How the protectors of indigenous roots in El Salvador live and work
Nahuatl, native seeds, tule reeds, books, and natural resources are part of the lives of these six women, who, from their community, work to ensure that their roots remain over time.
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Sixta is the author of the first Nahuat dictionary in El Salvador. For over 10 years, she has taught Nahuat to children in the Cuna Náhuat children's program at an educational complex in Santo Domingo de Guzmán, Sonsonate . Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she moved her classes online. She currently teaches four groups of students of different ages and nationalities.
In January 2023, Sixta began producing a Nahuat dictionary. The idea arose with her friend Héctor, founder of Timumachtikan Nawat , a social media project that seeks to revitalize Nahuat culture and language. Sixta has also promoted her online classes on that platform.
Producing the dictionary was a difficult process, especially since the goal was to finish it in one month. His workdays were 13 hours long, but he says the result was rewarding. Timumachtikan Nawat's social media accounts are running a fundraising campaign to print 2,000 copies of the dictionary, which will then be distributed free of charge.
"Let it remain as a memory for those who want to learn," says Sixta, one of the oldest Nahuat speakers, at 81 years old, and for whom Nahuat is also a source of work.
"We were thinking about a way to preserve the language, and Héctor came up with the idea of making a dictionary. I was happy because when I'm gone and someone wants to learn, they'll have that material. My Nahuat will remain there; it's my memory as a Nahuat speaker."
Mercedes Rivera, farmer
Mercedes is an Indigenous woman farmer. She is one of the leaders of the Santa Elena community in Salcoatitán, Sonsonate. She works the land organically in her home garden and also preserves native corn seeds for her own consumption.
The lack of land has been an obstacle that has forced her to seek alternatives. In 2022, an NGO provided seeds to the community so they could start cultivating their crops. Mercedes, along with five other women, joined together to acquire a plot of land and begin farming. They found a piece of land and requested a permit from the Salcoatitán City Hall to work it.
According to Mercedes, there was initially a favorable verbal agreement from the authorities. The six women began clearing the land, but after a few days, they were denied permission, with the explanation that the space was designated for construction, not cultivation. They were offered another area, but it was far from their community.
"We are still struggling to find land to plant on; we want to continue cultivating our seeds under conditions that respect Mother Earth. We also want to share our knowledge and experiences with other women in the community."
Margarita Blanco, water defender
For 19 years, Margarita has been one of the leading women in the fight to defend the Sensunapán River in Sonsonate. This waterway has seven hydroelectric dams along its course. Since 2012, the company Sensunapán SA de CV has repeatedly attempted to build an eighth dam, but Indigenous communities have fought legally to prevent this project. If built, it would affect 4 kilometers of the river, destroy native flora and species, and dismantle 10 sacred sites located along its banks.
Margarita recounts that her struggle began when she questioned the excessive extraction of water, the way the river was being turned into a business, and the effects of unregulated activities at the dams. From that point on, she attended meetings convened by leaders of her community in Sisimitepet, and began attending conferences and demonstrations in front of the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Culture to demand protective measures for the Sensunapán River.
Margarita is part of the communities that have remained in resistance against the dams affecting the "grandfather river," as she often calls it. But this has also brought unrest to her daily life. She says that, during these years of struggle, she has received comments from other communities that support the project and delegitimize her fight. "They've told me almost everything: to find something else to do, that we're crazy, and they label us as troublemakers. We've even been marginalized," she laments.
"The Sensunapán River is our lung, it is our life. We must take care of it. I am old and I still enjoy its waters. But behind us comes another generation that also has the right to enjoy them."
Teodora Juárez, artisan
Teodora is an Indigenous artisan in the Sisimitepec of Nahuizalco, Sonsonate . From a very young age, she learned to weave petates, a mat made from tule reeds and often used for sleeping. When she was eight years old, she admired the way her mother intertwined strips of tule, dyed in different colors, to form a petate. She asked her to teach her. They sat in the patio of their house and wove all afternoon. From then on, she continued making this craft.
For a time, during her adolescence, she also worked cutting sugarcane; it was a different and difficult routine because of the work under the sun all day. But Teodora soon returned to weaving mats. "I always liked it and I didn't want to forget this craft," she adds.
The process of making a petate is extensive and takes months to obtain the raw materials, from planting the tule reeds to dyeing each strip. Making a petate takes two to four days, depending on its size.
This craft has been their source of income for many years. But this art form is being devalued by outside vendors who buy the product cheaply to resell it at double the price. Teodora emphasizes that these actions are unfair. They don't consider the cultural value or the production process involved in making a petate (woven mat).
"The petate, besides being a craft, is a legacy from our mothers and grandmothers. It comes from Mother Earth and at the end of its useful life it returns to her, as organic fertilizer for our food. It is also cool to sleep on, we must continue to use it."
She hopes to have a space to sell her products. In addition to mats, she makes baskets, fans, and tablecloths. Her husband makes hats, also from tule reeds.
This article was originally published in Alharaca
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