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Running Head: EL SALVADOR CULTURE THROUGH DECADES

El Salvador Culture Through Decades Francisco Zavala Keiser University

Research Paper Dr. Idell McLaughlin April 13, 2018

EL SALVADOR CULTURE THROUGH DECADES

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Thesis Statement: Popular culture changes slightly with each generation, and the recent changes in the popular culture of El Salvador have been greatly influenced by the popular culture of the United States, which has led to an increase in violence and insecurity.

I.

XX Century: El Salvador Working Culture A. Industrialization B. Coffee Production C. Government Transitions

II.

Civil War A. Socialist Revolution B. Migration to the United States C. Pace Treaties

III.

Events After War A. American Gangs B. Return of the Salvadorian Immigrants a. Creation of Small Gangs in El Salvador C. Dollarization D. American Influence a. Music b. Food c. Social Media and Entertainment d. Abandonment of National Culture

IV.

New Socialist Government

EL SALVADOR CULTURE THROUGH DECADES

A. Crime Rate Increase B. Unemployment and Lack of Opportunities C. Failed Pact with Gangs D. Gap Between Government and Society V.

Fear and Lost of Culture A. Recreation 1. Games and Socialization 2. Confidence 3. Abandonment of Tourist Destinations B. Values

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El Salvador Culture Through Decades El Salvador is a Latinamerican country located in Centro America. Salvadorian culture was characterized by the spirit of work and generosity, but since the beginning of the civil war in 1980 salvadorian culture was affected by foreigns cultures. Thus, many Salvadorians left the country looking for safety, and many of them went to the United States, especially to California. After the war in 1992, most of the Salvadorian emigrants came back to El Salvador, bringing with them American culture, and the concept of american gangs. Nowadays El Salvador’s culture is continually changing because traditions are being lost, and fear is affecting the way Salvadorians live because gangs have grown until becoming the biggest and most violent problem of El Salvador’s history. Popular culture changes slightly with each generation, and the recent changes in the popular culture of El Salvador have been greatly influenced by the popular culture of the United States, which has led to an increase in violence and insecurity. According to Samour (2013) El Salvador experienced its best economic moment during the 20th century. With an emerging Salvadorian capital industry, the nation rapidly became one of the most industrialized countries in Latin America. El Salvador’s industry was based on the production of coffee, tobacco, textiles, and manufactured products. El Salvador’s economy was growing and its living standards too (Samour, 2013, p. 68) Because of this industrial boom, many Salvadorians benefited from the new jobs available. Thus, Salvadorians were able to satisfy their necessities, and the standard of living had grown enough to reduce poverty and to reduce crime rates. Since these days, the work culture was born in El Salvador. People noticed that if they work, they could have good living standards. This generation is known to be productive, but in many cases, people were working under poor labor conditions that led to creations of unions that rapidly became socialist movements against the bourgeoisie.

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Samour (2013) said that the Salvadorian security system was effective but crude and violent. The National Guard and the “Agrarian Policy” were the agencies in charge of keeping peace and safety in the country. Furthermore, special care for families with productive lands, but their methods were too violent, and because of that, some peasants used to rebel against them and charge against the rich and powerful families, that used to control the government (Samour, 2013, p. 66). That’s why nowadays poor people blame the rich ones of their situations. "They have given us a special hatred because we have opened our eyes" (Manlio Argueta. (1980). “Un día en la Vida”. San Salvador, Vintage Books) it’s an example of what do poor people think of the rich. According to Samour (2013) El Salvador economy was based on agriculture, especially production of coffee. Coffee production was the economic mainstay since 1859 with the President Gerardo Barrios, who gave public land to producers who were interested in product coffee. This decision gave power and influence on the producers, who became the owners of all the communal lands of El Salvador, taking property from peasants who used to use the land for self-support. Coffee Producers were controlling the government to create laws that would benefit them (Samour, 2013, p. 64). This practice is called oligarchy, defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “A small group of people having control of a country or organization”. Samour (2013) claims that the coffee oligarchy had a radical change when Salvadorian people carried out a coup in 1931 against President Arturo Araujo after this coup, militaries and the oligarchy put as president of the Coronel Maximiliano Hernandez Martinez (Samour 2013, p. 74). Martinez didn’t count with the approval of the United States government, and other governments as Mexico or England didn’t approve Maximiliano’s government, the situation of not being accepted by foreign nations affected the Salvadorian economy by the fact that most of the coffee production was designated

