el salvador – HELEN TREJO

Is Selling Sugar to China Really Such a Sweet Deal for El Salvador?

Originally posted on Voices on the Border:
Salvadoran government officials recently announced a deal to export 52,000 tons of sugar (12% of the country’s annual production) to China in a deal worth $15-20 million to local producers. El Salvador has sold sugar to South Korea, Taiwan, the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Indonesia, and the European Union,…

Injustice for Potential Refugees reaching the Mexican-American Border

My heart goes out to the thousands of minors and families coming to the U.S. from Central America in search of safer livelihoods. My parents escaped the turmoil and violence of El Salvador during the horrific Civil War in the 1980s. Today, they comment that the violence in El Salvador with the influx of MS-13 gang members deported…

Establishment of “Latino Cultural District” SF California

Recently San Francisco’s Mission District was named a “Latino Cultural District” based on the Latino/a melting pot that has historically welcomed people from diverse countries. A SHORT HISTORY Immigration to the Mission District began during the 19th century Gold Rush. The end of the Mexican-American War and Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo forced Mexican residents to leave, and spurred entry of…

Salvadorean Pride: Understanding Symbolism

2014 will be the 193rd celebration of independence for Salvadorean and several Central American countries including Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. On September 15, 1821 these countries collectively proclaimed independence from Spain. Although El Salvador has not fully recovered from the devastating Civil War of the 1980s, it is important to consider El Salvador’s…

Past, Present, and Future: Salvadorean Textiles and Clothing

The claim that there are no indigenous people in El Salvador led to wonder about what makes someone “indigenous.” Census information conveys that Lenca and Nahua (Pipil) indigenous people make up about 10% of the population in El Salvador. It is assumed that the indigenous population is much larger, but underreported based on the narrow…