Community Commemorations
The Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador research initiative co-organizes many commemoration activities with communities. These events are an opportunity to share testimonies, promote intergenerational education, update communities about efforts to document massacres and design memorials, and to support efforts for justice, healing, and solidarity. These commemoration activities bring many of Surviving Memory’s partners and team members together, and involve thousands of community members each year.
The Sumpul River Massacre commemoration is held on May 13th and 14th in Las Aradas, a small hamlet on the border with Honduras, where more than 600 people were killed by the Salvadoran Armed Forces, the National Guard, and ORDEN. The Surviving Memory team began working with survivors to co-design and build a memorial at the site in 2017.
Commemoration of the Sumpul River Massacre
The massacre in Guancora Village, known today as the Ignacio Ellacuría community, was perpetrated on February 11, 1990. Five people (3 girls, a boy, and an adult) were murdered. Every year, people from the community and surrounding communities gather to commemorate the murdered people with a procession, testimonies, songs and a mass in memory of the victims.
Commemoration of the Ignacio Ellacuría Community Massacre
Commemoration of the Los Duboncitos Massacre
The Los Duboncitos Massacre, in Nueva Trinidad, occurred on July 14, 1980. Seven people were murdered, including a pregnant woman. The only commemoration that has been made was on July 14, 2022, at the request of Miriam Dubón, to commemorate her mother and the rest of the victims.
Commemoration of the Las Minas Massacre
The massacre in Las Minas village, Chalatenango, occurred on May 3, 1980. In this massacre, 6 people were killed by the Armed Forces (4th Infantry Brigade). On May 3, 2023, this massacre was commemorated for the first time with a procession from the church to one of the killing sites, in addition to a ritual and a mass.
Commemoration of the Los Guardados Massacre
The Los Guardados massacre in Chalatenango occurred on November 16, 1982. During this massacre, the Belloso Battalion of the Salvadoran Armed Forces killed 22 civilians. Every year, the families of the victims, together with people from different communities, commemorate their loved ones by walking from the Guancora Village to the scene of the massacre, where they hold a mass.
Commemoration of the Alemania/Los Raudas Massacre
The Los Raudas massacre, also known as the Cerro de Alemania massacre, took place in San Antonio Los Ranchos on November 10, 1982. The Salvadoran Armed Forces (specifically, the BIRI Belloso, DM-1 and others) killed 14 people, who remain in an undiscovered mass grave. To commemorate the event, each year there is a walk to the general area of the massacre, where a ritual and a mass are held, accompanied by music and testimonies.
Commemoration of the El Tamarindo Massacre
The El Tamarindo Massacre took place in San José Las Flores, where 8 people were killed by the National Guard and ORDEN on April 15, 1980. Local people, nearby communities, and institutions commemorate each year at the place where the events occurred with a memorial ritual, testimonies, and a mass.
Commemoration of the Guinda de Mayo Massacres
Known locally as the Guinda de Mayo (May Guinda), this series of massacres were part of a military operation that the Salvadoran army deployed in late May and early June 1982 in the northeastern area of the Department of Chalatenango. This operation killed at least 236 people (36 of them babies under 3 years old) and dozens of people who are still officially listed as missing. Every year a commemoration is held accompanied by a procession, a mass, testimonies, a cultural event, and flowers are thrown into the Sumpul River.
Commemoration of El Rincón Massacre
The massacre in the El Rincón hamlet, in the Manaquil village in Nueva Trinidad, occurred on May 8, 1980. In this massacre, the Armed Forces (DM-1), ORDEN and the Civil Defense of Patamera killed 7 civilians. As part of the commemoration every year, people make a procession from the scene of the events to the church, where a mass is celebrated.
Commemoration of the Corta de la Rama
Commemoration of the Corta de la Rama (the Cutting of the Branch) is held yearly in Nueva Trinidad. The event commemorates the lives of the people who were killed and hung from a branch of the Copinol tree in the center of town, as well as other innocent and defenseless people of the civilian population who were killed during the armed conflict in the area. This commemoration is held on July 21, the day the branch was cut. On this day the Copinol tree is covered in flowers and a mass is held in the local Catholic church.
Commemoration of the El Jícaro Massacre
In El Jícaro, Chalatenango, three massacres were recorded in 1981: on January 23, July 4, and in October. The community decided to gather on July 4 in honor of all the victims of the armed conflict in the area. During the commemoration, a mass is held in the community church followed by a cultural event accompanied by testimonies in the community center.
Commemoration of the Gualsinga Massacre
The Gualsinga River massacre, Nueva Trinidad, occurred on August 30, 1984. This massacre, perpetrated by the Atlacatl Battalion and the Air Force, claimed the lives of 78 people. Survivors and people from different communities gather to commemorate year after year in a symbolic space in the area, where testimonies are shared, and a memorial ritual and a mass are held.
