Guys, I live in Los Angeles, home to one of the largest Salvadoran populations outside of El Salvador.
I literally walked down the street to the nearest Salvadoran restaurant,
and asked the owner to help me on the script.
If you live in LA, check Sabor Latino's on Fountain Ave.
They don't really speak a lot of English, so you might have to know a little bit of Spanish,
but hey, they're cool, and I recommend getting pupusas and tamales con pollo with Tapatio on top.
I know, Tapatio's actually a Mexican,
but Tapatio goes great with anything.
(Geography Now Intro)
It's time to learn geography - NOW!
Hey everyone, I'm your host Barby.
We're back in the Latin world covering El Salvador,
a.k.a the honey badger of Central America.
Let's see where this badger lies.
Let's be real for a sec.
El Salvador sometimes get a bad rap for its past and questionable policies,
but let's try to look at everything from all sides.
The name of the country means, "The Savior", in reference to Jesus Christ
that the Spanish conquistadors designated to the area way back to 1500s.
First of all, the country is located on the Central American isthmus right
between the bottom borders of Guatemala and Honduras on the coast of the Pacific Ocean
ending at the Gulf of Fonseca.
The country is divided on 14 departments with the precariously positioned capital San Salvador
located right in the middle of the Bonquerón Volcano Valley
where there are...you know...volcanoes.
At only about 270 kilometers wide and an 142 kilometers long,
El Salvador is the smallest country in Central America
and is the only one with no Caribbean coastline.
El Salvador also dominates the Bahía de la Unión
or the Union Bay on the east side
where various islands are split betwen them and Honduras
Isla Conejo is ours!!
Hahahaha, you wish
Disgrace!
You wretched!
You'll never get away with this!
Oh my God, why!
Whoa, slow down, Imanas, we'll get to that later
As a densely packed country, road networks reach virtually every corner of the country
from Morozan, to Ahuachapan,
which has the pleasantly named Parque Nacional El Imposible
or the Impossible Park
Speaking of which, the Ruta de las Flores is like a time travelling road,
where you can get to see the entire story of El Salvador
The road is surrounded by multiple flower species that blossom,
most prevalently in November through February.
Along the way, you can see waterfalls and villages and colonial-style buildings
Home to the ancient Tazumal and San Andres Mayan ruins
As well as Joya de Cerén,
which is like the Pompeii of the Americas.
Where an entire farming community was well preserved
under a layer of volcanic ash.
Unlike Pompeii though, the people did escape
It's just- you know,
their homes and household objects were soldified
JUST LEAVE THE CHAIR!
BUT ITS SUCH A GOOD CHAIR!
Oh actually it's a really good chair
Yeah I know right?
*Takes chair like a friend would do to save his friends' lifes*
*Grabs friends* You guys will thank me later. * Pulls them away from ash and lava that's about to kill them*
Woah!
Even though the country has a ton of coastline,
there isn't aren't really many sea ports or docking points.
As of right now the country has only one main seaport,
at Union Bay at Cutuco
and a container terminal for cargo at Acajutla on the west side.
Most people who arrive either just drive in from Guatamala and Honduras,
borders are very laid back.
Or they just fly in, usually to San Salvador, or Santa Ana, or San Miguel, the largest cities.
It's pretty crazy how the country is built considering the physical realm they inhabit.
Let's explain.
El Salvador is a place where the people kind of.....how can I put this
Resilient? Tenacious? Intrepid?
No but seriously, the people in El Salvador are kind of surrounded by natural calamity in all directions
and yet, they're still just kind of used to it
The country has over 20 main volcanoes-
and literally every major city is located right next to a volcano
that is named after itself
many of which have errupted in the past century alone,
some multple times.
On top of that, the country lies on the "Cocos Tectonic Plate"
that subducts under the North American and Caribbean plates
This is the source of many regular earthquakes as well.
I mean, San Salvador was destroyed twice and severely damaged 3 times just in the 20th century by either earthquakes or volcanic activity.
They really don't care though. Even though they know that doom is impending.
It's like:
Many of the major lakes like Coatapeque and Illopongo are actually caldera lakes resting on the domes of dormant holocene volcanoes.
There are over 300 rivers, the most important one being Rio Lempa, that slithers through the hills
congesting into a huge reservior lake, thanks to the dam that was built, eventually flowing into the Pacific Ocean.
The country is topped with the Sierra Madre mountain chain in the north,
with the highest peak suprisingly not being a volcano, el Pital at over 2,700 meters.
Beaches and lowlands can be found on the coast and the most popular one being Cuco Beach.
Wildlife conservation has been a pressing issue of importance, especially in the past few decades
since deforestation and industrial runoff water contamination has hit hard in places.
I mean, don't even get started on the Acelhuate River.
This is why El Salvador actually doesn't mind tropical storms and hurricanes too much, because
the collection of rainwater actually helps alleviate the fresh water issue overdebate.
Manufacturing and industry take up the largest portion of the economy, then agriculture.
Which explains why textiles are one of the largest export products, unlike some other Central American countries, though, Salvadorans prefer
more dishes with corn in place of rice.
