Everything about 1932 Salvadoran Peasant Uprising totally explained
» "La matanza" redirects here. For the partido of Buenos Aires Province, see La Matanza Partido.
The
Salvadoran Peasant Uprising of 1932, also known as
La matanza, was a brief peasant-led uprising in January 1932.
Tension rises
Arturo Araujo, a presidential contender, styled himself as an advocate for the lower classes of
El Salvador. He became very popular among the poor people of El Salvador, who hoped that he'd bring dramatic changes and better their lot. The thirty to forty wealthy families who controlled most of El Salvador feared Araujo for this very same reason. To the dismay of the aristocracy, Araujo was elected as president on
March 1,
1931.
The coup
Unrest soon spread among military officers. In December 1931, with the collapse of
coffee 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.
The uprising
While Martínez 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 became aware of the plot and arrested most of the ringleaders.
Nevertheless, actual fighting broke out on
January 22,
1932. Rebels, led by the communist party and
Agustín Farabundo Martí, attacked government forces with support that was largely from
Pipil Indians in the western part of El Salvador. Within three days, they'd 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 they killed between 10,000 and 40,000 peasants, including Martí.
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, adopting Western dress and the
Spanish language as well as
intermarrying with members of non-indigenous groups. In modern-day El Salvador, it's estimated that 1% or less of the population is of exclusively indigenous descent.
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