I’m really glad to learn about the Pipiles of El Salvador. I did not know much about El Salvador prior to this, and had not heard of the Pipile peoples before. This post really shows the ongoing effects of cultural genocide and it’s important to remember the terrible acts that happened in the past so they do not get repeated. It is so unfortunate that the colonization and cultural genocide, which was played out through not only the murders of the Pipil people but the loss of their culture and repression of their language, was a key part of the modern economy we know today. I heard someone say before that that is a key tenant of colonization or a ‘conquering’ of a peoples, by taking away their culture, their identity, they become easier to control (and thus more easily fuel the modern economy). I am glad there are organizations seeking to help them today, but hopefully more will get started soon, and hopefully the shame and stigma they still face will be dissolved.
Hi Christina!
I really enjoyed our conversation in class today, I think we discussed very interesting points about how El Salvador’s society perceives Pipil culture. I think it’s is really interesting how Pipil culture as a whole has almost disappeared given that there are so many archaeological sites you can visit in El Salvador. As Salvadoran. I think it’s a shame that we have lost so much of the Indigenous component in our mestizo culture. I hope in the coming year this changes and that people in El Salvador take the interest to learn about their true origins.
Hi Christina!
I’m so glad you enjoyed reading our lecture and that you were able to learn something new. It is quite sad that, being one of the most prominent Indigenous populations in El Salvador, the Pipil peoples are still considered invisible and unknown by so many. I believe I have also heard what you mentioned about taking away their culture and language being a necessary step in “conquering” a people. That’s why, in many of the papers that I read about the attempts to revitalize the Pipil language of Nahuatl, they discuss the necessary accompaniment of cultural revitalization. We can’t have one without the other. As you and Andrea have expressed, I hope that these revitalization and reconciliation efforts are successful, and that the remaining Pipiles, as well as their Mestizo/ladino descendants, grow to be proud of where they come from.