OPEN LETTER BY GABRIELA GOMEZ                             

 

After doing the crossing the interview with my friend from El Salvador I learned a lot o new thing from his past and his homeland. I learned about the reason for his migration and about his war torn country. For example the military rule supporting dominance of economic elite, in the late 1980's political system still adapting discourse. Civil conflict between government forces and Marxist guerrillas greatly exacerbated political polarization rooted in historical dichotomy between wealthy elite and impoverished and excluded majority. In the late 1980's, the two major political parties were the moderate, center-left Christian democratic party and the right-wing nationalist republic alliance.

International relations were limited to Central Americans region until 1980's, when civil conflict made EL Salvador focus of international attention. Relations with the United States became increasingly important during 1980s because of critical contribution of United States economic and military aid to survival of the elected government, bolstering of war economy and improved performance of armed forces. Government of Jose Napoleon Duarte Fuentes participated actively in  Contadora process, a joint Latin America mediating effort seeking to ease Central American Peace Agreement, product of unmediated talks among the Central American states in August 1987.

History:The Pipil tribe who occupied the region that is now El Salvador put up strong resistance to the 1524 Spanish expedition led by Pedro de Alvarado. By the following year, however, the Spanish had prevailed and established a settlement named San Salvador, near the Pipil capital of Cuscatlan. The territory of El Salvador became part of the captaincy-general of Guatemala. When the independence of Guatemala was accepted by the Spanish in 1821, El Salvador accepted its new status but strongly objected to the Guatemalans’ plan to incorporate it into the Mexican empire. In 1824, after a brief war and having established its own constitution, El Salvador became one of the United Provinces of Central America (later the Federal Republic of Central America). Nonetheless, it was several decades before El Salvador was able to rid itself of the overwhelming influence of Guatemala. This came about largely through the influence of the country’s coffee barons whose substantial economic clout was converted into effective political control and who dominated the country until the 1920s.

 

 
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