41-445: Chalatenango ( Spanish pronunciation: [tʃalateˈnaŋɡo] ) is a department of El Salvador located in the northwest of the country. The department's capital city is the city of Chalatenango , which shares the same name as the department. Chalatenango covers a land area of 779 sq mi (2,017 km) and contains over 192,000 inhabitants. Chalatenango's maximum elevation, located at Cerro El Pital (the country's highest point),
82-706: A commission to investigate. Alfonso Rodríguez Rincón, Chief of the OAS observers, dismissed the accusation by the Honduran Church as the product of an overactive imagination, stating that the OAS knew nothing about the incident. He noted that there were numerous operations on the Salvadorian side and it was conceivable that many guerrillas had been killed, speculating that the incident was being confused with another one. In October 1980, President José Napoleón Duarte , in an interview with United Church Observer , acknowledged that
123-706: A military operation had taken place in the Sumpul river area and said that some 300 people, all of them "communist guerrillas", had died. The UN Truth Commission later determined OAS observers reported a major clash between Salvadoran forces and the FMLN took place May 14–16, resulting in 200 deaths that included civilians, but the report included no evidence of a massacre. The U.S. embassy eventually said "something happened." A Salvadoran official visiting Washington, D.C. , in April 1981 said 135 people had died but disputed most other details of
164-405: A priest in the diocese of Santa Rosa de Copán, who confirmed that at least 325 Salvadorians had been killed and that a Honduran military detachment had cordoned off the bank of the Sumpul river. Cases of typhoid in other villages along the river appeared within a week and were attributed to the large quantity of decomposing corpses in the river. The bodies were not buried, and piles of bones from
205-537: A result, Chalatenango's 33 municipalities were consolidated into 3, known as Chalatenango Norte, Chalatenango Centro, and Chalatenango Sur; the 33 municipalities remained extant as districts, and the change went into effect on 1 May 2024. The department heavily relies on agriculture to sustain its population. Crops such as maize, beans, and vegetables are cultivated on around 3.5 percent of the department's land, meanwhile, cattle are raised on around 35 percent of its land. Chalatenango has two main roads which travel through
246-507: Is 8,960 feet (2,730 m). Amílcar Iván Monge Monge of Nuevas Ideas has been the governor of Chalatenango since 2020. The name Chalatenango derives from the Nawat words chal or shal meaning "sand", at meaning "water" or "river", and tenango meaning "valley". In its entirety, "Chalatenango" means "valley of sandy waters". The indigenous peoples of the Americas had lived in
287-464: Is abolished and reincorporated into San Vicente. February 21, 1852: La Paz department is restored. February 8, 1855: Santa Ana department is separated from Sonsonate. February 14, 1855: Chaltenango department is separated from Cuscatlan. January 26, 1865: La Libertad department is separated from San Salvador. June 22, 1865: Usulutan and La Union departments are separated from San Miguel. February 12, 1869: Ahuachapan department
328-470: Is divided into 14 departments (Spanish: departamentos ) for administrative purposes, subdivided into 44 municipalities ( municipios ) and 262 districts. The country is a unitary state . June 12, 1824: The first Salvadoran constitution within the Federal Republic of Central America establishes a territorial division of four departments, Sonsonate, San Salvador, San Vicente, and San Miguel. Sonsonate
369-551: Is separated from Santa Ana. February 10, 1873: Cabañas department is created from parts of Cuscatlan and San Vicente. July 14, 1875: Gotera department is separated from San Miguel. It would be renamed to Morazan department on March 14, 1887. Sumpul River massacre [REDACTED] Honduras Civil War Massacres Aftermath The Sumpul River massacre ( Spanish : masacre del Sumpul ) took place in Chalatenango, El Salvador on May 13, 1980 during
410-406: Is transferred to Sonsonate department. May 17, 1839: Cuscatlan's Olocuitla district and San Vicente's Zacatecoluca district are combined into the new department of La Paz. July 30, 1839: The Federal District of San Salvador is dissolved, and San Salvador department is reconstituted, combining the former federal district with Opico district of Cuscatlan. March 15, 1847: La Paz department
