salvadoran community are:
Salvadoran-American diaspora over time:
Ethnic groups
White and Mestizo Salvadorans
![Proclama de libertad (indep](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Proclama_de_libertad_%28indep._Centroam%C3%A9rica%29.jpg)
As is the case elsewhere in
Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
, there is no clear distinction between White and Mestizo Salvadorans, the large majority of the population have varying proportions of
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
and
Native American ancestry. In addition, many Salvadorans have more recent ancestry from
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
,
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
,
Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
*Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
*Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss Internation ...
,
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
,
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
, and
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
descent. A majority of
Central Europe
Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the area' ...
an settlers in El Salvador arrived during World War II as refugees from the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, and
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. In northern departments like the
Chalatenango Department
Chalatenango () is a department of El Salvador, located in the northwest of the country. The capital is the city of Chalatenango. The Chalatenango Department encompasses 2,017 km² and contains more than 204,000 inhabitants. ''Las Matras A ...
, it is well known that residents in the area are of pure Spanish descent. The governor of San Salvador,
Francisco Luis Héctor de Carondelet
Francisco Luis Héctor de Carondelet y Bosoist, 5th Baron of Carondelet, (born 1748, Noyelles-sur-Selle, County of Flanders, Flanders – died 1807 Quito, Ecuador) was a Spanish administrator of partial Burgundy, Burgundian descent in the employ ...
, ordered families from northern Spain (
Galicia and
Asturias
Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in nor ...
) to settle the area to compensate for the lack of indigenous people to work the land; it is not uncommon to see people with blond hair, fair skin, and blue or green eyes in municipalities like
Dulce Nombre de María
Dulce Nombre de María is a town and municipality in the Chalatenango Department
Chalatenango () is a department of El Salvador, located in the northwest of the country. The capital is the city of Chalatenango. The Chalatenango Department en ...
,
La Palma
La Palma (, ), also known as ''La isla bonita'' () and officially San Miguel de La Palma, is the most north-westerly island of the Canary Islands, Spain. La Palma has an area of making it the fifth largest of the eight main Canary Islands. The ...
, and
El Pital
Cerro El Pital is a mountain in Central America, on the border of El Salvador and Honduras. It is located from the town of La Palma at a height of above sea level, and is the highest point in Salvadoran territory and the third from Honduras. ...
. However, the majority of Salvadorans of full Spanish descent possess Mediterranean racial features: olive skin and dark hair and eyes (black or dark brown) and identify with the
mestizo
(; ; fem. ) is a term used for racial classification to refer to a person of mixed Ethnic groups in Europe, European and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous American ancestry. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also r ...
majority, As for the mestizo / castizo population, it dates back to the time of the discovery of America, Because there were no Spanish women, the Spaniards maintained relationships with Amerindian women, before the discovery, El Salvador was the second Central American country with the least indigenous population, and due to the hostility of the Spanish and added to the diseases brought by them, the population was greatly reduced and precipitously, the Amerindian men were more affected than the Amerindian women, in the first years of the colony, 50% of the population Salvadoran was Mestizo and White, in 1805, 78% of the inhabitants of El Salvador were Mestizo and White.
Later, in the post-colonial era, the country received several groups of European immigrants, mainly from Spain and Italy, mainly between 1880 and 1930, when several Europeans emigrated to the country, immigration had a great demographic impact, the population of El Salvador went from 480 thousand to 1.2 million inhabitants
Arab Salvadorans
![Arabelsalvador](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Arabelsalvador.png)
There is a significant with at least partial Arab descent (of about 100,000); mostly from
Palestine
__NOTOC__
Palestine may refer to:
* State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia
* Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia
* Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
(especially from the area of
Bethlehem
Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...
), but also from Lebanon.
Salvadorans of Palestinian descent numbered around 70,000 individuals, while Salvadorans of
Lebanese descent is around 25,000. There is also a small community of
Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
who came to El Salvador from France, Germany,
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
,
Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
, and
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
.
Arab immigration in El Salvador began at the end of the 19th century in the wake of the repressive policies applied by the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
against
Maronite Catholics
The Maronite Church is an Eastern Catholic '' sui iuris'' particular church in full communion with the pope and the worldwide Catholic Church, with self-governance under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. The current head of the Mar ...
. Several of the destinations that the Lebanese chose at that time were in countries of the Americas, including El Salvador. This resulted in the Arab diaspora residents being characterized by forging in devoutly Christian families and very attached to their beliefs, because in these countries they can exercise their faith without fear of persecution, which resulted in the rise of Lebanese-Salvadoran, Syrian-Salvadoran and Palestinian-Salvadoran communities in El Salvador.
Currently, the
Palestinian
Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...
community forms the largest Arab diaspora population in El Salvador, with 70,000 direct descendants, followed by the
Lebanese community with more than 27,000 direct descendants. Both are almost entirely composed of
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
and
Orthodox Christians
Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion.
Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churc ...
.
Inter-ethnic marriage in the Lebanese community with Salvadorans, regardless of religious affiliation, is very high; most have only one father with Lebanese nationality and mother of Salvadoran nationality. As a result, some of them speak Arabic fluently. But most, especially among younger generations, speak Spanish as a first language and Arabic as a second.
Arab-Salvadoreans and their descendants have traditionally played an outsized role in El Salvador's economic and political life, with many becoming business leaders and noteworthy political figures.
Indigenous Salvadorans
![EGRZ4IjX0AAka8Y](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/EGRZ4IjX0AAka8Y.jpg)
According to the Salvadoran Government, about 1% of the population are of full or predominant indigenous origin. The largest most dominant Native Salvadoran groups in El Salvador are the
Lenca people
The Lenca or Lepawiran "people of the jaguar" are from present day southwest Honduras and eastern El Salvador in Central America. They once spoke many Dialects such as Chilanga, Putun, Kotik etc. Although there were different dialects, they un ...
and
Pipil people
The Nahua people, also academically referred to as ''Pipil'', are an indigenous group of Mesoamerican people inhabiting the western and central areas of present-day El Salvador. Although very few speakers are now left, they speak the Nawat langua ...
followed by small enclaves of
Maya peoples
The Maya peoples () are an ethnolinguistic group of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica. The ancient Maya civilization was formed by members of this group, and today's Maya are generally descended from people ...
: (
Poqomam people
The Poqomam are a Maya people in Guatemala and El Salvador. Their indigenous language is also called Poqomam and is closely related to Poqomchi'. Notable Poqomam settlements are located in Chinautla (Guatemala (department)), Palín (Escuintla), ...
