Memorials
El Higueral Massacre Memorial
On February 14th, 1981, the Armed Forces of El Salvador and paramilitary groups massacred hundreds of civilians in El Higueral, Chalatenango, El Salvador. Among the victims were many women, children, and elderly people who were seeking refuge from the military repression and scorched earth operations in the region. To this day, the massacre has not been acknowledged or investigated by the Salvadoran government. Estimates of the number of victims vary widely, from 200 to 500—some survivors mention that over 1,000 people had reached El Higueral when the massacre was perpetrated. Following the massacre, the civilian population was displaced in the region, continuing the constant flight from military operations, within El Salvador and sometimes even abroad. In 1988, El Higueral was gradually repopulated, despite the ongoing civil war and harsh military repression, in a movement of hope and resistance.
Sumpul River Massacre Memorial
The Sumpul River Massacre Memorial in Las Aradas, Chalatenango, is a foundational project of the Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador initiative. Begun in 2017 and set for full completion in May 2025, the memorial is a powerful symbol of the community's memory and resistance to one of El Salvador’s most tragic events during the civil war, which remains unrecognized by the Salvadoran state. It commemorates the massacre of approximately 600 civilians on May 14, 1980, by the Armed Forces of El Salvador, ORDEN, and the National Guard, with the support of the Honduran military. This project, developed through a collaborative and participatory process led by survivors and Asociación Sumpul [Sumpul Association], alongside local and international collaborators—including researchers, architects, and artists—serves, not merely as a monument, but as a living space for reflection, education, and community building.
Ecclesial Base Community (CEB) Segundo Montes
Between October and December of 2023, in the context of the Service-Learning course “Surviving Memory in Post-War El Salvador,” taught at KU Leuven (Belgium) and linked to the introductory course on research methodology at the Central American University in San Salvador with Professor Alex Renderos, architecture students explored several projects. One of them was the extension of the Templo de Mártires y Heroínas[Temple of Martyrs and Heroines] of the Ecclesiastical Base Community (CEB) in the Segundo Montes Community, in Morazán.
La Laguna de San Ramón Massacres Memorial
In April 2022, Asociación Sumpul organized a participatory workshop in the municipality of Las Vueltas as part of the Surviving Memory Postwar El Salvador initiative. The workshop included survivors, community members, local leaders, architects, and representatives from KU Leuven, Western University, and the School of Arts at the University of El Salvador, and the discussion was focused on ways to enhance annual commemorations of the massacres at La Laguna de San Ramón (also known as La Laguna Seca). This location, significant during the Salvadoran civil war, is a site of remembrance where approximately 300 people gather annually on March 11 to commemorate victims of massacres and bombardments between 1979 and 1983.
Guinda de Mayo Massacres Memorial
The Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador team is currently working on a design proposal with Pro-Busqueda and Asociación Sumpul for a memorial commemorating the Guinda de Mayo Massacres. This project will be realized the second half of our SSHRC Partnership Grant. The Guinda de Mayo Massacres in Chalatenango – which culminated in May 1982 and lasted for multiple months – are among the worst human rights violations of the Salvadoran Civil War. The perpetrators – the Belloso Battalion – were trained at the School of the Americas and were relentless in their pursuit of civilians across the region. In addition to bombings, scotched earth tactics, and forced displacement, there were also multiple civilian massacres. One survivor and community leader, Don Lisandro, describes the Guinda de Mayo as a “rosario” (a string or series) of massacres
Arcatao Memorial Names Plaques
From 2022 to 2023, the Comité de Memoria Histórica Sobreviviente de Arcatao [Committee of the Surviving Historical Memory in Arcatao] worked collaboratively with a research team from Western University and the Salvadoran Canadian Association (ASALCA) to collect the names of people who were killed or died in Arcatao due to the armed conflict between 1970 and 1992. The research became the basis for commemorative plaques and a book called Vivencias y Memorias de Arcatao (2024).
Gualsinga River Massacre Memorial
The Gualsinga Massacre was perpetrated by the Salvadoran Army Battalion Atlacatl and the Air Force on August 28, 1984. Approximately 78 civilians were killed in the forest and the river during this scorched-earth operation in the canton of Jaguatay (Nueva Trinidad municipality), near the border with Honduras. The victims were hiding from the military, but they were located due to the screaming and crying of children. The river was very full due to heavy rainfall which led to many people drowning whilst fleeing the attack.