451-643: The Salvadoran Civil War . Salvadoran Armed Forces and pro-government paramilitaries launched an offensive to disrupt the activities of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN). The offensive created many refugees who were attacked the next day by the Salvadoran forces. The Honduran military prevented them from fleeing into Honduras, and between 300 and 600 refugees died. Both El Salvador and Honduras denied responsibility for
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#1732844802098492-582: The colonial intendant of the Intendancy of San Salvador , recruited laborers from the Spanish regions of Asturias , Cantabria , and Galicia to work in the production of indigo in the modern-day region of the Chalatenango department. The laborers were recruited due to a decrease in the indigenous population in the area. As a result, Chalatenango saw a significant increase of a lighter-skinned populace compared to
533-768: The hamlet Las Aradas, were abandoned and camps were formed within the DMZ on the Honduran side of the border to avoid harassment from the military, as well as the National Guard and paramilitary Organización Democrática Nacionalista (ORDEN), which did not cross the border. The Honduran government became concerned with Salvadoran refugees residing in Honduras, one of the causes of the Football War. The Salvadoran government believed these camps were being used by FMLN guerrillas, partly based on
574-414: The 1960s and 1970s. In 1961, 56 percent of the urban population was literate, while only 27 percent of the rural population was literate. During the 1970s, Chalatenango only had one hospital, and only 57 percent of the population had access to any type of medical clinic; only one third of households had running water and only 16 percent had access to electricity. In 1971, the local minimum wage in Chalatenango
615-531: The 32nd anniversary of the massacre, the Salvadoran Ministry of Culture declared Las Aradas "Protected Cultural Property". In July 2016, when the Salvadoran Supreme Court struck down an amnesty law protecting participants in the civil war, enabling their prosecution, the case regarding the massacre remained open. [REDACTED] This article incorporates text from this source, which is in
656-486: The FMLN held 15 of the department's 13 municipalities. Several civil war massacres occurred in Chalatenango, including the 1980 Sumpul River massacre and the 1982 Santa Rita massacre . From 1992 to 1995, following the conclusion of the civil war, the Municipalities-in-Action (MEA) program listed 20 out of the department's 33 municipalities as "reconstruction municipalities" as they were severely damaged during
697-545: The Honduran government pressured refugees to return to El Salvador; a group returned to Las Aradas. Following their return, twice National Guard and ORDEN troops advanced on Las Aradas, and twice the refugees fled across the river. On May 5, Honduran and Salvadoran military leaders met on the border to discuss how to prevent Salvadoran guerillas from entering Honduras. A few days later, the Honduran government pressured refugees to return to Las Aradas, and some did. On May 13, Salvadoran forces consisting of Military Detachment No. 1,
738-656: The La Montañona Perimeter Ring (CHA07) connecting the Concepción Quezaltepeque with Ojos de Agua via the city of Chalatenango, and the Dulce Nombre de María – San Fernando Road (CHA13) which connects the two aforementioned municipalities. Chalatenango used to be under in influence of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) criminal gang, specifically its Fulton Locos Salvatruchos cell, until May 2023 when
779-623: The National Guard and ORDEN commenced an anti-guerilla operation. From several points, including the nearby village of Las Vueltas , they converged on Las Aradas, clashing with guerillas many times. Also on May 13, 150 Honduran soldiers belonging to the 12th Battalion, based in Santa Rosa de Copán , arrived in Santa Lucía , Honduras, and San José , Honduras, near the Sumpul River and prevented
820-604: The Salvadoran government began the Siege of Nueva Concepción , an operation in Nueva Concepción (the gang's primary stronghold) to extract and arrest as many gang members as possible as a part of the country's gang crackdown . The Texis Cartel also operated out of Chalatenango. Common crimes which were committed in Chalatenango included arms trafficking, drug trafficking (such as cocaine and marijuana), human trafficking, and extortion. Departments of El Salvador El Salvador