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to exportation. But after the necessity of Europeans country to import products after war England approved Maximiliano’s government, and then other countries started to do the same. With this money coming from exports Maximiliano reduced the external debt to zero and began to strengthen protection for the economic elite, which led to the death and exile of many peasants and indigenous people. Massacres were something habitual in rural areas, the hatred of the peasants towards the rich and powerful grew, and the socialist movements began to take more prominence, and in the case of the indigenous people, their persecution almost led them to extinction. According to the article: “1932: The Massacre in El Salvador” (n.d): “During “La Matanza” anyone wearing indigenous dress, or anyone simply thought to be associated with the rebellion was shot. In some cases, whole villages disappeared. Exact figures have never been known, but the death toll is estimated between 10,000 and 30,000 people. The dictatorship insisted that only 2000 were killed. For El Salvador’s indigenous population, the effects of the massacre went far beyond the immediate death toll. As it became increasingly dangerous to be identified as Indio (Indian), traditional dress, language and customs largely disappeared.” (para. 4) Salvadorian culture was really affected during this historic period, because indigenous people left their beliefs or fled the country. According to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) only 0.2% of the Salvadorian population is indigenous (CIA, n.d, People and Society), these has led to a loss of history and indigenous folklore and the lack of indigenous roots is reflected in the little relationship that the Salvadoran people have with their traditions.

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According to Samour (2013) In 1944 Maximiliano leaves the position of President after people stopped working for three days in every productive sector; hospitals, banks, factories. This event is known as “Huelga de los Brazos Caídos” where Salvadorians assembled to make Maximiliano quit because his decisions were threatening the security of the population, by its practices of murder and its known fascist actions. Also, the oligarchy had an essential role in this revolution, because Maximiliano wasn’t following the interests that the oligarchy asked, so they wanted to remove him for another coronel who was willing to fulfill the interests of the oligarchy and to oppress any socialist movement. (Samour, 2013, p.77) After Maximiliano’s term, El Salvador couldn’t find a leader who could control the people looking for land and opportunities and look after the interest of the oligarchy. Moreover, for the lack of a leader in the last years, the socialist revolutions emerged to take control of the Nation. Between peasants and workers stared the belief in a socialist system that could improve their situation, and El Salvador experienced a change in their culture, people started to create political movements of their own, meaning that the population knew how to become a political threat for the oligarchy. The Culture of knowledge and revolution led the oligarchy to find a new Presidents, but after nineteen years after 1960, they couldn’t find someone who could stop the revolutions and satisfy people without damaging the oligarchy. “At the same time, there was a change in the relationship between the military and the country’s propertied elite.” (Flemion, n.d) After the coup d’état to the last military president, Carlos Romero, of the oligarchy an atmosphere of war broke out. The Salvadorian civil war started in 1980 and meant chaos and insecurity in El Salvador. The situation led families to leave El Salvador to live in peace and to have better opportunities. “The emigration reached its apogee in 1982, when it is estimated that 129,000 registered persons had left the country. In total, one

