Raíces and Memoria Viva are two collectives or networks of community artists from ten communities in the northeast of Chalatenango. Raíces gathers artists from Arcatao, Nueva Trinidad, Las Flores and Guancora, while Memoria Viva represents the Las Minas cantón, Chalatenango, and two other communities in the municipality of Las Vueltas. These two collectives have been working together since 2021 with the support of Cáritas Chalatenango in the context of the Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador project. 

They are children and grandchildren of survivors of the armed conflict, and some of them experienced war as children or young people. They are all united by their interest in memory and the search for healing the transgenerational wounds that the war left in their families and communities. They believe that popular art is a good way to do this, which is why they support cultural and memory initiatives in the region through theatre, dance, and song. They understand their way of making art as a means to rescue, dignify, and redefine the silenced memories of their ancestors, their struggles, and their resistance.

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