El Salvador’s Indigenous Peoples – Jewels of the Nation

EI Salvador is in Central America and has the Pacific Ocean to the west, Guatemala to the north, and Honduras to the east. The Pipil people, who are the predominant indigenous group in the country, refer to their territory in Western EI Salvador as Cuscatlán, meaning “The Place of Jewel Necklaces.” Anyone who has ever had the opportunity to visit this exquisite nation will agree that it is a land of many jewels. There are about 37,000 Lenca in EI Salvador, concentrated in the eastern park of the nation. One of the fascinating aspects of the Lenca culture that has persevered to this day is the Guancasco, which is a pre-Colombian peace process. Economically, the Lenca are focused on agriculture. Specifically, they continue to use the milpa, which is a system of farming they embraced from the Mayan civilization. One aspect of Lencan culture that has been retained is that of pottery. Today, art galleries in the United States and Europe display the beautiful, bold geometric patterns crafted by Lencan potters.