Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
big business, wealthy elites, and the official Catholic Church hierarchy. These two forces
are locked in a seemingly endless battle for the souls of El Salvador's
campesinos
(peas-
ants). During its 20 years of rule, the ARENA party created a highly regressive tax code
that strongly favored wealthy Salvadorans and international business. Traditionally, the
US has supported the right wing, both to protect its own economic interests and—back in
the 1980s—to fight the perceived “communist threat” of the left.
While the players remain the same, the game has changed. The peace that ended
the country's Civil War also ushered in an era of globalization. By my 2005 visit, North
American chains—from Pizza Hut to Texaco to Subway—appeared to be thriving. The
Marlboro Man looked good on his horse. And as I cruised through town past a cancan of
American-owned franchises, it seemed the victory of the US-supported faction had been a
huge success.
And yet, it was also immediately clear that living in San Salvador—a city of a million
and a half people—was still no picnic. Through the 2000s, El Salvador was running neck-
and-neck with Honduras for the highest homicide rate of any country in the Western
Hemisphere, and gang violence was rising steadily. Exploring San Salvador, it was clear
that any nice home came with a fenced-in and fortified front yard. Rolls of razor wire were
on sale in the newspaper. In the wealthy neighborhoods, each street had an armed guard.
The relative lack of news about Latin America since the 1980s had lulled me into
thinking that perhaps things were getting better for people there. But suffering that's not
covered on the nightly news is still suffering. This trip reminded me of the power of our
media—even over those of us who are determined not to be misled.
El Salvador provides the
norteamericano
with a hot and muggy welcome. After one day,
I had settled in quite well. I was speckled with bug bites and accustomed to my frail cold
shower, noisy fan, and springy cot. I knew to brush my teeth with bottled water and to put
used toilet paper in the wastebasket to avoid clogging the toilet. I was ready for some seri-
ous education… and I got it. I was shocked to learn how amazingly blind I was to people's
daily reality just a short plane ride south of the border.
Since my previous visit, Salvadorans had been dealt some miserable cards. When cof-
fee prices crashed in the early 2000s, it sent the economy into a tailspin; many desperate
young people joined gangs, while well-off people built bigger and bigger walls around
their property. Eventually the
maquiladora
industry (sewing clothing for rich world cor-
porations) moved in to provide jobs—but only after the government agreed to lower the
minimum wage. By my 2005 visit, the minimum wage was about $1 an hour ($144 a
