
Early History: Before the Spanish came, the area that makes up El Salvador was inhabited by the Pipil Indians. The Pipil were a subgroup of the Nahua's, who came from central Mexico. The ancestors of the Pipil were the Toltecs and Aztecs and their culture was very similar to Aztec culture, the main difference being that the Pipil did not perform human sacrifices. There is also some evidence that the Maya and the Olmecs inhabited the land of El Salvador before the Pipil. References: (Lonely Planet Worldguide-El Salvador. 20 Nov. 2003. Lonely Planet. 2003. < http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/central_america/el_salvador/printable.html>) (World Rover-El Salvador. 20 Nov. 2003. WorldRover. 1999. < http://www.worldrover.com/history/el_salvador_history.html>) (Encyclopedia.com-El Salvador: History Section. 20 Nov. 2003. Encyclopedia.com 2003. < http://www.encyclopedia.com/printable.asp?url=/ssi/section/elsalvad_history.html>)
Colonial History: The Spanish first came to El Salvador in 1524 lead by the conquistador Pedro de Alvarado. He was initially repulsed by Pipil troops but returned and conquered the area in 1525. The Spanish were hoping to find gold and other precious metals in El Salvador (significa "The Savior") but it turned out what little gold there was had to be painstakingly panned for. The indigenous peoples were forced to work for the Spanish conquerors and landowners. The Spanish cultivated El Salvador for the export of cacao, indigo, cotton, and balsam, with indigo being the most lucrative export until the Nineteenth century. El Salvador declared its independence from Spain in 1821, emboldened by the invasion of Spain by Napoleon in 1812. References: (Lonely Planet Worldguide-El Salvador. 20 Nov. 2003. Lonely Planet. 2003. < http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/central_america/el_salvador/printable.html>) (World Rover-El Salvador. 20 Nov. 2003. WorldRover. 1999. < http://www.worldrover.com/history/el_salvador_history.html>) (Encyclopedia.com-El Salvador: History Section. 20 Nov. 2003. Encyclopedia.com 2003. < http://www.encyclopedia.com/printable.asp?url=/ssi/section/elsalvad_history.html>) (Global Horizons Distinguished Lecture Series-El Salvador. 20 Nov. 2003. Global Horizons. 2002. )
The Struggle for Independence: After declaring independence from Spain El Salvador joined a coalition known as the Central American Federation whose members were El Salvador (duh!), Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. El Salvador began to chafe under the power of Guatemala and in 1822 looked to the United States for statehood, fearing that it would be swallowed up by Mexico. A revolution in Mexico in1823 gave the new Mexican government other things to worry about. In 1841, when the Central American Confederation collapsed, El Salvador became a fully independent state. The first years of full independence for El Salvador included many revolutions and changes in government. This instability lasted till the early 20th century, when things began to quiet down a bit. References: (Lonely Planet Worldguide-El Salvador. 20 Nov. 2003. Lonely Planet. 2003. < http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/central_america/el_salvador/printable.html>) (World Rover-El Salvador. 20 Nov. 2003. WorldRover. 1999. < http://www.worldrover.com/history/el_salvador_history.html>) (Encyclopedia.com-El Salvador: History Section. 20 Nov. 2003. Encyclopedia.com 2003. < http://www.encyclopedia.com/printable.asp?url=/ssi/section/elsalvad_history.html>) (Global Horizons Distinguished Lecture Series-El Salvador. 20 Nov. 2003. Global Horizons. 2002. )
Independence: By the mid 19th century coffee had become El Salvador's chief export. Coffee sales accounted for 95% of the nation's income. The distribution of wealth in El Salvador was extremely unequal. A group known as the 14 Families owned most of the coffee plantations and production. When the American stock market crashed in 1929 world coffee prices dropped significantly. In 1931 Maximilliano Hernández led a coup against the government and established a dictatorship. This led to a long series of military governments in El Salvador. References: (Lonely Planet Worldguide-El Salvador. 20 Nov. 2003. Lonely Planet. 2003. < http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/central_america/el_salvador/printable.html>) (World Rover-El Salvador. 20 Nov. 2003. WorldRover. 1999. < http://www.worldrover.com/history/el_salvador_history.html>) (Encyclopedia.com-El Salvador: History Section. 20 Nov. 2003. Encyclopedia.com 2003. < http://www.encyclopedia.com/printable.asp?url=/ssi/section/elsalvad_history.html>) (Global Horizons Distinguished Lecture Series-El Salvador. 20 Nov. 2003. Global Horizons. 2002. )
Modern History: During the 1960s El Salvador's economy was deeply troubled. Many Salvadorans left their country for neighboring Honduras to find work. This escalated tensions between Honduras and El Salvador. In 1969 El Salvador and Honduras engaged in a war that lasted 4 days, apparently incited in part by a soccer game between the two nations. During the 1960s and 1970s the reins of power changed hands often in El Salvador as military leaders staged coups. In 1979, a military coup ousted President/General Carlos Humberto Rumero. This touched off fighting between the government and the main opposition party, the FMLN erupted into a civil war. The war continued, costing many lives and much property until the United Nations intervened in the hopes of creating a peace treaty. The UN was successful and managed to broker a peace treaty in 1992 that ended the civil war. The FMLN became an opposition political party to the incumbent ARENA party. Governmental reforms such as the transfer of land from the wealthy to former soldiers in the war were promised and some were carried out. In 1994 the ARENA candidate Calderón Sol was elected to the presidency though there were allegations of a rigged election. In 1997, the FMLN party took the lion's share of the political power from ARENA though in 1999 the ARENA candidate Francisco Guillermo Flores Pérez won the presidency. The FMLN continues to gain political power in the Salvadoran legislature. El Salvador has suffered two major disasters in recent years: Hurricane Mitch and a major earthquake in 2001. The country is still attempting to recover economically from these natural disasters. References: (Lonely Planet Worldguide-El Salvador. 20 Nov. 2003. Lonely Planet. 2003. < http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/central_america/el_salvador/printable.html>) (World Rover-El Salvador. 20 Nov. 2003. WorldRover. 1999. < http://www.worldrover.com/history/el_salvador_history.html>) (Encyclopedia.com-El Salvador: History Section. 20 Nov. 2003. Encyclopedia.com 2003. < http://www.encyclopedia.com/printable.asp?url=/ssi/section/elsalvad_history.html>) (Global Horizons Distinguished Lecture Series-El Salvador. 20 Nov. 2003. Global Horizons. 2002. ) (CIA World Factbook-El Salvador. 11 Nov. 2003. CIA 2003. <http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/es.html>)