Hiking Guazapa

Saturday, a few friends and I hiked Guazapa Volcano, the guerillas’ stronghold from 1980 until 1992.  Our starting point was about fifteen minutes by bus from Suchitoto’s town center.   

The first fifteen minutes, we wandered by houses in Communidad El Sitio Zapotal.  We passed their gathering area which included a stage.  The following picture capture the stages' backdrop.  I pictured the pannels in order.  The descriptions are the guide's interpretation.

The left side represents Salvadoran people feeling something in the air before the war began.  The right, the massacres throughout the country before the people were armed.

Representing the people taking up arms to fight against the army.  Notice the woman's face.  Their strong involvement in the war gave birth to the current women's movement in El Salvador.

Guazapa and two martyrs

Guazapa and two martyrs

Guerrillas often talked about feeling as if they were a part of nature while living in the woods.

Archbishop Oscar Romero leading the the people and shedding blood for peace within their country.

Peace has come but people are still struggling to eat and live so they are pushing north and many migrating to the United States.

Now the war is over but young people are joining gangs.  I found it interesting that the artist chose a unicorn to represent the gangs.  Many children are left here while their parents are in the US.   Parents send money but children are growing up on the streets without parents. 

The next half hour we trudged through fields of fruit, sugar cane, corn, and coffee.  The site was breathtaking.

Papaya field

Managua fruit

Baby pineapple from one of the fields.

Hemika plant: tastes bitter and is vibrant in color.  Salvadorans toss it in a cup with tons o' sugar and a bit of water for a common afternoon drink.

 The last hour and half was through dense forest.  Our quick-stepping guide Lupe pointed to the guerrillas' important meeting spots.  Guazapa is full of tunnels, which created welcome hiding places.

One of the many trenches.  They are in the shape of an L.  When the bombs landed on one side, they would run to the other side to shield themselves from shrapnel.

Entrance to one of the many tatus (air raid shelters).  The shelters are small and stuffy but they'd cram people in when planes flew over and dropped bombs on Guazapa.  This was a daily occurrence.

Guerrilla's hospital site.  Nurses surrounded patients with large rocks to keep the rain water from washing over the wounded.  There are many of these "beds" left.