/
Chorti people),
Cacaopera people
The Cacaopera people also known as the Matagalpa or Ulúa., are an indigenous people in what is now El Salvador and Nicaragua.
History
The Matagalpa are one of the most important cultures in the historical development of the Nicaraguan territory ...
,
Xinca people
The Xinka, or Xinca, are a non-Mayan indigenous people of Mesoamerica, with communities in the southern portion of Guatemala, near its border with El Salvador, and in the mountainous region to the north.
Their languages (the Xincan languages) are ...
,
Alaguilac people
Alaguilac were an indigenous Nahua people who lived on the Río Motagua in what is now eastern Guatemala and northern El Salvador. The Alagüilac language
Alagüilac is an unclassified languages, undocumented Indigenous peoples of the Americas, ...
,
Mixe people
The Mixe (Spanish ' or rarely ' ) are an indigenous people of Mexico inhabiting the eastern highlands of the state of Oaxaca. They speak the Mixe languages, which are classified in the Mixe–Zoque family, and are more culturally conservative tha ...
,
Mangue language
Mangue, also known as Chorotega,Daniel G. Brinton. 1886. Notes on the Mangue; An Extinct Dialect Formerly Spoken in Nicaragua Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society , Vol. 23, No. 122 (Apr., 1886), pp. 238-257 is an extinct Oto-Mangue ...
people, as well as an
Olmec
The Olmecs () were the earliest known major Mesoamerican civilization. Following a progressive development in Soconusco, they occupied the tropical lowlands of the modern-day Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco. It has been speculated that t ...
past. (
Pipil Pipil may refer to:
*Nahua people of western El Salvador
*Pipil language
Nawat (academically Pipil, also known as Nicarao) is a Nahuan language native to Central America. It is the southernmost extant member of the Uto-Aztecan family. It was spo ...
, located in the west and central part of the country, and
Lenca
The Lenca or Lepawiran "people of the jaguar" are from present day southwest Honduras and eastern El Salvador in Central America. They once spoke many Dialects such as Chilanga, Putun, Kotik etc. Although there were different dialects, they under ...
, found east of the
Lempa River
The Lempa River ( es, Río Lempa) is a river in Central America.
Geography
Its sources are located in between the Sierra Madre and the Sierra del Merendón in southern Guatemala, near the town of Olopa. In Guatemala the river is called ''Río O ...
). There are small populations of
Cacaopera people
The Cacaopera people also known as the Matagalpa or Ulúa., are an indigenous people in what is now El Salvador and Nicaragua.
History
The Matagalpa are one of the most important cultures in the historical development of the Nicaraguan territory ...
in the
Morazán Department
Morazán () is a department of El Salvador. Located in the northeast part of the country, its capital is San Francisco Gotera. It covers a total surface area of 1,447 km² and has a population of more than 199,500.
History
Gotera was ma ...
and a few
Ch'orti' people Ch'orti' (or Chorti) may refer to:
* Ch'orti' people - one of the indigenous Maya peoples of southeastern Guatemala and western Honduras
* Ch’orti’ language - a Mayan language, spoken by the Ch'orti' people
{{disambig ...
live in the department of
Ahuachapán
Ahuachapán () is a city, and municipality, and the capital of the Ahuachapán Department in western El Salvador. The municipality, including the city, covers an area of 244.84 km² and as of 2007 has a population of 110,511 people. Situat ...
, near the border of
Guatemala
Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
.
The official number of indigenous people in El Salvador has been criticized by indigenous organizations and academics as too small and many accuse the government of denying the existence of indigenous Salvadorans in the country. According to the National Salvadoran Indigenous Coordination Council (CCNIS) and CONCULTURA (National Council for Art and Culture at the Ministry of Education), approximately 70,000 or 1 per cent of Salvadorian peoples are indigenous.
Nonetheless, very few Amerindians have retained their customs and traditions, having over time assimilated into the dominant Mestizo/Spanish culture. The low numbers of indigenous people may be partly explained by historically high rates of old-world diseases, absorption into the mestizo population, as well as mass murder during the
1932 Salvadoran peasant uprising
''La Matanza'' (Spanish for "The Massacre") refers to a communist-indigenous rebellion in El Salvador that took place between 22 and 25 January 1932. It was succeeded by large-scale government killings in western El Salvador, which resulted ...
(or ''La Matanza''). This massacre saw (estimates of) up to 30,000
peasants
A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasants ...
killed in a short period of time. Many authors note that since ''La Matanza'' the indigenous in El Salvador have been very reluctant to describe themselves as such (in census declarations for example) or to wear indigenous dress or be seen to be taking part in any cultural activities or customs that might be understood as indigenous. Departments and cities in the country with notable indigenous populations include
Sonsonate
Sonsonate () is a city and municipality of El Salvador. It is the capital of the department of Sonsonate; on the Sensunapan River and the Pan-American Highway from San Salvador to the Pacific port of Acajutla, south. Pop. (2007), about 71,541.
E ...
(especially
Izalco
Izalco (in Nawat: ''Itzalku'') is a municipality in the Sonsonate department of El Salvador.
Volcan Izalco is an icon of the country of El Salvador, a very young Volcano on the flank of Santa Ana volcano. From when it was born in 1770 until 196 ...
,
Nahuizalco
Nahuizalco is a municipality in the Sonsonate department of El Salvador. It lies on the "flowers route" ( Ruta de las Flores), 9 km from Sonsonate and 74 km from San Salvador, at 540 m above sea level on the southern part of the Apaneca- ...
, and
Santo Domingo
, total_type = Total
, population_density_km2 = auto
, timezone = AST (UTC −4)
, area_code_type = Area codes
, area_code = 809, 829, 849
, postal_code_type = Postal codes
, postal_code = 10100–10699 (Distrito Nacional)
, websi ...
),
Cacaopera
Cacaopera is a municipality in the Morazán department of El Salvador.
According to UNESCO:
The community of Cacaopera is the sole surviving representative of an otherwise vanished ethnic group, variously referred to as Ulua, Matagalpa, or C ...
, and
Panchimalco
Panchimal is a town in the San Salvador department of El Salvador.
Panchimalco ("The Place of Flags and Shields," from the Nahuatl, "Pantli," meaning banner or flag; "Chimalli," meaning shield or herald, and "co," place) Its 35,000 inhabitants, s ...
