Walking With El Salvador

Catedral de San Vicente Our strategy was to navigate by heading toward the churches.  As we left the central square, we crossed the street and headed into our first church of the day, the Cathedral of San Vicente.  The church was constructed in 1943 and suffered a nearly complete collapse in the 2001 earthquakes.  The sanctuary was reconstructed in a style to fit the original facade.  It was very cool and peaceful inside.  We sat for a little while.  St. Vincent Abad, the community's patron saint, was killed in the 7th century for defending the beliefs put forth by the Council of Nicea.  The plaque on the wall indicates that though his body was beaten, his soul was lifted to heaven by the angels. The faith of believers, that they will be lifted up and carried to heaven by angels seems to be woven into the souls of those who live in the shadow of the San Vicente volcano.  I thought back to a few short years ago when tropical rains brought a t...

The "Off the Beaten Path" stories have been numerous lately -- a result of a recent month in El Salvador with free time to wander, and a desire to share some of the amazing sites in different parts of the country.  Thanks for sharing your experiences and questions as Linda's El Salvador Blog spends a little more time exploring the country and culinary treats of El Salvador.  The approach to the clock tower...friendly old guys and friendly officers. My friend Deb and I were dropped off along the edge of the town square.  "Meet back here in about six hours."  Six hours to seek out every nook and cranny in the town of San Vicente.  "We'll be fine!" we reassured our Salvadoran pastor (who left grinning and shaking his head). Our pre-visit internet search suggested we begin our tour by climbing the clock tower in the town square.  Since the tourist office/cultural house was apparently under construction, this seemed like a great idea:  climb t...

Take two big slices of whole grain bread; smear cream cheese on the insides; lay down a slice of salty cheddar on the cream-cheesy side of the bottom piece of bread; pile on the curtido, top with another slice of cheddar; put the second piece of bread on top; fry the sandwich on both sides in butter, and what do you have?  A Wisconsin - style pupusa?   Evidence that this girl will put curtido  on just about anything?  Indeed. I had to adjust my refrigerator shelves to accommodate the perpetual presence of the large plastic jar with the screw-top lid.  When the six inches of vinegar is left with only a few random pieces of cabbage, carrot and red chili floating in it, I chop up another cabbage, shred another carrot, toss in the onion and oregano and refill my jar.  It ferments for a few days on the kitchen counter, but then back it goes into the fridge - always ready for my next Salvadoran or near-Salvadoran cooking adventure.  Cheese and refried bean...

"Drop us off in Nejapa; we'll wander around; we'll figure out how to get ourselves back to Apopa; we'll be fine!" In the early years, our sister church pastor would not have gone for this idea.  Even 15 years into our sistering relationship he was a bit skeptical, but he was busy and we wanted to hang out and take in some everyday life, so with a little trepidation, he drove off and left us in Nejapa. Of course, this was not the first time for my friend Deb and me to experience Nejapa.  Over the years we have driven through the town center on our way to the nearby pool complex , and we often love to eat at the Pupusodromo  on the edge of town.  Deb and I (and a team of many) had just completed a week of holistic healing at the nearby Lutheran Church site at Fe y Esperanza. We drove into Nejapa early that morning to Unidad de Salud  (government health clinic) to express thanks to the director and all of the doctors and nurses who has assisted us during the ...

"Corn ... es ... vida." Our very first visit in El Salvador.  These words came carefully from the mouth of our pastor who was a little nervous while preaching in the tiny church in Los Héroes.  We all remember this moment:  the people were crammed into every corner of the space, our sweaty pastor holding an ear of corn out to the crowd and daring to try a bit of Spanish, "corn es vida," and the translator looking puzzled and finally blurting out, "maiz es ... vida" as everyone giggled. Corn es vida .  Corn is life. It was harvest time during that first visit.  We walked the pathways of our sister community for the first time, shyly accepting invitations into people's homes as we went along.  "Pase, por favor.  Come in.  Sit down.  Are you hungry?"  We were handed warm ears of corn, warm tortillas, or warm plastic cups full of sweet corn milk.  Corn es vida . "We are the people of the corn."  The Mayan story of creatio...

Tonight during worship, the pastor set 3 nails into a large wooden cross.  Members of the congregation were invited forward, and each one was given the opportunity to pick up a mallet and drive the nail deeper into the wood.  We could all feel the hesitation - the discomfort with acceptance of an invitation to admit guilt, to share in the crucifixion of Jesus.  One by one we went forward.  One by one, "bang, bang, bang" echoed through the sanctuary. On a day in 1989, the bishop placed a plain white cross in front of the altar.  Members of the congregation were invited forward, and each one was given the opportunity to pick up a black marker and write a sin upon the cross.  This was an act of confession - a confession of the sins that existed in El Salvador: hunger, persecution, violence.  Later that year, the cross was seized by the military as evidence of subversion, and the cross became known as "The Subversive Cross." The following litany is bas...

On March 24, 1996, a little group of people carrying a metal cross and palm branches marched up a dusty hillside, and a new community was born.  The hill was claimed for the church, the church was named "Heroes of the Faith" and soon the community became known as "The Heroes." Now, each March 24th, the community honors its humble beginnings. Throughout the night on March 23rd, the women stir a giant kettle of schuco (a warm beverage made of corn, ground pumpkin or squash seeds and beans).  At 3 am the directiva  president sets off fireworks.  Big speakers are set up around the church, and community leaders make inspiring speeches interspersed with musical broadcasts.  As the sky lightens in the east, the women serve up the schuco , which tastes so good in the chilly morning.  The children play with fireworks, with young mothers helping to keep the sparks under control.  After the sun rises, a big group from the  community organizes itself and ri...