861-644: The United Nations published its "Report of the UN Truth Commission on El Salvador", finding that there was "substantial evidence" that Salvadoran forces "massacred no less than 300 unarmed civilians" and that "the massacre was made possible by the cooperation of the Honduran armed forces." It noted that "Salvadorian military authorities were guilty of a cover-up of the incident", and described the massacre as "a serious violation of international humanitarian law and international human rights law". On May 14, 2012,
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#1732844802098902-456: The air and cleaved or decapitated them with machetes. The refugees attempted to cross the Sumpul river into Honduras, but Honduran soldiers prevented them, possibly by shooting. Salvadoran soldiers shot many refugees attempting to cross the river, while many others, especially children, drowned. Helicopters strafed the refugees hiding along stone fences. The massacre lasted six to nine hours, leaving at least 300 dead. Many sources place
943-498: The civil war, many refugees fled south to the shore of Lake Suchitlán or left the department entirely for either Honduras or the United States . Many mayors in northern Chalatenango also fled their municipalities, leaving them to be effectively controlled by the FMLN; during and after the civil war, references were made by locals that there were "two Chalatenangos", one under government control and one under guerrilla control. By 1983,
984-600: The civil war, most of which were located in territories controlled by the FMLN. The MEA allocated SVC₡85 million (equivalent of USD$ 9.75 million) to Chalatenango to help built schools, clinics, roads, and water systems, the highest amount given to any department. Chalatenango covers a land area of 779 sq mi (2,017 km). It lies along the Tamulasco and Cholco rivers at an elevation of 1,660 feet (506 metres). The population of Chalatenango increased by over 50 percent between 1770 and 1892, compared to national figure of 32 percent;
1025-632: The complaint by the diocese of Santa Rosa de Copán in a communiqué published on June 29, and the Honduran Conference of Bishops , headed by the Archbishop of Tegucigalpa , Monsignor Héctor E. Santos, endorsed the accusations in a July 1 press release. Salvadoran Defense Minister José Guillermo García denied the massacre, stating, "There have been dead in that area, but not in such 'industrial' quantities." The U.S. embassy in Tegucigalpa also denied
1066-509: The death toll at 600. Villages abandoned by the refugees during the attack remained deserted. The National Guard prevented refugees from returning; the Salvadoran and Honduran armies both departed the next day. The massacre received widespread media attention in Honduras. On May 21, the Costa Rican morning news program Radio Noticias del Continente transmitted the first news report. Salvadoran priests and rescue workers attempting to visit
1107-458: The department's mountainous terrain. The department continued to be a military stronghold for the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN), a left-wing guerrilla group which the FPL was a founding member of, during the Salvadoran Civil War (1979–1992). Due to its nature as a guerrilla stronghold, several military operations conducted by both sides of the civil war occurred in Chalatenango. During
1148-474: The department's population in 1892 totaled around 54,000 people. By 1971, the department's population had increased to 172,075, but by then, its population growth had fallen to 2.3 percent per year, the lowest of any department. During the 1970s, Chalatenango had the highest rate of internal migration at –16.1 percent. In 2007, Chalatenango had a population of 192,788, the fourth smallest department by population. The Chalatenango department consists of 33 districts,
1189-641: The department. The first, the Northern Trunk Highway (CA4), connects San Salvador , the country's capital city, in the south with the Honduran border in the north. The second, the Longitudinal Trunk Highway (CA3), connects the departments of Santa Ana in the west and Cabañas in the east. Other highways include the Arcatao Highway (CHA07) connecting the city of Chalatenango with Arcatao ,
1230-470: The incident. A year after the massacre, García said a number of people had died in a clash on May 14, 1980, at the Sumpul river, but the number had been greatly exaggerated. On October 26, 1992, survivors of the Sumpul river massacre filed a judicial complaint with the Chalatenango Court of First Instance, which was admitted under the title "on verifying the murder of 600 people". On April 1, 1993,
