1932 Salvadoran peasant uprising
Encyclopedia
The peasant uprising of 1932, also known as La matanza ("The Massacre"), was a brief, peasant
-led rebellion
that occurred on January 22 of that year in the western departments
of El Salvador
. The uprising was quickly suppressed by the government
, then led by Maximiliano Hernández Martínez
, whose army was vastly superior in terms of weapons and soldiers and proceeded to execute anyone who stood against it. The rebellion was a mixture of protest
and insurrection and ended in ethnocide, claiming the lives of anywhere between 10,000 and 40,000 peasants and other civilians, many of them indigenous people.
Social unrest in El Salvador
had begun to grow in the 1920s, primarily because of the abuses of the political class
and the broad social inequality
between the landowners and the peasant
s, product of the policies of the latifundia
. This unrest was only strengthened by the tremendous drop in the price of the coffee bean
and the growing unemployment
rates. During the final decades of the 19th century and through the beginning of the 20th century, the Salvadoran economy relied greatly upon the cultivation of coffee
, leading to the country's being called a "coffee republic." The drop in the price of coffee thus meant mass firing
of peasants and the closing of several hacienda
s, which led to deep economic crisis.
The national coffee-growing industry arose from the accumulation of riches of a small group of landowners and merchant
s who had purchased large portions of land and employing a great number of peasants, many of them indigenous
.
Politically, El Salvador had been ruled since 1871 by Liberal elites who had established what became known as the "Coffee Republic", which had given the country a long period of comparative stability and a liberal constitution in 1886. By World War I, the presidency rotated effectively between the Meléndez and Quiñónez families in quasi-dynastic succession. In 1927, Pío Romero Bosque
was elected President and embarked on political liberalisation that led to what was arguably the first free election in Salvadoran history in 1931
, won by the reformist Arturo Araujo
. However, this period of pluralist democracy was not to last.
prices, the military's dissatisfaction peaked. A group of young officers, led by vice president Maximiliano Hernández Martínez
, staged a coup and ousted Araujo. Araujo fled the country and Martínez assumed power.
Nonetheless, actual fighting broke out on January 22, 1932. Rebels led by the communist party and Agustín Farabundo Martí, Mario Zapata and Alfonso Luna
, attacked government forces with support that was largely from Pipil Indians
in the western part of El Salvador. Within three days, they had succeeded in taking control of several towns, disrupting supply lines to many of the country’s towns and villages, and attacking a military garrison. With their superior training and technology, the government troops needed only a few days to defeat the rebels. While the rebels killed fewer than 100 people, the military retaliated with great force. Promising an open discussion and pardons for those involved in the uprising, the government invited them into a large public square where the army killed between 10,000 and 40,000 peasants, including Martí.
In western El Salvador hundreds of peasants rose against the new, corrupt government of Martinez, but this was crushed by the Army. Martinez started a genocide against his own population. Since most of the people that participated in the uprising were of indigenous origin, anyone that looked or dressed like a native or spoke Nahuatl was killed by the army. The number massacred is estimated at 30,000. A saying that circulated around the time of the Matanza: "President Martinez was such a good president that he was able to give every Salvadoran a house." (La Matanza by Thomas Anderson). The proportion of the 30,000 Salvadorans killed compared to the population of the actual U.S. population would be 60 million Americans. However, the political ideology of the Martinez administration was fascism. He admired Hitler and did not allow any Jews
, Palestinian
s or black people to enter the country.
The towns of Nahuizalco, Juayua, Apaneca and Izalco were assaulted by the army. Feliciano Ama
, an Indian leader, was hanged and this event was shown on postage stamps of the time. Following the Matanza from 1932-1979, military officers held the presidency, with some presidents using more repression than others. El Salvador's problems included unfair minimum wages, repression against student and general demonstrations, and election fraud.
, adopting Western dress and the Spanish language
as well as intermarrying
with members of non-indigenous groups. In modern-day El Salvador, it is estimated that 1% or less of the population is of exclusively indigenous descent.
Peasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
-led rebellion
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
that occurred on January 22 of that year in the western departments
Departments of El Salvador
||A list of the departments of El Salvador in alphabetical order.Department :# Ahuachapán # Cabañas # Chalatenango # Cuscatlán # La Libertad # La Paz...
of El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
. The uprising was quickly suppressed by the government
Politics of El Salvador
Politics of El Salvador takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of El Salvador is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in...
, then led by Maximiliano Hernández Martínez
Maximiliano Hernández Martínez
Maximiliano Hernández Martínez was the President of El Salvador from 1931 to 1944...
, whose army was vastly superior in terms of weapons and soldiers and proceeded to execute anyone who stood against it. The rebellion was a mixture of protest
Protest
A protest is an expression of objection, by words or by actions, to particular events, policies or situations. Protests can take many different forms, from individual statements to mass demonstrations...
and insurrection and ended in ethnocide, claiming the lives of anywhere between 10,000 and 40,000 peasants and other civilians, many of them indigenous people.
Background
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
had begun to grow in the 1920s, primarily because of the abuses of the political class
Social class
Social classes are economic or cultural arrangements of groups in society. Class is an essential object of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, economists, anthropologists and social historians. In the social sciences, social class is often discussed in terms of 'social stratification'...
and the broad social inequality
Social inequality
Social inequality refers to a situation in which individual groups in a society do not have equal social status. Areas of potential social inequality include voting rights, freedom of speech and assembly, the extent of property rights and access to education, health care, quality housing and other...
between the landowners and the peasant
Peasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
s, product of the policies of the latifundia
Latifundia
Latifundia are pieces of property covering very large land areas. The latifundia of Roman history were great landed estates, specializing in agriculture destined for export: grain, olive oil, or wine...
. This unrest was only strengthened by the tremendous drop in the price of the coffee bean
Coffee bean
A coffee bean is a seed of a coffee plant. It is the pit inside the red or purple fruit often referred to as a cherry. Even though they are seeds, they are referred to as 'beans' because of their resemblance to true beans. The fruits - coffee cherries or coffee berries - most commonly contain two...
and the growing unemployment
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
rates. During the final decades of the 19th century and through the beginning of the 20th century, the Salvadoran economy relied greatly upon the cultivation of coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, leading to the country's being called a "coffee republic." The drop in the price of coffee thus meant mass firing
Firing
Dismissal is the termination of employment by an employer against the will of the employee. Though such a decision can be made by an employer for a variety of reasons, ranging from an economic downturn to performance-related problems on the part of the employee, being fired has a strong stigma in...
of peasants and the closing of several hacienda
Hacienda
Hacienda is a Spanish word for an estate. Some haciendas were plantations, mines, or even business factories. Many haciendas combined these productive activities...
s, which led to deep economic crisis.
The national coffee-growing industry arose from the accumulation of riches of a small group of landowners and merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
s who had purchased large portions of land and employing a great number of peasants, many of them indigenous
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
.
Politically, El Salvador had been ruled since 1871 by Liberal elites who had established what became known as the "Coffee Republic", which had given the country a long period of comparative stability and a liberal constitution in 1886. By World War I, the presidency rotated effectively between the Meléndez and Quiñónez families in quasi-dynastic succession. In 1927, Pío Romero Bosque
Pío Romero Bosque
Pío Romero Bosque was President of El Salvador 1 March 1927 - 1 March 1931.He was one of the few if not the only president that found a balance in the government. This balance is often known as the "natural mix", a balance between concession and repression in a country...
was elected President and embarked on political liberalisation that led to what was arguably the first free election in Salvadoran history in 1931
Salvadoran general election, 1931
General elections were held in El Salvador on 11 and 13 January 1931. Arturo Araujo won the presidential elections running on a Salvadoran Labor Party-National Republican Party ticket.-Background:...
, won by the reformist Arturo Araujo
Arturo Araujo
Arturo Araujo was the president of El Salvador from March 1, 1931 to December 2, 1931. He was overthrown in a military coup led by junior officers, and was forced to flee the country for Guatemala...