, in the department of
San Salvador
San Salvador (; ) is the capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, which comprises the capital i ...
.
Other
In the 2007 census, 0.7% of the population was considered as "other".
There are up to 100,000
Nicaraguan
Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...
s living in El Salvador.
Language
File:Palenque glyphs-edit1.jpg, El Salvador was home to Mayan Script
Spanish is the language spoken by virtually all inhabitants.
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
(official),
Salvadoran Sign Language
Salvadoran Sign language is a language used by the deaf community in El Salvador. Its main purpose is to communicate. There are three distinct forms of sign language. American Sign Language was brought over to El Salvador from the United States ...
,
Pipil (Nawat) ,
Kekchí. Immigrant languages include
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
,
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
,
Poqomam, and
American Sign Language
American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States of America and most of Anglophone Canadians, Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual lang ...
.
Literacy
: ''definition:'' age 10 and over can read and write
: ''total:'' 95.0%
: ''male:'' 94.4%
: ''female:'' 95.5%
: ''urban:'' 97.2%
: ''rural:'' 91.8%
Religion
File:Iglesia El Rosario, frente a Plaza Libertad.jpg, Iglesia El Rosario, San Salvador
San Salvador (; ) is the capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, which comprises the capital i ...
File:Postal de la Catedral Metropolitana de San Salvador.jpg, San Salvador Cathedral
The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Holy Savior ( es, Catedral Metropolitana de San Salvador) is the cathedral, cathedral church of the Catholic Church, Catholic Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Salvador, Archdiocese of San Salvador in San Salvador ...
File:CATEDRAL DE SAN MIGUEL, EL SALVADOR - panoramio.jpg, Cathedral Basilica of Queen of Peace, San Miguel
The Cathedral Basilica of Queen of Peace ( es, Catedral-Basílica Reina de la Paz), also called San Miguel Cathedral, is a Catholic church located in the city of San Miguel, El Salvador.
In 1740 the mayor of San Salvador, Manuel Gálvez del Co ...
File:Iglesia Don Rua.JPG, Iglesia Don Rua, San Salvador
San Salvador (; ) is the capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, which comprises the capital i ...
File:Fachada principal de la Iglesia El Calvario.JPG, Iglesia El Calvario, San Salvador
San Salvador (; ) is the capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, which comprises the capital i ...
File:El Carmen SantaTecla.jpg, Iglesia El Carmen
The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen (Spanish for Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel) is a catholic parish church in the city of Santa Tecla, La Libertad Department, El Salvador. It was completed in 1914 in a neo-gothic style.
History
The ...
, San Salvador
San Salvador (; ) is the capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, which comprises the capital i ...
File:Basílica Sagrado Corazón de Jesús.jpg, Basílica del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, San Salvador
San Salvador (; ) is the capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, which comprises the capital i ...
File:Santa Ana Catedral Nuestra Señora de Santa Ana 2.jpg, Cathedral of Santa Ana (El Salvador)
The Cathedral of Our Lady Saint Anne ( es, Catedral de la Señora Santa Ana), is a neo-Gothic cathedral located in Santa Ana, El Salvador.
History
The place where today is the Cathedral of Santa Ana was the central parish, which was built betwee ...
![Salvadordelmundo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/SalvadorDelMundo.jpg)
There is diversity of religious beliefs in El Salvador. The majority of the population is
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
.
Roman Catholics
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
(47%) and
Evangelicals
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...
(33%) are the two major denominations in the country.
Those not affiliated with any religious group amount to 17% of the population.
[ The remainder of the population (3%) is made up of ]Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ...
, Hare Krishnas
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement or Hare Krishnas, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindu religious organization. ISKCON was founded in 1966 in New York City by A. C. Bhaktive ...
, Muslims
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...
, Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
, Buddhists
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
, Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
, and those adhering to indigenous religious beliefs.[
]
Culture
File:Palmaarte.jpg, La Palma-type art, from La Palma, Chalatenango
La Palma is a municipality in the Chalatenango department of El Salvador. The municipality, located in a mountainous area of the country, covers an area of 135.60 km2 and as of 2006 had an approximate population of 24,000.
It has historical ...
File:Artesanias de Ilobasco Tucan.JPG, Arts and craft from Ilobasco
Ilobasco is a municipality in the Cabañas department of El Salvador. It is located 30 miles (48 kilometers) northeast of the capital, San Salvador.
This town is known country wide (and internationally) for its clay (other materials also used) ...
File:Mercaditode Artesanias en el Centro Historico de Santa Ana.JPG, La Palma-type art form from Santa Ana, El Salvador
Santa Ana () is the second largest city in El Salvador, after the capital of San Salvador. It is located 64 kilometers northwest of San Salvador, the capital city. Santa Ana has approximately 374,830 (2017)) inhabitants and serves both as the c ...
File:Tienda de artesanías en el Centro Historico de juayua.JPG, Mesoamerican souvenirs from Juayua
File:REUNIÓN REGIONAL CENTROAMERICANA DE LA CELAC (17147017311).jpg, La Palma-Style art on modern Salvadoran building in San Salvador
File:Handcrafted Bag Ataco.jpg, Handcraft bag from Ataco
File:Artesanias de La Palma Chalatenango.jpg, Hand crafted bookmarks from La Palma
File:Calles de La Palma 3.JPG, Salvadoran staple art in La Palma
File:Peaberry coffee beans, close up.jpg, Coffee production in El Salvador
Coffee production in El Salvador has fueled the Salvadoran economy and shaped its history for more than a century. Rapidly growing in the 19th century, coffee in El Salvador has traditionally provided more than 50% of the country's export revenue ...
File:SVhammocks.jpg, Salvadpran hammocks from Morazán Department
Morazán () is a department of El Salvador. Located in the northeast part of the country, its capital is San Francisco Gotera. It covers a total surface area of 1,447 km² and has a population of more than 199,500.
History
Gotera was ma ...
File:Festival para el Buen Vivir y Gobernando con la Gente-San Miguel (24759914192).jpg, Salvadoran children dressed for Calabuiza on day of the dead
File:Festival para el Buen Vivir y Gobernando con la Gente-San Miguel (24858111335).jpg, Young Salvadoran girls in San Miguel, El Salvador
San Miguel () is a city in eastern El Salvador. It is the country's third most populous city. It is located 138 km east of the capital, San Salvador. It is also the capital of the department of San Miguel and a municipality. The population ...
