El Salvador

Souvenirs from El Salvador

Salvadorian souvenirs are fun and colorful ways to remember your vacation in the sun. Choosing from scores of colorful T-shirts, refrigerator magnets, plastic key chains, water globes, bumper stickers and figural banks can be hard enough, but the colorful handicrafts will have you wishing you had brought more than one suitcase. The amazingly detailed sorpresas are egg and fruit shaped pieces of pottery with a surprise inside. Lovely enough on the outside, you are treated to a peek into daily life when you lift the lid to see tiny clay figures going about domestic tasks. You can also purchase pottery bowls and pitchers. Wooden pieces, cut into household objects, boxes and wall crosses, are painted with highly pigmented motifs and would make an ideal souvenir from El Salvador for your home. A hammock would be a great addition to your backyard, created from traditionally woven cloth, or a landscape tapestry for an office.

A Brief History of El Salvador

El Salvador has had a turbulent history, starting in 1524 with the Spanish invasion by Pedro de Alvarado. Declaring independence in 1821, it joined the Mexican Empire of Augustin de Iturbide, and joined the Central American Federation in 1823. San Salvador, in El Salvador, served as the capital of the federation until its dissolution in 1839. Until the mid 1900's the country found itself under interference from neighboring dictators or the demands of coffee barons. Maximiliano Hernandez led a coup in 1931, installing him as dictator until 1944. Several military dictatorships helped to stabilize the economy, but the decades that followed, marked by political unrest, murders and violence, were a living hell for many of the residents. In 1992, the government made peace with the dissidents causing so many troubles, and the country was able to begin rebuilding. Land grants were given to many of the citizens, allowing them to create wealth of their own.