Memory in El Salvador

“The sense that the revolutionary struggle lost its meaning appears to have spread in the years since the accords, in which conditions of poverty, suffering, frustration, and uncertainty continue to prevail for most Salvadorans."

Many Salvadorans living today still feel the repercussions of the war and increasingly struggle to preserve the meaning of the cause that all the self sacrifices that were made for.

 In 1989, the murder of 6 Jesuit priests ignited international outrage and pushed the negotiations for peace. Today, those responsible for the murders have yet to be brought to justice. In 2008, the Center for Justice and Accountability filed a criminal case in Madrid against former Salvadoran President Alfredo Cristiani Burkard and 14 former military officers and soldiers for their role in the murders. In 2009, the Spanish National court chargered these 14 men with crimes against humanity and state terrorism. However the trial came ot a stand-still in 2014, when the Spanish government restricted the court's universal jurisdiction, therefore only charging them with murder adn terrorism, dropping the crimes against humanity charge. 

These Jesuits played a similar role to those of Rutilio Grande and Oscar Romero, a one of self-sacrifice. Today, Salvadorans are still in their struggle to establish a stable and just government. The remembrance of the martyrs that gave themselves to the cause is fading with time as the struggle for peace and prosperity is still a major issue. Many El Salvadorans that lived through the war find it hard to continue to justify these deaths as sacrifices that would ultimately bring them peace. Memorials like this one are built to honor those martyrs and to remind the people what sacrifice and struggle means to to them. 

Immigrants today experience the same challenges of sacrifice faced by those years ago. Prejudices and threats of culture loss still weigh heavily on the lives of the El Salvadorans today. By remembering the deaths of all who sacrificed themselves for the well-being of future societies, the people of El Salvador find meaning in them.