José Feliciano de Jesús Ama Trampa (1881 – 28 January 1932) was an
indigenous
Indigenous may refer to:
*Indigenous peoples
*Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention
*Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band
*Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
peasant leader, a
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 ...
from
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 1 ...
in
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 ...
, who participated and died during
La Matanza
''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 ...
.
Ama had his lands taken by the wealthy coffee planting family, the Regalados, during which he was hung by his thumbs and beaten. This was in the context of liberal reforms which stripped the indigenous population of access to their communal lands, which were appropriated by private landowners.
Ama was a day laborer in Izalco. He married Josefa Shupan, who came from an influential Pipil family in Izalco. In 1917, he became a member of the Catholic brotherhood ''Cofradía del Corpus Christi''.
His father-in-law, Patricio Shupan, was ''mayordomo'' of the brotherhood, who died in 1917 after participating at a dinner with president
Carlos Meléndez. After Shupan's death, Ama became head of the brotherhood, which consisted exclusively of Pipil.
In the early morning of 22 January 1932, Ama led the Pipil peasants of Izalco into the uprising against the landlords. With several hundred supporters he marched to the capital of the
Sonsonate department
Sonsonate () is a department of El Salvador in the western part of the country. The capital is Sonsonate.
The department has a population of over 463,000 and an area of 1,226 km².
Created on June 12, 1824. The El Salvador National Parliam ...
. There, the mayor was killed by insurgents from
Juayúa
Juayúa is a city and municipality in the Sonsonate department of El Salvador. It is a small town up in the mountains, founded in 1577. Juayua is located in the western part of El Salvador, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from San Salvador.
H ...
, but landlords accused Ama, who fled into the hills of Izalco. There, he was found by soldiers from the garrison of Izalco under commander Cabrera, captured, and
hanged
Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging in ...
in the center of Izalco.
See also
*
Francisco "Chico" Sánchez
External links
Miguel Marmol y Oscar Martínez Peñate sobre José Feliciano Ama (eltorogoz.net)Comision Cívica Democrática de El Salvador: José Feliciano Ama es un mártir popular
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ama, Feliciano
1881 births
1932 deaths
People from Sonsonate Department
Salvadoran people of indigenous peoples descent
Salvadoran revolutionaries
History of El Salvador
19th-century Salvadoran people
Assassinated Salvadoran people
People murdered in El Salvador
1932 crimes in El Salvador
1932 murders in North America
1930s murders in El Salvador
Pipil