File:Festival de bolas Fuego, Nejapa - El Salvador.JPG, Fire ball festival in Nejapa
Nejapa is a municipality in the San Salvador department of El Salvador.
Traditions Las Bolas De Fuego
One of the major traditions of Nejapa is ''Las Bolas De Fuego'' ("Balls of Fire"), celebrated August 31st. The celebration has two origins, ...
File:La Esquna de Ataco.jpg, The town of Concepción de Ataco
Concepción de Ataco is a municipality and city within the Ahuachapán Department, El Salvador. It has an area of 61.03 km ² and a population of 18,101 inhabitants (est. 2006).
The municipality administration is divided into 11 cantons, whi ...
File:Casas de Suchitoto.jpg, colonial houses of Suchitoto
Suchitoto is a municipality in the Department of Cuscatlán, El Salvador that has seen continuous human habitation long before Spanish colonization. Within its municipal territory, Suchitoto holds the site of the original founding of the Villa ...
File:Cemetery in San Miguel, El Salvador.jpg, Colorful cemetery San Miguel, El Salvador
San Miguel () is a city in eastern El Salvador. It is the country's third most populous city. It is located 138 km east of the capital, San Salvador. It is also the capital of the department of San Miguel and a municipality. The population ...
The culture of El Salvador
The culture of El Salvador is a Central American culture nation influenced by the clash of ancient Mesoamerica and medieval Iberian Peninsula. Salvadoran culture is influenced by Native American culture (Lenca people, Cacaopera people, Maya people ...
is a Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
n culture nation influenced by the clash of ancient Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area in southern North America and most of Central America. It extends from approximately central Mexico through Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and northern Costa Rica. W ...
and medieval Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula (),
**
* Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica''
**
**
* french: Péninsule Ibérique
* mwl, Península Eibérica
* eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...
. Salvadoran
Salvadorans (Spanish: ''Salvadoreños''), also known as Salvadorians (alternate spelling: Salvadoreans), are citizens of El Salvador, a country in Central America. Most Salvadorans live in El Salvador, although there is also a significant Salvado ...
culture is influenced by Native America
The Indigenous peoples of the Americas are the inhabitants of the Americas before the arrival of the European settlers in the 15th century, and the ethnic groups who now identify themselves with those peoples.
Many Indigenous peoples of the Ame ...
n culture (Lenca people
The Lenca or Lepawiran "people of the jaguar" are from present day southwest Honduras and eastern El Salvador in Central America. They once spoke many Dialects such as Chilanga, Putun, Kotik etc. Although there were different dialects, they un ...
, Cacaopera people
The Cacaopera people also known as the Matagalpa or Ulúa., are an indigenous people in what is now El Salvador and Nicaragua.
History
The Matagalpa are one of the most important cultures in the historical development of the Nicaraguan territory ...
, Maya peoples
The Maya peoples () are an ethnolinguistic group of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica. The ancient Maya civilization was formed by members of this group, and today's Maya are generally descended from people ...
, Pipil people
The Nahua people, also academically referred to as ''Pipil'', are an indigenous group of Mesoamerican people inhabiting the western and central areas of present-day El Salvador. Although very few speakers are now left, they speak the Nawat langua ...
) as well as Latin American culture
Latin American culture is the formal or informal expression of the people of Latin America and includes both high culture (literature and high art) and popular culture (music, folk art, and dance), as well as religion and other customary practices. ...
(Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
, Hispanic America
The region known as Hispanic America (in Spanish called ''Hispanoamérica'' or ''América Hispana'') and historically as Spanish America (''América Española'') is the portion of the Americas comprising the Spanish-speaking countries of North, ...
, Ibero-America
Ibero-America ( es, Iberoamérica, pt, Ibero-América) or Iberian America is a region in the Americas comprising countries or territories where Spanish language, Spanish or Portuguese language, Portuguese are predominant languages (usually form ...
). Mestizo
(; ; fem. ) is a term used for racial classification to refer to a person of mixed Ethnic groups in Europe, European and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous American ancestry. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also r ...
culture and the Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
dominates the country. Although the Romance language
The Romance languages, sometimes referred to as Latin languages or Neo-Latin languages, are the various modern languages that evolved from Vulgar Latin. They are the only extant subgroup of the Italic languages in the Indo-European languages, I ...
, Castilian Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
, is the official and dominant language spoken in El Salvador, Salvadoran Spanish
Salvadoran Spanish is geographically defined as the form of Spanish spoken in the country of El Salvador. The Spanish dialect in El Salvador shares many similarities to that of its neighbors in the region, but it has its stark differences in pronun ...
which is part of Central American Spanish
Central American Spanish ( es, español centroamericano or ) is the general name of the Spanish language dialects spoken in Central America. More precisely, the term refers to the Spanish language as spoken in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, ...
has influences of Native American languages
Over a thousand indigenous languages are spoken by the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. These languages cannot all be demonstrated to be related to each other and are classified into a hundred or so language families (including a large numbe ...
of El Salvador such as Lencan languages
Lencan is a small family of nearly extinct indigenous Mesoamerican languages.
Languages
There are two attested Lencan languages, both extinct (Campbell 1997:167).
* Salvadoran Lencan was spoken in Chilanga and Potó (thus the alternative lan ...
, Cacaopera language
Cacaopera is an extinct language belonging to the Misumalpan family, formerly spoken in the department of Morazán in El Salvador by the Cacaopera people. It was closely related to Matagalpa, and slightly more distantly to Sumo, but was geograp ...
, Mayan languages
The Mayan languagesIn linguistics, it is conventional to use ''Mayan'' when referring to the languages, or an aspect of a language. In other academic fields, ''Maya'' is the preferred usage, serving as both a singular and plural noun, and as ...
and Pipil language
Nawat (academically Pipil, also known as Nicarao) is a Nahuan language native to Central America. It is the southernmost extant member of the Uto-Aztecan family. It was spoken in several parts of present-day Central America before the Spanish c ...