. However, this period of pluralist democracy was not to last.
The coup
Unrest spread among military officers. In December 1931, with the collapse of coffeeCoffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
prices, the military's dissatisfaction peaked. A group of young officers, led by vice president Maximiliano Hernández Martínez
Maximiliano Hernández Martínez
Maximiliano Hernández Martínez was the President of El Salvador from 1931 to 1944...
, staged a coup and ousted Araujo. Araujo fled the country and Martínez assumed power.
The uprising
Though Martínez's rule may have satisfied the military, popular discontent continued to build and the government's opponents continued to agitate. Within weeks, communists, believing the country was ready for a peasant rebellion, were plotting an insurrection against Martínez. However, the government learned of the plot and arrested most of the ringleaders.Nonetheless, actual fighting broke out on January 22, 1932. Rebels led by the communist party and Agustín Farabundo Martí, Mario Zapata and Alfonso Luna
Farabundo Martí
Augustín Farabundo Martí Rodríguez was a social activist and a revolutionary leader in El Salvador.-Early life:Martí was born in Teotepeque, a farming community located in Departamento de La Libertad, El Salvador...
, attacked government forces with support that was largely from Pipil Indians
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
in the western part of El Salvador. Within three days, they had succeeded in taking control of several towns, disrupting supply lines to many of the country’s towns and villages, and attacking a military garrison. With their superior training and technology, the government troops needed only a few days to defeat the rebels. While the rebels killed fewer than 100 people, the military retaliated with great force. Promising an open discussion and pardons for those involved in the uprising, the government invited them into a large public square where the army killed between 10,000 and 40,000 peasants, including Martí.
In western El Salvador hundreds of peasants rose against the new, corrupt government of Martinez, but this was crushed by the Army. Martinez started a genocide against his own population. Since most of the people that participated in the uprising were of indigenous origin, anyone that looked or dressed like a native or spoke Nahuatl was killed by the army. The number massacred is estimated at 30,000. A saying that circulated around the time of the Matanza: "President Martinez was such a good president that he was able to give every Salvadoran a house." (La Matanza by Thomas Anderson). The proportion of the 30,000 Salvadorans killed compared to the population of the actual U.S. population would be 60 million Americans. However, the political ideology of the Martinez administration was fascism. He admired Hitler and did not allow any Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, Palestinian
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
s or black people to enter the country.
The towns of Nahuizalco, Juayua, Apaneca and Izalco were assaulted by the army. Feliciano Ama
Feliciano Ama
José Feliciano Ama was an indigenous peasant leader, a Pipil from Izalco in El Salvador, who participated and died in the 1932 Salvadoran peasant uprising....
, an Indian leader, was hanged and this event was shown on postage stamps of the time. Following the Matanza from 1932-1979, military officers held the presidency, with some presidents using more repression than others. El Salvador's problems included unfair minimum wages, repression against student and general demonstrations, and election fraud.
Aftermath
In the aftermath, accounts of the uprising and massacre were purged from libraries and replaced by the myth of Martínez as the savior of Salvadorans from vicious communists and barbaric Indians. To avoid further violence, members of the Pipil indigenous group generally severed their ties to their culture and Pipil languagePipil language
Pipil is a Uto-Aztecan language descended from Nahuatl which was spoken in several parts of present day Central America before the Spanish conquest. It is on the verge of extinction in western El Salvador and has already gone extinct elsewhere in Central America...
, adopting Western dress and the Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
as well as intermarrying
Interracial marriage
Interracial marriage occurs when two people of differing racial groups marry. This is a form of exogamy and can be seen in the broader context of miscegenation .-Legality of interracial marriage:In the Western world certain jurisdictions have had regulations...
with members of non-indigenous groups. In modern-day El Salvador, it is estimated that 1% or less of the population is of exclusively indigenous descent.
Further reading
- Gould, Jeffrey L. (2008), To Rise in Darkness: Revolution, Repression, and Memory in El Salvador, 1920-1932, Duke University Press, ISBN 978-0-8223-4228-1