Dishes like Atol, Elotes locos, Tamales, and the most prevently consumed staple, pupusas
can be found everywhere.
Don't be suprised to find lots of different dishes seasoned with loroco and isote, too.
Sounds good, right?
Well, that's probably gonna be the last uplifting thing I'll say for a while, because now we have to
talk about the most dread-worthy part of El Salvador.
[Demographics]
Before we get into this, just point of reference, the people here
are called "Salvadorans."
Not "Salvadorians" or "El Salvadorans" or "El Salvadorians."
It's "Salvadorans". Got it? Good.
First of all: the country has about 6.4 million people and is the most densely populated country in Central America.
In terms of ethnicity, the country is about 86% Mestizo, 13% white,
and the rest is a conglomeration of multiple people groups like Afro-Salvadorans, Arabs, Chinese, and Jews.
This is where the most controversy comes in. Out of all the countries in Central America, El Salvador is kind of like
let's just put it this way - if this was X-Men,
they would probably be Wolverine.
Salvadorans are relentless, rough, dealing with the crazy, violent past that still influences how they live today, yet
they are still trying to pull through the best that they can, and fix things up a little bit.
Salvadoran culture has kind of evolved into this kind of mundane agressiveness that
everyone is just kinda used to.
I mean, in the town of Nejapa, they celebrate by throwing fire balls at each other.
Most of this has to do with the history. I mean, if we go way back, Salvadorans have roots from the ancient mezoamerican tribe called the Pipil.
Let me tell you a little something about the Pipil.
When the Mayans and the Tlaxcalans in Mexico and Guatemala thought the Spaniards were gods,
the Pipil were like "nope!" and kicked the Spaniards out of their then-called nation of Cuzcatlan twice.
Then the second time, they were like:
"Hah! We got your guns! You want them back? Come get 'em!"
No, seriously, they stole the guns from the Spaniards.
Fast forward to the civil war that erupted from 1979 to 1992, almost every single Salvadoran today has been effected
by this force somehow, one way or another.
And the scars still linger today.
I mean, they've had like 5 coup d'états, and one of the main political parties, the FMLN,
was created by a melding of 5 guerilla groups.
Public policy and politics are always a hot-button issue that makes everyone roll their eyes in frustration.
And I hate saying this, but as of right now,
yes, to this day, El Salvador is classified as the most "dangerous peacetime country in the world."
The biggest issue being the vast quantity of gangs that inhabit the country, which contribute to murders on a regular basis.
Granted, keep in mind, El Salvador loves having tourists and visitors and most of the "touristy" areas are safe and welcoming
it's really just the rural areas have the issues.
If you decide to go, though, you are advised to take a few precautions. Every Salvadoran I've talked to
has told me this.
[Ms. Information]
Be mindful of these tips.
Don't make a spectacle of yourself.
Number one: don't wear any flashy, expensive-looking attire and don't carry too much with you.
Dress plain and casual.
It's probably best not to wear any jewelry, or if you must,
wear cheap, plastic jewelry.
Avoid wearing the numbers 13 and 18, as it may get you confused with the gang MS-13, one of the largest in the area.
Thank you.
Fiscal policy is the biggest challenge for the government.
Even after 2001, when they dropped the colon and adopted the US dollar as legal tender,
progress is still slow.
Fields like academia and healthcare have suffered since the war, however,
funds from foreign agencies provide a budget with development programs and facilities.
Salvadorans definitely have an artistic side, though.
The town of La Palma has become famous for a school of art started by Fernando Llort.
The town of Llobasco is also known for its ceramics, while San Sabastian is known for its textile art.
The Catholic Church plays a huge role in the culture, as about 75% of the country adheres to the faith.
Which is interesting, because they were a target of government repression during the war years.
When it comes to music, they created their own style of "cumbilla" that sticks out and everyone knows about it.
Interesting how music brings people together.
Let's talk more about that!
[Friendzone]
El Salvador is kind of like the diplomatic renegade. They tend to make friends with people that
have controversy. El Salvador officially recognizes the states of Palestine, Kosovo, and the Sahrawi Republic of Western Sahara
because... why not?
Honduras is probably the biggest rival.
They had a brief war that only lasted 100 hours, and don't even get started on the whole "isla conejo" or "Rabbit Island" thing that they have ownership disputes with.
The US and Canada are close allies, as they have the largest Salvadoran communities outside of El Salvador.
Most prevelantly in the west coast cities like Los Angeles and Vancouver.
When it comes to their best friends, however,
literally every Salvadoran I talked to said the same thing.
Guatemala.
Guatemala has never had any major conflicts with El Salvador,
and Guatemalans are considered brothers.
They have similar cultures, food, and have been doing business well for centuries.
In conclusion, El Salvador is kind of tough. They live surrounded by volcanoes, earthquakes, fireballs
and they like hurricanes.
Despite the drama and political upheaval, though,
you gotta give props to the durable Salvadoran lifestyle.
These people know how to take hits and come right back up.
Stay tuned! Equatorial Guinea - the only Spanish speaking country in Africa - is coming up next!
(upbeat music)