Commemoration of the El Alto Massacre
The El Alto Massacre was perpetrated by the Salvadoran Armed Forces in Potonico on March 2, 1982. Ten people were killed. The Surviving Memory team documented the massacre in July 2018. On March 2, 2022, the victims of this event were commemorated for the first time. The families and the communities carry out a memorial ritual, a procession, and a mass.
Community Altar Commemoration in Suchitoto
The “Community Altar” commemoration takes place at Centro Arte para la Paz (CAP), in Suchitoto, on November 2nd of each year under the auspices of the Surviving Memory project. An altar is set up where people can place relics of their relatives who died during the armed conflict or relatives who were victims of the armed conflict and died in the post-war period. In addition to flowers and symbolic objects, people can come to pray and leave flowers for their deceased martyrs.
Commemoration of the La Ceiba Massacre
The La Ceiba massacre in Las Vueltas occurred on August 10, 1980, where the. Salvadoran National Guard and ORDEN killed 8 people. To commemorate the event, the community and people from the surrounding areas gather at one of the places of the massacre, to listen to testimonies and songs, then they make a procession with various stations that ends with a mass in the church.
Commemoration of the Cuyas Cumbres Massacre
The massacre at Cerro Cuyas Cumbres in San Isidro Labrador occurred on November 13, 1982. This massacre was perpetrated by the Armed Forces (4th Infantry Brigade, DM-1, BIRI Belloso), FAS, and the National Police. Forty people were killed. The community members who accompany the commemoration take a walk through the mountains, a memorial ritual is performed, testimonies are shared, and a mass is held.
Commemoration of the El Higueral Massacre
The El Higueral massacre in San Francisco Morazán occurred between February 14 -20, 1981. The Armed Forces (4th Infantry Brigade), Air Force, ORDEN, the Treasury Police and the Honduran Army killed at least 120 people. Every year, the community remembers its victims with a memorial ritual on the riverbank and a procession to the central park, followed by a mass.
Commemoration of the Massacres at La Laguna de San Ramón
The commemoration of La Laguna de San Ramón is held in memory of all the martyrs who were killed there between 1979 and 1988. This commemoration takes place on March 11, the day that the family of Julio Rivera (a founder of Asociación Sumpul) was murdered. During the commemoration, there is a procession with 3 stations; each station is a point where massacres occurred during the conflict.
Commemoration of the El Sicahuite Massacre
The El Sicahuite massacre in Las Vueltas occurred on January 22, 1981. In this massacre, 4 people were killed by the Armed Forces (4th Infantry Brigade), the Armed Forces (DM-1) and ORDEN. On January 27, 2023, the victims of this massacre were commemorated for the first time with testimonies and a mass at the place where the events occurred.
Commemoration of the Holy Innocents in Arcatao
The Day of the Holy Innocents commemoration takes place every November 1st, in Arcatao, a commemorative act for all the boys and girls killed during the armed conflict. This commemoration takes place in the Sanctuary of Martyrs, a space created by the Comité de Memoria Histórica Soberviviente de Arcatao [Surviving Historical Memory Committee of Arcatao].
Commemoration of the Life of Father Manolo
In October, the community of Arcatao commemorates the life of Father Manolo, who passed away on October 8, 2006. Manolo was a priest who accompanied and helped the communities in Arcatao, Nueva Trinidad, among others. Radio Farabundo reported, “In Arcatao, [Father Manolo] showed his love for our town, for our people, the hundreds of families who did not have a roof over their heads when they arrived … after a civil war which had left poverty and destruction.”
October 15. International Day of Rural Women
International Day of Rural Women is generally celebrated on October 15, but some Women's Associations pick the day according to their needs. During this event, artistic performances are presented, the role of women in agricultural production in Chalatenango is highlighted, and an altar of abundance is made in gratitude for the harvests. This commemoration is organized by the Women's Associations that make up the Women's Committee of the Surviving Memory project.
Day of Non-Violence Against Women (November 25)
The Day of Non-Violence against Women is generally commemorated on November 25, but some Women's Associations pick the day according to their needs. During the event, all women victims of gender violence in the communities of Chalatenango are commemorated, as a reminder to continue the fight for the eradication of all types of violence against women. This commemoration is organized by the Women's Associations that make up the Women's Committee of the Surviving Memory project.
International Women's Day is generally celebrated on March 8th, but some Women's Associations schedule the day according to their needs. It is a day to recognize the struggle of women, their essential role in the country's history, as well as to motivate everyone to continue working to guarantee the rights of all. This commemoration is organized by the Women's Associations that make up the Women's Committee of the Surviving Memory project.