, which are still spoken in some regions of El Salvador
Mestizo
(; ; fem. ) is a term used for racial classification to refer to a person of mixed Ethnic groups in Europe, European and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous American ancestry. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also r ...
culture dominates the country, heavy in both Native American Indigenous and European Spanish influences. A new composite population was formed as a result of intermarrying between the native Mesoamerican
Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area in southern North America and most of Central America. It extends from approximately central Mexico through Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and northern Costa Rica. Withi ...
population of Cuzcatlan with the European settlers. The Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
plays an important role in the Salvadoran culture. Archbishop Óscar Romero is a national hero for his role in resisting human rights violations that were occurring in the lead-up to the Salvadoran Civil War.[Eaton, Helen-May (1991). ]
The impact of the Archbishop Óscar Romero's alliance with the struggle for liberation of the Salvadoran people: A discussion of church-state relations (El Salvador)
' (M.A. thesis), Wilfrid Laurier University Significant foreign personalities in El Salvador were the Jesuit
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
priests and professors Ignacio Ellacuría
Ignacio Ellacuría ( Portugalete, Biscay, Spain, November 9, 1930 – San Salvador, November 16, 1989) was a Spanish-Salvadoran Jesuit, philosopher, and theologian who worked as a professor and rector at the Universidad Centroamericana "Jo ...
, Ignacio Martín-Baró
Ignacio Martín-Baró (November 7, 1942 in Valladolid, Castilla y Leon, Spain – November 16, 1989 in San Salvador, El Salvador) was a scholar, Social psychology, social psychologist, philosopher and Society of Jesus, Jesuit priest. He was ...
, and Segundo Montes
Segundo Montes (May 15, 1933 in Valladolid, Spain – November 16, 1989 in San Salvador, El Salvador) was a scholar, philosopher, educator, sociologist and Jesuit priest. He was one of the victims of the 1989 murders of Jesuits in El Salvador ...
, who were murdered in 1989 by the Salvadoran Army during the height of the civil war.
Painting, ceramics and textiles are the principal manual artistic mediums. Writers Francisco Gavidia
Francisco Antonio Gavidia Guandique (1863 in San Miguel - 24 September 1955 in San Salvador) was a prominent Salvadoran writer, historian, politician, speaker, translator, educator and journalist. His poetry evolved from romanticism to a refl ...
(1863–1955), Salarrué
Luis Salvador Efraín Salazar Arrué (October 22, 1899 – November 27, 1975), known as Salarrué (a derivation of his surnames), was a Salvadorian writer, poet, and painter.
Born in Sonsonate to a well-off family, Salarrué trained a ...
(Salvador Salazar Arrué) (1899–1975), Claudia Lars
Claudia Lars, born in Armenia, El Salvador on December 20, 1899 as Margarita del Carmen Brannon Vega, was a Salvadoran poet. She died in San Salvador in 1974. She was the daughter of Peter Patrick Brannon and Carmen Vega Zelayandía.Plumlee, A. ...
, Alfredo Espino
Alfredo Espino (1900—August 1928) was a poet from El Salvador. Born in Ahuachapán, his only book is ''Jícaras Tristes'' (Sad Vessels), a collection of 96 poems. It is one of the most published books of poetry in El Salvador. Espino died ...
, Pedro Geoffroy Rivas
Pedro Geoffroy Rivas (16 September 1908 - 10 November 1979) was an anthropologist, poet, and linguist.
His poetic work marked a landmark in Salvadoran poetic development. A rebellious, individualistic poet, Rivas incorporated in his poetry the ...
, Manlio Argueta
Manlio Argueta (born 24 November 1935) is a Salvadoran writer, critic, and novelist. Although he is primarily a poet, he is best known in the English speaking world for his novel '' One Day of Life''. , José Roberto Cea José Roberto Cea is a pre-eminent contemporary Salvadoran novelist and poet.
Cea was born in the city of Izalco, department of Sonsonate, El Salvador, on April 10, 1939. He studied journalism and literature at the Universidad de El Salvador
...
, and poet Roque Dalton
Roque is an American variant of croquet played on a hard, smooth surface. Popular in the first quarter of the 20th century and billed "the Game of the Century" by its enthusiasts, it was an Olympic sport in the 1904 Summer Games, replacing cr ...
are among the most important writers from El Salvador. Notable 20th-century personages include the late filmmaker Baltasar Polio, female film director Patricia Chica
Patricia Chica also known as Chicatronica is a Canadian film and television director, producer and writer.
The American horror movie site Dread Central referenced her in their list of the "Rising Female Filmmakers" to watch along other notable ...
, artist Fernando Llort
Fernando Llort Choussy (7 April 1949 – 10 August 2018) was a Salvadoran artist, often dubbed "El Salvador's National Artist" by the Foundation for Self Sufficiency in Central America (now called EcoViva).
Fernando Llort was a man of passion, ...
, and caricaturist
A caricaturist is an artist who specializes in drawing caricatures.
List of caricaturists
* Abed Abdi (born 1942)
* Al Hirschfeld (1903–2003)
* Alex Gard (1900–1948)
* Alexander Saroukhan (1898–1977)
* Alfred Grévin (1827–1892)
* Alf ...
Toño Salazar Antonio "Toño" Salazar (June 1897 - December 1986) was a Salvadoran caricaturist, illustrator and diplomat. Born in Santa Tecla, in 1920 he went to study in Mexico on an art scholarship then in 1922 traveled to France to join the throng of artists ...
.
Amongst the more renowned representatives of the graphic arts are the painters Augusto Crespin
Augusto Crespin is a Salvadorans artist known for his ink drawings, paintings, and engravings, and illustrations.
Early life and education
Crespinwas born in El Salvador in July 1956. He studied ink drawing and painting in the Academy of Va ...
, Noe Canjura, Carlos Cañas
Carlos Cañas (September 3, 1924 - April 14, 2013) was a Salvadoran painter who studied art and theory at the School of Arts of El Salvador. In 1950, he received a scholarship to study art, history, aesthetics, and literature in Madrid at the R ...
, Giovanni Gil
Giovanni Gil, also known as Hector Giovanni Gil Portillo ( San Salvador, December 19, 1971) is a plastic artist and one of the greatest exhibitors of Engraving in El Salvador. He is the founder and director of the projects Soñar al Revés ream ...
, Julia Díaz, Mauricio Mejia, Maria Elena Palomo de Mejia, Camilo Minero
Camilo Minero (born Camilo Minero Nochez) was born in Zacatecoluca, El Salvador on November 11, 1917. He was a painter, muralist, and an engraver. As a painter, he worked with oil painting, prints, serigraphs, watercolours, and murals. He died fr ...
, Ricardo Carbonell, Roberto Huezo, Miguel Angel Cerna, (the painter and writer better known as MACLo), Esael Araujo, and many others. For more information on prominent citizens of El Salvador, check the List of Salvadorans
This is a list of notable people born in El Salvador or of Salvadoran descent (also see Salvadoran American).
