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The Culture of El Salvador

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El Salvador reflects an amalgamation of an ancestral culture with a Mayan Spanish influence. The result is a colorful array of colonial charm that provides a beautiful cultural heritage for its descendants. The culture of El Salvador is reflected in its religion, language, music, arts, literature, and cuisine.

Religion

The primary religion of El Salvador is Roman Catholicism, 83% of the total population, which played an integral role in the Salvadoran culture. During the war, the government was under the impression that the Catholic Church was in favor of communism as the Church was sympathetic to the poor. Because of this, the government administered violence against Catholicism. Many of El Salvador's inhabitants rejected Catholicism as they were afraid of being killed or simply because they were dissatisfied with the Church's connection with the opposition. Those dissatisfied found relief in Protestantism, particularly Evangelism. Also, the religions of Baptist and Pentecostal provided a welcome substitute. Protestantism is growing in El Salvador, with 15% of the total population claiming to be Protestant.

Language

The national language of El Salvador is Spanish; it is spoken by virtually all the country's inhabitants. However, English is spoken in the capital city of San Salvador, primarily by those employed in the tourist industry or by professionals. In addition, many of the men from El Salvador, primarily between the ages of 20 and 40, learned some English in the United States during the war. Although native languages are no longer used daily, there is some academic interest in maintaining the Nahua language of the Pipils, a dialect of Nahuatl.

Music

The majority of music in El Salvador is customary pop from the United States, Mexico, or other regions of Latin America. There is, however, a small underground movement of folk music, which receives its stimulation from current events that occur in El Salvador.

Arts

The creativity of Mayan-Salvadoran artisans is apparent everywhere, whether in the creation of articles prepared of bamboo, wood, clay, textiles, or ceramics. The village of San Sebastian is celebrated for its textile arts, while Ilobasco is recognized for its ceramics. The village of La Palma is presently renowned for a school of art originating from Fernando Llort. Llort is unique in creating childlike images of mountain villages, Christ, and campesinos, which are similar to cartoons. He utilizes bright colors to paint these images on substances varying from seeds to church walls. Ceramics, painting, and textile articles are the primary labor-intensive artistic expressions.

Literature

Poetry is popular in El Salvador. Some of the most recognized poetry authors include Roque Dalton, Francisco Rodriguez, and Manlio Argueta. Other infamous writers in El Salvador include Salvador Salazar Arrue, Alfredo Espino, Francisco Gavidia, Pedro Geoffroy, and Claudia Lars.

Cuisine

Traditional Salvadoran cuisine joins the fare of the American Indians and Spain. Much of the food from El Salvador is made with maize. The most popular food item is pupusas, small cornmeal pancakes stuffed with meat, beans, or cheese. This popular traditional cuisine can be found at nearly any food stand around the country. Another popular dish in El Salvador is sopa de pata, a soup whose base is cow's feet. These are the most unique dishes from El Salvador as the surrounding countries are the primary influence of cuisine from El Salvador. For desert, people from El Salvador enjoy Dulce de Leche, a caramel candy with milk. The dulce de leche from El Salvador is not similar to what the majority of Americans are accustomed to as it has a soft, crumbly texture. The most common fruits in El Salvador include papayas, mangoes, and bananas.

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