El Salvador

"DIOS te salve Patria Sagrada, en tu seno hemos nacido y amado; eres el aire que respiramos, la tierra que nos sustenta, la familia que amamos, la libertad que nos defiende, la religion que nos consuela.  Tu tienes nuestro hogares queridos, fertiles campinas, rios majestuosos, soberbios volcanes, apacibles lagos, cielos de purpura y oro.  En tus campos ondulan doradas espigas, en tus talleres vibran los motores,chisporrotean los yunques,surgen las bellezas del arte.  Patria, en tu lengua armoniosa pedimos al providencia que te ampare, que abra nuestras almas al resplandor del cielo, grabe en ella dulce afecto al Maestro y a la Escuela y nos infunda tu santo amor.  Patria, tu historia, blason de heroes y martires, resena virtudes y anhelos; tu reverencias el Acta que consagro la soberania nacional y marcas la senda florida en que la Justicia y la Libertad nos llevan hacia DIOS.  ¡Bandera de la Patria, Simbolo sagrado de El Salvador, te saludan revernetes las nuevas generaciones!  Para ti el sol vivificante de nuestras glorias, los himnos del patriotismo, los laureles de los heroes.  Para ti el respeto de los pueblos y la corona de amor que hoy ceninos a tus inmortales sienes."

Text courtesy of Liggia Mancia

¡Bienvenidos a El Salvador!  My name is Liggia and I am from the city of Santa Ana in the northwest part of El Salvador next to Guatemala.  Let me introduce my country to you.

El Salvador is found in Central America.  Spanish, the official language, is the common language spoken among El Salvadorans.  Some still speak Nahua, the language spoken by the Native peoples of El Salvador.  Many El Salvadorans also learn English.

The typical foods in El Salvador are probably one of the best food anyone can taste!  The food that most identifies Salvadorean people are "pupusas".  Here you can find them anywhere you go.  There are different kinds of pupusas: cheese, bean, shrimp, revueltas (made of cheese, beans and chicharon), ayote, etc.  Pupusas originated a long time ago.  They were created by the Pipiles, the native Indians from El Salvador.  There are other typical foods from El Salvador, like chilate, nuegados, yucca, atol de elote, tamales (from pork, chicken, beef) and shuco.  But I think that the most important of all Salvadorean food are the pupusas.

Two historical builidings in El Salvador are the Cathedral of Santa Ana and the Santa Ana National Theater.  The Cathedral of Santa Ana is a great architectural jewel.  It is a gothic style cathedral, its color is beige.  It was built in the early 20th century.  It is built on bricks and only the front of the Cathedral is decorated the rest it was never finished.  Something really nice is that the Cathedral is the home of many pigeons.  There are some priests and important people that are buried there.  People have taken pictures from the above in a helicopter, and you can see the building forms a cross.  Its ceiling is cross shaped, it is really nice.  The altars where all the images of the Saints are, all are made of marble, really cool.  In the back part all the priests live.

Another great building is the Santa Ana National Theater.  It is another great architectural jewel.  Its ceiling has some incredible paintings.  It was built by Italian architects.  There are some wood statues that were brought from Italy.  It is divided into 3 sections.  Right now it is used frequently for events like art expositions and plays.  It has been reconstructed several times.  Its inside stairs are made out of wood, and if I'm not wrong the chairs are still the same ones they put when they first constructed it.  It is a really nice building.  The outside is painted with a very light yellow color, almost beige.  There is a foundation that takes care of the theater and it spends lots of money taking care of it.  The main set is all made out of wood and has some incredible decorations.  It is a two-story building.

The national flower of El Salvador is called the "Flor de Izote".  The fruit of the izote plant is used in cooking in El Salvador.  You may recognize this plant if you are familiar with the California deserts.  Izote is a type of yucca plant.

The rainbow of peace, is the road in which Central America must go to its destiny.  The five flags, in which is conserved the Federation colors, is the heritage of our Proceres and the dream of Morazán.  The General Francisco Morazán was one of the most important men that helped to the independence of the Federal Republic of Central America (now the 5 Central American countries) and he was also the President of the Republic for some time.  When I say "the dream of Morazán" I mean that the dream of this man came true, the Republic is free and what he did was a real benefit, because he helped all the people to be free.

The seal of El Salvador was created by the Salvadoran calligrapher Rafael Barraza Rodriguez, in a contest made up by the Ministry of war and navy on 1912.  Its triangle is an old trinitarian symbol of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.  The two open oceans are the spirit of a village in constant solidarity with other free nations.  The five volcanoes represent the wildness of our race, the start of our nationality.  The sky full of lightning represents the glory, heroism and the sacrifice for liberty.  The cap that is crown by the loyalty that confirm our sovereign, the symbol of the liberation from the foreign yoke.  The rainbow of peace, is the road in which Central America must go to its destiny.  The five flags, in which is conserved the Federation colors, is the heritage of our Proceres and the dream of Morazán.  The fourteen branches of Laurel represent the fourteen departments of El Salvador's Republic and are an exaltation of the glory for the ones that breathe to the road of liberty in work and in progress.  Where the branches are joined there is a pledge that says: DIOS, UNION, LIBERTAD (in English it means GOD, UNION, LIBERTY).  In school, children are taught "Dios (God) be always with God, Union (union) that everybody should be together and never should exist a separation between people, Libertad (liberty) that every person in the world has the right to be free and we should fight for that liberty."  Salvadoran families have a strong belief in a Superior Power that governs all.  Their unity and harmony for a better future dominates the spirit of freedom of a people who worked hard to become free from foreign rule.

The National Anthem of El Salvador, doesn't have an exact name, it is just called Himno Nacional de El Salvador (National Anthem of El Salvador).  It was written by Juan Jose Cañas and its music was composed by Juan Aberle.  It was sung for the first time in the ancient Palacio Nacional on September 15, 1879 by children from public and private schools from the capital.

Saludemos la Patria orgullosos
de hijos suyos podernos llamar;
y juremos la vida animosos
sin descanso a su bien consagrar.

De la paz en la dicha suprema,
siempre noble soño El Salvador;
fue obtenerla su eterno problema,
conservarla es su gloria mayor.

Y con fe inquebrantable el camino
del progreso se afana en seguir,
por llenar su grandioso destino
conquistarse un feliz porvenir.

Le protege una férrea barrera
contra el choque de ruin deslealtad,
desde el día en que su alta bandera
con su sangre escribió: ¡LIBERTAD!

Libertad es su dogma,
es su guía que mil veces logró defender;
y otras tantas,
de audaz tiranía rechazar el odioso poder.

Dolorosa y sangrienta es su historia,
pero excelsa y brillante a la vez;
manantial de legítima gloria,
gran lección de espartana altivez.

No desmaya en su innata bravura,
en cada hombre hay un héroe inmortal
que sabrá mantenerse a la altura
de su antiguo valor proverbial.

Todos son abnegados,
y fieles al prestigio del bélico ardor
con que siempre segaron laureles
dee la patria salvando el honor.

Respetar los derechos extraños
y apoyarse en la recta razón
es para ella, sin torpes amaños,
su invariable, mas firme ambición.

Y en seguir esta línea se aferra dedicando
su esfuerzo ventura se encuentra en la paz.