Arts
*Consuelo de Saint Exupéry, painter, sculptor, and author; wife of Antoine de Saint Exupéry
*Fernando Llort, painter and sc ...
.
Notable Salvadoran people
File:14, McLeod Bethel-Thompson, Aug 2, 2018.jpg, McLeod Bethel-Thompson
McLeod John Baltazar Bethel-Thompson (born July 3, 1988) is an American professional football quarterback for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at UCLA and Sacramento State. He is the grands ...
is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football at Sacramento State.
File:Emerson Esnal Hernández 2013.jpg, Emerson Hernández
Emerson Esnal Hernández (born January 29, 1989 in San Salvador, El Salvador) is a Salvadoran race walker. He began racing after a team of sports recruiters selected his best friend to try out, Hernández accompanied his friend, and one of th ...
is a Salvadorean race walker.
File:Ceren.jpg, Darwin Cerén is a Salvadoran footballer who plays for the Major League Soccer club San Jose Earthquakes and is captain of the El Salvador national team
File:Arturo Alvarez at Galaxy at Earthquakes 2010-08-21 6.JPG, Arturo Álvarez (footballer, born 1985)
José Arturo Álvarez Hernández (born June 28, 1985) is a former professional footballer who played as a winger and forward. Born in the United States, he represented the El Salvador national team.
Career Professional
Álvarez did not play ...
is a Salvadoran American footballer who plays as a winger and forward for Major League Soccer club Chicago Fire
File:Dustin Corea 20120308.jpg, Dustin Corea
Dustin Clifman Corea Garay (born March 21, 1992) is an professional footballer who plays as a winger for Primera División club Águila. Born in the United States, he represents the El Salvador national team at international level.
High s ...
is a Salvadoran international footballer who plays for FC Edmonton.
File:Eriq Zavaleta UofM Mens Soccer (6272263273).jpg, Eriq Zavaleta
Eriq Anthony Zavaleta (born August 2, 1992) is a professional footballer who plays as a center-back for Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy. Born in the United States, he represents the El Salvador national team.
Youth and college
Zavaleta p ...
is an American soccer player who plays as a center back for Toronto FC of Major League Soccer.
File:Steve Purdy 2012 cropped.jpg, Steve Purdy
Steven Francis Purdy Ramos (born February 5, 1985) is a former professional soccer player.
Born in the United States, he represented El Salvador national team at international level, appearing for them at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2011 and 2013 ...
is a Salvadoran American footballer who plays as a defender for Orange County Blues in the USL. He has played for the El Salvador national team at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2011 and 2013.
File:Ed Weeks at PaleyFest 2013.jpg, Ed Weeks
Edward Charles Egerton Weeks (born 25 October 1980) is an English actor, comedian, writer and producer. He is best known for starring as Dr. Jeremy Reed in the Fox/ Hulu comedy series ''The Mindy Project'' (2012–2017). He also starred as Col ...
is an English actor, comedian, writer and producer. He played Dr. Jeremy Reed on the Fox comedy series ''The Mindy Project.'' Born and raised in England, his mother is a native of El Salvador
File:Arevalo RG19 (24) (48199356311).jpg, Marcelo Arévalo
Marcelo Arévalo González (; born October 17, 1990) is a Salvadoran professional tennis player. He has been ranked as high as world No. 5 in doubles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), which he first achieved on 14 November 2022. ...
is a professional Salvadoran tennis player
File:Alas21.jpg, Jaime Alas
Jaime Enrique Alas Morales (born 30 July 1989) is a Salvadoran professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Liga Nacional club Municipal and the El Salvador national team.
Club career
Alas' professional career began in July 2006, ...
is a Salvadoran professional footballer
File:Rodolfo Zelaya Alianza FC 2014.jpg, Rodolfo Zelaya
Rodolfo Antonio Zelaya García (born 3 July 1988) is a Salvadoran professional footballer who plays as a second striker for Salvadoran club Alianza and the El Salvador national team.
In October 2013, Zelaya was given a one-year ban from foot ...
is a Salvadoran professional footballer
File:Rafael-Burgos.jpg, Rafael Burgos
Rafael Edgardo Burgos (born June 3, 1988 in La Paz, El Salvador) is a Salvadoran professional footballer who plays as a forward for Independiente.
Club career
Burgos started his career at Alianza F.C., but moved to Segunda División club ...
is a Salvadoran professional forward
File:Andrés Flores Timbers (cropped).jpg, Andrés Flores
Andrés Alexander Flores Mejía (born 31 August 1990) is a Salvadoran professional football manager and former player. He is the current assistant coach of Portland Timbers 2 in the MLS Next Pro.
Club career
Nicknamed ''Ruso'', Flores was sign ...
is a Salvadoran professional footballer, who plays for the Portland Timbers
The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at P ...
in Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
.
File:USMNT vs. Trinidad and Tobago (48124824073) (cropped).jpg, Cristian Roldan
Cristian Roldan (born June 3, 1995) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club Seattle Sounders FC and the United States national team. He was the 2013 Gatorade National Player of the Ye ...
is an American professional soccer player, who currently plays as a midfielder for Seattle Sounders FC
Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...
in Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
File:Filmingtamaleroad.jpg, Marcos Villatoro
Marcos McPeek Villatoro is a writer from the United States. He is the author of six novels, two collections of poetry and a memoir, and the producer/director of the documentary "Tamale Road: A Memoir from El Salvador." He has written essays for Nat ...
is a writer from the United States. He is the author of six novels, two collections of poetry and a memoir, and the producer/director of the documentary “Tamale Road: A Memoir from El Salvador.”
File:Nayib Bukele (cropped).jpg, Nayib Bukele
Nayib Armando Bukele Ortez (; born 24 July 1981) is a Salvadoran politician and businessman who is the 43rd president of El Salvador, serving since 1 June 2019. He is the first president since José Napoleón Duarte (1984–1989) not to have ...
is a Salvadoran politician and businessman
File:Guillermo Alexander Hasbún.png, Guillermo Hasbún, president of CIFCO
File:Mario Duran.jpg, Mario Duran, minister of governance
File:Aghamustafa.JPG, Mustafa Al-Salvadori, president of the shia islamic association
File:Frank Rubio official portrait.jpg, Francisco Rubio (astronaut)
Francisco Carlos "Frank" Rubio (born December 11, 1975) is a US Army lieutenant colonel and helicopter pilot, flight surgeon, and NASA astronaut.
