Despite a number of governmental attempts to achieve a more equitable distribution of income through a major program of agrarian reform in the late 1970s, as well as improvements in education and social services following the war, progress in El Salvador has been exceedingly slow. Low-cost housing, medical assistance, and employment programs were improved upon in an attempt to meet the needs and problems of the displaced and the unemployed, but such programs have had difficulty keeping up with deteriorating conditions. The doctor-to-patient ratio is low, and most doctors serve only urban areas. Moreover, in many areas the war and population displacement have caused the reappearance and spread of diseases, particularly dengue fever, malaria, and cholera. Malnutrition is increasingly prevalent.

Education

All public and private institutions of learning are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education. Since 1968 the school system has been composed of preschool, primary, and secondary educational categories, followed by university-level education. Primary education is free and compulsory. More than four-fifths of Salvadorans aged 10 and over are literate. Among the institutions of higher education are the University of El Salvador (1841), the University Dr. José Matías Delgado (1977), and the Central American University of José Simeón Cañas (1965). There are also schools for technology, fine arts, agriculture, social services, and nursing.

Cultural milieu

The cultural life of El Salvador, like its population, is an amalgam of Indigenous and Spanish influences, though European influences predominate, largely because most Indigenous cultural activities have been suppressed by the government since the 1930s. Indigenous customs do survive, however, in small clusters of villages, such as those around Izalco and Nahuizalco, and traditional crafts are produced in Ilobasco (pottery) and Izalco (textiles). This cultural mix also can be seen in the country’s rich tradition of folklore, poetry, and painting. The Roman Catholic Church also has been a major influence on almost every aspect of cultural life.

Daily life and social customs

Owing to the large number of Salvadorans who have immigrated to, or returned from, the United States since the 1980s, the lifestyle of broad segments of El Salvador’s urban population (and even that of those in many rural areas) has become increasingly Americanized. In one of San Salvador’s wealthier neighborhoods, Escalón, a number of multiscreen cinemas have opened, and the city’s principal boulevard is lined with shopping malls and fast-food restaurants. On weekends North American, South American, and Mexican rock music is played in the bars.

Salvadorans of all classes enjoy their country’s folk music. Although the country’s dozens of radio stations mostly play North American and Mexican popular music, there has been a revival of the canción popular, folk music often mixed with political commentary. Canción popular can frequently be heard playing in El Salvador’s restaurants, which serve staples such as casamiento, a spicy mixture of rice and beans, and pupusas, rice- or corn-flour tortillas stuffed with a variety of fillings, including cheese, meat, and beans.

The arts

El Salvador’s elite have long prized the arts, especially literature. But any kind of antigovernment literature was an extremely dangerous enterprise during the civil war years. Many Salvadoran writers, artists, and intellectuals fled the country. Few returned, but those who did, including poets Manlio Argueta and Francisco Rodriguez, gave frequent readings before large audiences. One of the country’s most widely respected poets, Roque Dalton, was assassinated in 1975 as a result of leftist internecine struggle.

Private benefactors have played as important a role as that of the government in patronizing the arts. The government has increased its contribution to national cultural life, particularly in its expansion of secondary and continuing education.

Cultural institutions

The majority of El Salvador’s cultural institutions are located in the capital. The most significant of these are the state-supported National Theatre and the Presidential Theatre, the latter of which offers performances of works by contemporary playwrights. Museums, also in the capital, include the Natural History Museum of El Salvador and the David J. Guzmán National Museum, which specializes in history and archaeology.

Sports and recreation

Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in El Salvador and is played throughout the country. Internationally renowned players include Jorge (“El Mágico”) González, who is considered one of the most accomplished footballers in the history of the Central American game, and Jaime (“La Chelona”) Rodríguez, who, with González, led the national team’s memorable run in the 1982 World Cup. Other sports, such as baseball and boxing, are still incipient in El Salvador. Numerous adventure sports are popular, including hiking, surfing, fishing, and kayaking. The country first competed in the Olympics at the 1968 Games in Mexico City.

Media and publishing

The majority of newspapers and publishing companies in El Salvador are privately owned. Major daily newspapers include the ultraconservative El Diario de Hoy (“Today’s Daily”), the conservative La Prensa Gráfica (“The Graphic Press”), El Mundo (“The World”), and the government-owned Diario Oficial (“Official Daily”), among others.

Early history

Before the Spanish arrived in Salvadoran territory in the 16th century, it was occupied by a complex of Indigenous peoples. Of these the Pocomam, Chortí, and Lenca, all related to the Maya, were the more ancient, but the Pipil, whose civilization resembled that of the Aztecs in Mexico, were predominant. Archaeological ruins dating from pre-Columbian times are Tazumal, Pampe, El Trapito, and San Andrés. Of several large towns founded by Indigenous people, Sonsonate and Ahuachapán still exist. For more information on early history and the treatment of the country in its regional context, see Central America.