1271-574: The incident. In 1993, the United Nations Truth Commission described the incident as a serious violation of international law. Following the 1969 Football War between El Salvador and Honduras, the Organization of American States (OAS) negotiated a ceasefire that established an OAS-monitored demilitarized zone (DMZ) three kilometers wide on each side of the border. When the Salvadoran Civil War began, many villages, including
Chalatenango Department - Misplaced Pages Continue
1312-412: The massacre could still be seen a year later. On June 19, the diocese of Santa Rosa de Copán filed a formal complaint, signed by its 38 pastoral workers. The complaint accused the government and armed forces of Honduras of complicity in the massacre and in the subsequent cover-up. It also accused the OAS of complicity in the cover-up. The Archdiocese of San Salvador endorsed and associated itself with
1353-416: The massacre. In an official statement, Honduras described the accusations as libelous and irresponsible. Honduran President Policarpo Paz denied the claims in a nationally broadcast radio speech. Honduran Minister of Government Cristóbal Díaz García told the press that no one doubted that a massacre had occurred, but claimed that the Honduran military had not been involved and that government would not set up
1394-484: The membership of many peasants within the DMZ in the Federación de Trabajadores del Campo, a political organization promoting agrarian reform and seen by the Salvadoran government as supporting the guerillas. In early 1980, FMLN guerrillas organized several small Salvadoran border villages and provided rudimentary military training. In early May, they began farming nearby fallow land. In the last two weeks of March 1980,
1435-548: The most of any department in El Salvador. The 33 municipalities are often grouped into three zones: north, central, and south. The department's 33 municipalities, listed in alphabetical order, are: On 13 June 2023, 67 of the 84 deputies of the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador voted in favor of a bill proposed by President Nayib Bukele to reduce the total number of the country's municipalities from 262 to 44. As
1476-540: The refugees from crossing the border. On May 14, 1980, Salvadoran soldiers ordered the refugees to return from Sumpul River. They threatened to throw children into the river. The refugees did not return. At 10:00 am, the soldiers fired "fistfuls" of bullets penetrating walls and killing many people and cattle. They gathered and killed many refugees, shooting them with machine guns , bludgeoning them with rifle butts or goring them with machetes and military knives. ORDEN members threw babies and young children into
1517-451: The region of the modern-day Chalatenango department for over one thousand five hundred years before the arrival of the Spanish in the 1500s. The indigenous people of the area lived in densely populated communities and cultivated maize . From 1524 to 1539, the Spanish conquered the territories of modern-day El Salvador , including Chalatenango. In 1790, Francisco Luis Héctor de Carondelet ,
1558-432: The rest of El Salvador. Chalatenango was made a department in 1855. During the 1700s and 1800s, Chalatenango was mostly dependent on indigo production, however, the fall of indigo prices in the 1860s led to the department falling into a state of impoverishment. Since then, Chalatenango was one of the country's poorest departments, as most impoverished peasant farmers in El Salvador lived in the department, especially during
1599-438: The site of the massacre a few days later were turned away, but a Honduran priest reported that "there were so many vultures picking at the bodies in the water that it looked like a black carpet." Two foreign journalists visited the site from Honduras and conducted interviews of survivors, publishing their findings in a leaflet. A few days after the massacre, the newspaper Tiempo published an interview with Father Roberto Yalaga,
1640-536: Was SVC₡ 1.00 to 2.50 per day, compared to the national minimum wage of SVC₡2.75 per day, and in 1975, Chalatenango had an unemployment rate of 40 percent, the highest of any department. The Chalatenango department was a military stronghold for the Farabundo Martí Popular Liberation Forces (FPL) and the People's Revolutionary Bloc (BPR), two Marxist armed organizations, during the 1970s due to
1681-507: Was formerly part of Guatemala before this point. 1833-1834: A short lived Department of Tejutla was established from the districts of Metapan and Tejutla in San Salvador. January 22, 1835: The Federal District of San Salvador is separated both from San Salvador department and from the State of Salvador. The remainder of San Salvador department is renamed to Cuscatlan, and Metapan district