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third of the workforce had left the country.” (Gammage, 2007) This massive exodus meant the abandonment of Salvadorian culture. Many Salvadorians had to start again in entirely new and different countries where they had to learn new traditions and live a new lifestyle. “Between 1979 and 1988 it is estimated that some 500,000 Salvadorans arrived in the United States.” (Gammage, 2007) Most of these immigrants arrived in California, where young Salvadorians were involved in gang issues. According to the Article “Los Angeles, world capital of gangs: 450 groups, 45 thousand individuals at war” (2015), “The Mara Salvatrucha was exported to El Salvador and Honduras in 1994, when the US government initiated a deportation program for gang members.” (para. 34) After Chapultepec Peace Accords in 1992 El Salvador was in peace again, but with serious damages to infrastructure, economy and human lives. “By that time more than 75,000 people (mostly noncombatants) had lost their lives, the economy was in shambles, and massive damage to the infrastructure was evident everywhere.” (Flemion, n.d, p.9). “The peace agreement officially ended the civil war and mandated a major reduction of the country’s armed forces, the dissolution and disarming of guerrilla units, the creation of a new civilian police force” (Flemion, n.d, p.10). Therefore, El Salvador was looking for changes to overcome the war and make the country a safe place where Salvadorians could have a successful life, but most of the agreements listed in the peace agreements were not effective. El Salvador needed a political revolution, and new political parties were created to represent the modern necessities of the Salvadorians. “The FMLN subsequently became a political party” (Flemion, nd, p.10). Salvadorians were looking for reconstruction of the nation, and the new conservative political party, Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA), promised to guide El Salvador to a new generation based in a neoliberal economy and to create an environment of peace. The new government improved the situation of the nation after the war, and with that many immigrants

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decided to return to El Salvador as the crisis had improved. “They remember, too, the return of some of those same refugees, who during their time in the poverty-stricken neighborhoods of Los Angeles formed violent criminal gangs- Ms 13- and 18 street.” (Palumbo and Ahmed, 2018) Many young Salvadorians who came back to El Salvador were involved in gangs back in the States, so they started to create their little gangs in El Salvador. The government to prevent any violent acts, tried to oppress this new gangs that rapidly spread the American gang culture creating plans to keep security and safety. According to the article: “The security plans of El Salvador” (2014): ““Plan Mano Dura”: This is how Francisco Flores was one of the first presidents of the country's democratic era to appoint a security plan. In June 2003, Francisco Flores presented the "Plan Mano Dura", which aimed to reduce crime through the dismantling of gangs. This plan included the participation of the National Civil Police (PNC) and the Armed Forces. According to statistics from the Institute of Legal Medicine (IML), in 1999 the number of homicides was 2 thousand 270, however, at the end of the Flores period that figure increased to 2 thousand 933 homicides in 2004, that is, an increase of 633 murders. In total, during the presidential period of Flores, 14 thousand 652 were registered. “Plan Súper Mano Dura”: In 2004 he assumed the Executive Elías Antonio Saca, who had the task of reducing statistics and giving a good signal of his government to the Salvadorans. For this reason, in August 2004 the former president promoted the "Plan Súper Mano Dura", which aimed to combat gangs, as well as the fight against drug trafficking and money laundering.

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According to the official data of the quinquennium of former President Saca, from 2 thousand 933 homicides in 2004, it went to 3 thousand 812, in 2005, 3 thousand 928 in 2006, which was reduced to 3 thousand 497 in 2007 and 3 thousand 179 in 2008, to close with 4 thousand 382 in 2009. That is to say, between 2004 and 2009, the total of homicides was 21 thousand 101, which meant an increase of 6 thousand 449 in relation to the previous period.” (para. 4-5) According to Samour (2013), These plans oppressed the small gangs, and instead of disintegrating they made them respond violently and asking for help from the older gangs in Los Angeles. Moreover, the continuous persecution against gangs and the continuous growth of gang members led to an instability environment throughout the country. The grown of the gangs had an increase after El Salvador became dollarized, and activities designed to attract foreign investment and stop the use of the national currency "colon" that was losing more and more value, to raise employment rates and get in the world market (Samour, 2013, p. 135). The new Government’s plans had a negative impact for the people, because the dollarization was complicated for most of little companies that didn’t know how to get into the new currency system and suddenly closed, leaving thousands of Salvadorians unemployed who viewed gangs as an easy way to get money. American culture has played an important role in El Salvador, globalization has influenced new generations from the new millennium, and they have access to social media that connects them with the rest of the world. American culture has been practiced for most of this new generations, nowadays Salvadorians don’t like local parties, they prefer parties at discos as

