El Salvador

About this destination

In 1525 the region, inhabited by Pipil Indians, was subjugated for Spain by Pedro de Alvarado. After the collapse of Spanish rule (1821), El Salvador was part of Mexico. In 1823 the United Provinces of Central America, within which El Salvador formed a member state, broke away from Mexico. The United Provinces of Central America fell apart in 1839 and El Salvador became an independent republic. After independence, El Salvador was formally a democracy, but in reality the country was controlled by the 'Fourteen Families'. In 1931 the dictator Maximiliano Hernández Martínez came to power, who bloodily suppressed an uprising.