War and Peace

A leisurely start this morning, no alarm. The shower is cold only but it’s already quite warm so it’s not too bad. Breakfast at Casa da la Abuela; Google Maps tells us its 232 feet away – it’s a small town!

The cafe is very nice, warm yellow outside, dark and cool inside, decorated with coffee sacks. I have granola, yogurt and fruit and a very good cappuccino.

Fortified by our meal, we’re ready for the sites. The church is brilliant white on the outside but inside it’s got lots of dark wood and a tiled floor, unlike anywhere else we’ve seen. It’s also very long for a small town. A number of houses have a stencil on the wall saying ‘In this house we want a life free from violence against women’. Suchitoto is a very attactive town, cobbled streets and colourful single storey buildings. I’ve never been anywhere so friendly, everybody has time for a smile and to say good morning. Just under the surface however you’re never far from the impact of the civil war.

The start of the El Salvador Civil War is hard to pin down exactly but it was fought from around 1979 until a peace treaty was signed in 1992. The origins were in a revolt by the peasantry against land-owners who paid them very little and treated them poorly. The El Salvador armed forces were armed and trained by the USA. The guerillas armed themselves by stealing – or in some cases even buying arms – from the army. UN Reports say that 75,000 people were killed and an unknown number disappeared.

One of the squares in the town has a number of sculptures made from arms remaining after the war and parts of a helicopter shot down by guerillas. Nearby a former school is now the Art Centre for Peace, they teach art and music to local people and have an exhibition by local artists, there’s a large salsa band practising in one of the rooms.

Time for a cooling drink before heading back to the hotel to prepare for our afternoon hike. This is through a forest in a nature reserve about 15 miles from the town. The forest was the site of a lot of guerilla activity during the civil war. We see the remains of trenches, the grave of an unknown soldier and the site of a guerilla camp. A lot of of knowledge was gained from the viet-cong, the trenches and kitchens that disperse their smoke so as not to be visible from the air are all their designs. The medical facilities in the camp remain in place; a small bamboo operating table with a hook above it for drips, blood etc. Operations were carried out at night by oil lamps.

The highest point of the walk takes us to a viewpoint with a wide vista across the forest, Lake Suchitlan, and a number of volcanoes. We end the hike with a swim under a waterfall, a very nice way to cool down.

We’re told some stories about the war by a former guerrilla, Don Rafael, he’s now 58 and although small looks a formidable fighter. He claims to have been the 11th member of the guerilla forces.

We stop in the village of Cinquera on the way back to Suchitoto to see more war remnants, parts of a helicopter downed by a machine gun and the gun itself. Outside the church there are bomb cases standing up on the lawn.

Back in town we start the evening at El Necio, this is run by a more friendly ex-guerilla. He seems to have a crush on Che Guevara, his bar is covered with pictures of El Commandante, one covers almost a whole wall. I have a Cuba Libre – seems appropriate, the former fighter sings along to Cuban music, he has a good voice.

Return to last night’s restaurant for more papusas, just a small one each tonight – this sets us back $1.50, theyre even better than before as well.