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what they see in the movies. Entertainment’s wholly Americanized. Thus, every tv show, social media, and films are from abroad. National food is something that Salvadorians are continuing consuming, Pupusas are a national treasure and are considered as one of the best dishes in the World. "I had tried the pupusas before, but Reina's are the best. "They are incredibly fresh and made with love!" (Fordham, n.d, CNN). After the ARENA´s governments the socialist party, Frente Farabundo Martí para la Revolución Nacional (FMLN) started a revolution in voters for the next elections. As Kraft (n.d) stated “In the 2009 presidential election, with some 60 percent of El Salvadorans voting, leftist Mauricio Funes of the FMLN claimed victory, and the former guerrilla group took power for the first time. The country remained divided both economically and politically.” (p.10). With Mauricio Funes as president, El Salvador experienced an increment in criminal rate as the result of failed agreements with gangs. According to the article “The security plans of El Salvador” (2014): “After receiving harsh criticism for not controlling the increase in gang members and the consequences that this entailed, the government of former President Funes decided to enter into a dialogue with the main leaders of the gangs MS and 18.” (para.6). In the beginning, there was a reduction in the crime rate but after a few months the gangs benefited from the immunity they enjoyed, and the number of murders and extortions increased. After Fune’s term, Salvador Sanchez Cerén took the charge as the President, and the situation with gangs and insecurity is getting worse. “Moreover, in 2016 Attorney General Douglas Meléndez began arresting and prosecuting law enforcement officials who had allegedly committed crimes while facilitating the earlier gang truce. In the meantime, the country’s homicide rate once again climbed.” (Kraft, n.d, p.10). Salvadorians don’t trust in FMLN anymore, and the contempt against the government is growing every day, FMLN is waiting for the next elections in 2019 to leave the charge, and to be

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known as the worst government El Salvador has ever had. The increase in gang members, the economic problems, and the control of gangs among the society has led people to leave the country and with them the Salvadorian culture. According to Samour (2013) Salvadorian children don’t play outside anymore, because their parents are scared for them to be killed outside their houses. These actions that used to be characterized of the Salvadorian culture such as games as: “Capirucho”, “lleva”, “escondelero”. Are no longer played. New generations will not learn values that every Salvadorian should practice as: humility, friendship, generosity, and modesty (Samour, 2013, p.274). The current Salvadoran culture is based on fear, that there is nothing good for the future. That the Salvadoran culture went from working people in search of a good life, to farmers working for their rights, to people seeking to rebuild a nation, to the culture of surviving every day at the cost of crime and poverty, but the common factor in all these situations is that Salvadorans never give up and are willing to fight for the future of their children, and that is the mere essence of Salvadoran culture, that no matter the difficulty, Salvadorans will never tire of fighting

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References 1932: The Massacre in El Salvador. (n.d). Destiny’s Children. Retrieved from http://www.destinyschildren.org/en/timeline/the-massacre-in-el-salvador/ Argueta, Manlio (1980) Un Día en la Vida. New York, NY: Vintage Books. CNN incluye a las pupusas en ránking de la mejor comida callejera de Nueva York [CNN includes the pupusas in ranking of the best street food in New York]. (n.d). ElSalvador.com. Retrieved from http://www.elsalvador.com/vida/208244/cnnincluye-a-las-pupusas-en-ranking-de-la-mejor-comida-callejera-de-nueva-york/ “El Salvador.” (2018). In The Encyclopædia Britannica. (15th Ed.). Chicago, IL: The Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. Gammage. (2007) El Salvador - Overview of the history of international migration in El Salvador. OEA. Retrieved from http://www.migracionoea.org/index.php/en/sicremi-en/282-el-salvador-1-sintesis-histo-rica-de-las-migracio-n-internacional-en-el-salvador-2.html Los Angeles, world capital of gangs: 450 groups, 45 thousand individuals at war (2015, May 5) Sin embargo. Retrived from http://www.sinembargo.mx/05-05-2015/1335143 Los planes de seguridad de El Salvador (2014, October 8) MedioLleno. Retrived from http://mediolleno.com.sv/noticias/los-planes...