I stole Lynn's pancake syrup and hid it.
Cecilia promptly put devil horns on me.
Mmmm, tea
On the road to La Quesera
Another "puddle" in the road
Watery roads are common during the rainy season
This wasn't even the part of the road that we were comcerned about
Mini lake
Crossing the river/stream
We made it across!
The Rio Lempa
The largest river in El Salvador
Site of one of the massacres in the La Quesera area.
Marta told us her story here.
The La Quesera Massacre, which took place between October 20-24 1981, was part of the Salvadoran government’s Tierra Arrasada (Scorched Earth) policy. Besides committing widespread acts of rape and torture, the army burned everything to the ground: crops, homes, animals, and people. The government initiated the policy, inspired by their US sponsors, as a means to uproot popular dissent.
This site, where Marta told us her story, is a legally recognized massacre site. A local priest in the area has the names of everyone who is buried there. Every year on December 28 people gather at this spot to have a mass, hear testimony, and remember what happened.
In this area they found 50 people dead, murdered. Mostly children, women, and older people. The bodies were buried here.
Marta was 11 when the Civil War began in 1980
Marta explained the mural on the wall. On the left are skeletons, bombs, helicopters, shallow graves, and the underworld. This represents the time of war. It is the Kingdom of Death created by selfishness. In the middle is Monsignor Oscar Romero, El Salvador’s most famous and most loved martyr who was assassinated during the war. He represents the voice of the people without a voice. The rainbow by him represents the hope of the people for a just life. On the right is a sun, a new community, and a river with fish. This is the Kingdom of God.
There were at least 6 massacres in the La Quesera area and others not far from there. 617 people died in those massacres; mostly women and children. There are probably many others that no one knows about.
The dove-shaped roof above the mural represents peace for all.
Buying pan dulce for lunch
Going across another river
Miguel washing his hands off before lunch
Jumping out to meet us in the water
Checking out the river
Butterflies!!
They were beautiful
Inspecting the butterflies. I'm not sure why they were congregating there.
Looking back toward the truck
Eating lunch by the river
Tasty, tasty
Cecilia walking in the river
The water felt nice
Marta told us about how she used to bathe and wash clothes here
Blanca is helping me wash mud off my pants
Searching for rocks
Blanca found a good one!
The truck got stuck in deep mud
Trying to put pieces of wood under the tires for traction
Lots of squishy mud
We were in pretty deep
Getting ready
Myself, Miguel, Otilia, and Cecilia pushing the truck out of the mud
We did it!!!
Making our way back to the truck
Dirty feet!
Driving back to Berlín
The retaining wall in San Francisco
I tried to wash my feet off a bit when we got back
Cecilia toes!
That's attractive
Exhausted after a long day
Two turtle friends!
Taking a little bath
Alejandro teaching us how to de-kernel the corn
After a while, he told us, you get calluses on your hands
Lizard friends
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