Las Aradas Memorial Site, Chalatenango, El Salvador

From the late 1970s until the civil war ended in 1992, the Salvadoran national guard and the paramilitary group ORDEN perpetrated dozens of massacres of the civilian population of El Salvador. The massacres were part of a reign of violent oppression by the US-backed Salvadoran government, which also included assassinations, disappearances, torture, forced displacement and slash and burn military tactics. The region in question here is an area close to San José Las Flores, Arcatao, Las Vueltas in Chalatenango. In May 1980, the Salvadoran military massacred approximately 600 civilians in a small hamlet known as Las Aradas, on the banks of the Sumpul River, which marks the border with Honduras. In August 2017, the survivors established a non-profit organisation to amplify their voices and actions. Amongst other projects, the Association acquired the land of Las Aradas, where hundreds of people gather annually for one night and day, to commemorate the Sumpul River Massacre. The journey to the site requires a 3-4 hour walk across rough terrain and several river crossings. They are now in the process of realising a memorial park. Las Aradas exemplifies the crystallisation of history and memory in a single ‘public space’, in turn allowing for new forms of collectivity. For example, Honduran neighbours participate in the commemoration through their logistical support (food). Different communities come together on this occasion. A theatre play is staged, to reconstruct memories of the massacre. The communities are engaged in the production of the work. Other issues are addressed collectively (waste management, political implications, maintenance, etc.) This paper explores the context of the project, the participative design process including the communities and the features of the design proposal, as well as reflecting on the not dissimilar memorial realised in El Mozote, Morazán