Early life and education
Francisco Rubio was born on December 11, 1975, in Los Angeles, Californ ...
is a US Army helicopter pilot, flight surgeon, and NASA astronaut candidate of the class of 2017.
File:JW.jpg, Johnny Wright is a Salvadoran politician
File:Mauricio Interiano.jpg, Mauricio Interiano is a Salvadoran politician
File:Carlos Calleja.jpg, Carlos Calleja is a Salvadoran politician
File:José Atilio Benítez Parada.jpg, José Atilio Benítez Parada is Salvadoran General, ambassador and former Minister of Defense.
File:Roberto José d'Aubuisson.jpg, Roberto José d'Aubuisson Munguía is a Salvadoran politician
File:Daboub, Juan José (IMF portrait, 2008).jpg, Juan Jose Daboub
''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...
is the chairman and CEO of The Daboub Partnership, Founding Chief Executive Officer of the Global Adaptation Institute and former managing director of the World Bank (2006–2010)
File:Mauricio Funes (Brasilia, May 2008).jpg, Mauricio Funes
Carlos Mauricio Funes Cartagena (born 18 October 1959) is a Salvadoran politician and former journalist who served as President of El Salvador from 2009 to 2014. Funes won the 2009 Salvadoran presidential election, 2009 presidential election as ...
is a Salvadoran politician who was President of El Salvador from June 1, 2009 to June 1, 2014
File:Miguel Ángel Pereira.png, Miguel Ángel Pereira, politician
File:José Luis Escobar Alas (2015).jpg, José Luis Escobar Alas
José Luis Escobar Alas (born 10 March 1959 in Suchitoto), Archbishop of San Salvador in El Salvador, succeeded Archbishop Emeritus Fernando Sáenz Lacalle as the seventh archbishop, a successor of Archbishop Óscar Romero who was assassinat ...
, Archbishop of San Salvador
File:Luciana Sandoval.JPG, Luciana Sandoval is a Salvadoran presenter, dancer and former model.
File:Monica Lewinsky.jpg, Monica Lewinsky
Monica Samille Lewinsky (born July 23, 1973) is an American activist and writer. President Bill Clinton admitted to having an affair with Lewinsky while she worked at the White House as an intern in 1995 and 1996. The affair, and its repercus ...
's father Bernard Lewinsky
Bernard Salomon Lewinsky (born January 10, 1943) is a Salvadoran-born American physician and medical researcher. He is also a photographer, and many of his photographs are displayed at medical offices. He organized a legal defense fund for his ...
was born in San Salvador
San Salvador (; ) is the capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, which comprises the capital i ...
, El Salvador
El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...
, Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
File:Ana Villafañe 180510-D-SW162-2289 (40233222630).jpg, Ana Villafañe
Ana Teresa Villafañe ( ; born June 5, 1989) is an American actress and singer from Miami, Florida, best known for her portrayal of pop icon Gloria Estefan in the Broadway musical ''On Your Feet!''.
Life and career
She was born on June 5, 1989, ...
is an actress and singer
File:Adrian Bellani 2016.png, Adrian Bellani
Gerardo Celasco (born April 8, 1982), also known as Adrian Bellani, is an American actor. He was the second actor to play the role of Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald on the NBC daytime drama, ''Passions''.
Biography
As a child, Celasco moved to his pa ...
is an actor
File:J. D. Pardo by Gage Skidmore.jpg, J. D. Pardo
Jorge Daniel Pardo (born September 7, 1980) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Jack Toretto in '' F9'' (2021), as well as the lead role of Ezekiel "EZ" Reyes in the television series '' Mayans M.C.'' (2018–present).
Early life ...
is an actor
File:WikiFrancisco.jpg, Francisco Caceres
Francisco Cáceres is a three-time Emmy winning TV journalist and producer. He's currently a host for Telemundo’s national morning show, Un Nuevo Día; and a contributor for NBC's The Today Show and Access Hollywood.
Early life
Francisco Cáce ...
is a TV host and producer. He's currently the Film Expert for Telemundo’s national morning show, Un Nuevo Día based in Miami, Florida
File:2005 Voice Awards Maurice Benard and Charles Curie (18426533841).jpg, Maurice Benard
Maurice Benard (born March 1, 1963) is an American actor. In 1993, he was cast as Sonny Corinthos on the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital''.
Early life and career
Benard was born Mauricio José Morales in Martinez, California, the son of Martha ...
is an actor who is well k own for playing Sonny Corinthos
Sonny Corinthos is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital''. Maurice Benard has played the role of the manic depressive mob kingpin, living in Port Charles, since the character's storyline originated on August 13, 1993. Sonn ...
on the ABC soap opera General Hospital.
File:Linda Arsenio.jpg, Linda Arsenio
Linda Arsenio (born June 20, 1978) is an American actress and model from Texas. She has predominantly appeared in Indian films in various languages. She is probably best known for her performance as Jessica Beckham in the 2006 Hindi film ''Kabul ...
is an actress and model
File:Malin Arvidsson, August 2014.jpg, Malin Arvidsson is an actor and dancer
File:SomayaReece24.jpg, Somaya Reece is a Salvadoran American hip hop and reality TV star
File:Christy Turlington LF.JPG, Christy Turlington
Christy Nicole Turlington Burns (born January 2, 1969) is an American model and humanitarian. She represented Calvin Klein (fashion house), Calvin Klein's Eternity campaign in 1989 and again in 2014, and also represents Maybelline. Turlington w ...
is an American supermodel. Her mother is from El Salvador. She first represented Calvin Klein's Eternity campaign in 1989 and again in 2014 and also represents Maybelline.
File:Zuleika Soler en La Prensa Gráfica.jpg, Zuleika Soler
Zuleika Soler Aragón (born June 29, 1994) is a Salvadoran model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Reinado de El Salvador 2019. She represented El Salvador at the Miss Universe 2019.
Personal life
Soler was born on June 29, 1994, ...
, model and beauty pageant titleholder
File:Sabi fft.jpg, Sabi (singer)
Jenice Dena Portlock (born November 24, 1987), also known as Sabi, is an American pop singer, songwriter, dancer and actress from Los Angeles, California.
She was formerly part of the hip hop girl group The Bangz.
Biography Early life and ...
is a Salvadoran-American pop singer, songwriter, dancer and actress from Los Angeles, California. She was formerly part of the hip hop girl group, The Bangz. She is currently signed to Warner Bros. Records.
