Life in the Mesa Grande Refugee Camp
Élida explains how people were organized inside the Mesa Grande refugee camp in Honduras and describes her return to Arcatao.
Injustice
Origins of the Conflict
Damián reflects on the social inequality and social demands that led to the civil war, as well as rural organizing and the founding of the Union of Field Workers (UTC) in 1975.
Reasons for Organizing
Margarita shares her views on the inequality, poverty, and exclusion that led rural Salvadorans to organize.
Reasons to Organize
Víctor reflects on the reasons that led people to organize.
Refugee Experiences
Emeteria remembers the process of resettlement in Guarjila after returning from the Mesa Grande refugee camp in Honduras.
Reparations and the Struggle Against Impunity
Rosa explains her opinions on economic reparations and the need to struggle against impunity.
Repression in Arcatao
Alberto remembers when town inhabitants began to leave their homes as truckloads of soldiers arrived to Arcatao.
Returning to Arcatao
Virginia describes life at the Mesa Grande refugee camp in Honduras, and her challenging trip back to Arcatao.
Rural Organizing
Santiago lists some of the rural political organizations which were present in Chalatenango.
The “May Guinda”
Isabel recalls being on the run and crossing the Sumpul River during the 1982 “May Guinda,” during which the military killed hundreds of civilians.
The “May Guinda” as a Young Girl
Edith remembers experiencing the “May Guinda” as a young girl, including the difficulty of finding food and seeing wounded people all around her.
The 1986 Invasion
Carlota remembers a grenade explosion in her home during the 1986 invasion and the threats to the civilian population inside the town church.