File:YancyClavel.jpg, Ana Yancy Clavel
Ana Yancy Clavel (born April 28, 1992) is a Salvadorian beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss El Salvador in 2012. Clavel represented El Salvador in Miss Universe 2012.
Career
Her career started in the world of modeling participating i ...
is a Salvadorian beauty queen and TV personality
File:Carla vila.jpg, Carla Vila is a Salvadoran American actress
File:Elizabeth Espinosa.jpg, Elizabeth Espinosa reporter and journalist
File:TENOR FERNANDO DEL VALLE ONSTAGE.jpg, Fernando del Valle
Fernando del Valle (né Brian Stephen Skinner; February 28, 1964) is an American operatic tenor. He is the son of Edward King Skinner II, a Korean War veteran and Concha Marina Meléndez del Valle the cousin of George Melendez Wright. He is th ...
is an American operatic tenor.
File:Allison Iraheta.jpg, Allison Iraheta
Allison Iraheta (; born April 27, 1992) is an American singer from Los Angeles, California, who was the fourth place finalist on the eighth season of ''American Idol''. Prior to ''Idol'', Iraheta won the Telemundo competition ''Quinceañera: Mam ...
is an American singer from Los Angeles, California, who was the fourth place finalist on the eighth season of American Idol.
File:Victor R. Ramirez (2007).jpg, Victor R. Ramirez
Victor R. Ramirez (born July 20, 1974) is a former state delegate and state senator for District 47 in Prince George's County, Maryland. He was born in San Salvador, El Salvador, in 1974. His family soon after moved to the United States and he ...
is the current state senator for District 47 in Prince George's County, Maryland
File:J.R. Martinez.jpg, J. R. Martinez
Jose Rene Martinez (born June 14, 1983) is an American actor, motivational speaker, and former U.S. Army soldier. Starting in 2008, he played the role of Brot Monroe on the ABC daytime drama ''All My Children''. He is the winner of Season 13 of ...
is an American actor, motivational speaker and former U.S. Army soldier. Starting in 2008, he played the role of Brot Monroe on the ABC daytime drama All My Children. He is the winner of Season 13 of ABC's Dancing with the Stars. Martinez served as the Grand Marshal of the 2012 Rose Parade. He is currently costarring on the syndicated action series SAF3.
File:Moulitsas-army.jpg, Markos Moulitsas
Markos Moulitsas Zúniga (; born September 11, 1971), often known by his username and former military nickname "Kos" ( ), is an American blogger who is the founder and publisher of Daily Kos, a blog focusing on liberal and Democratic Party poli ...
is a Salvadoran American that served in the U.S. Army from 1989 through 1992. He is the founder and publisher of Daily Kos, a blog focusing on liberal and Democratic Party politics in the United States. He co-founded SB Nation, a collection of sports blogs, which is now a part of Vox Media
File:Maestro carlos irigoyen ruiz 20090221 1787960594.jpg, Carlos Irigoyen Ruiz was a renowned Salvadoran musician during the 1920s-1940s.
File:La ciclista Evelyn García.jpg, Evelyn García
Evelyn Yesenia García Marroquín (born December 29, 1982) is a Salvadoran cycle racer, who specialises as an all-rounder, having won time-trials and mountain stages in the past. She has won the Vuelta a El Salvador on two occasions, the only w ...
is a Salvadoran cycle racer who rides for the Fenixs team.
File:Herbert Sosa.jpg, Herbert Sosa
Herbert Arnoldo Sosa Burgos (born January 11, 1990 in San Salvador) is a Salvadoran professional footballer who plays as a midfielder.
Club career
Sosa's professional career began in July 2007, when he signed a contract with Chalatenango. He ...
is a Salvadoran professional footballer.
File:Ricardo Saprissa.jpg, Ricardo Saprissa
Ricardo Juan Antonio Saprissa Aymá (24 June 1901 – 16 August 1990) was a lifelong athlete, coach, and promoter of sports. After being raised in El Salvador, he spent many years in Costa Rica, playing and coaching football. In 1935 he was co ...
was a lifelong athlete, coach, and promoter of sports.
File:Rosie Casals 1981 (cropped).jpeg, Rosemary Casals
Rosemary "Rosie" Casals (born September 16, 1948) is an American former professional tennis player.
Casals earned her reputation as a rebel in the tennis world when she began competing in the early 1960s. During a tennis career that spanned mor ...
is a former American professional tennis player
File:Sub 23 2013-09-22 10-21.jpg, Richard Menjívar
Richard "Richie" Guillermo Menjivar Peraza (born October 31, 1990) is a Salvadoran international footballer, who plays as a midfielder for Chalatenango.
Career
After spending his college career at University of Evansville and Cal State Bakersfie ...
is a Salvadoran international footballer currently playing for the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League.
File:Emirandahufc.jpg, Edwin Miranda
Edwin Vladimir Miranda (born January 28, 1981) is a retired Salvadoran footballer.
Career College
Miranda grew up in Los Angeles, California, and played four years of college soccer at Cal State-Northridge, where he was twice named Big West Con ...
grew up in Los Angeles, California and played four years of college soccer at Cal State-Northridge, where he was twice named Big West Conference Defender of the Year.
File:Hala Ayala at volunteer appreciation event.jpg, Hala Ayala
Hala S. Ayala (born 1973) is an American politician who represented the 51st district in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2018 to 2022. She was the Democratic nominee in the 2021 Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election, losing to Repub ...
is an cybersecurity specialist and democrat politician representing the 51st district in the Virginia House of Delegates.
File:Miss El Salvador Maribel Arrieta Gálvez, 1955.jpg, Maribel Arrieta Gálvez was a Salvadoran beauty queen where she represented her country at Miss Universe 1955. Arrieta met Baron Jacques Thuret (of Belgian/French nobility) and both were married in 1963, granting her the title "Baronesa de Thuret".
See also
*Salvadoran Americans
Salvadoran Americans ( or ) are Americans of full or partial El Salvador, Salvadoran descent. As of 2010, there are 2,195,477 Salvadoran Americans in the United States, the Hispanic and Latino Americans#National origin, fourth-largest Hispanic co ...
*Salvadoran Mexicans
Salvadoran Mexicans (Spanish: salvadoreño-mexicanos) are people of Salvadorian descent living in Mexico.
Migration history
The largest wave of Salvadorans arrived in Mexico as refugees during the Salvadoran Civil War.
Demographics
During the ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Salvadoran People
Central American people by nationality
Ethnic groups in Central America