In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Acknowledgments Without a doubt, I have collected innumerable personal and professional debts along the decadelong path of this project. I would be remiss if I did not begin by recognizing the many individuals in Central America who have contributed to this project in one form or another. Foremost among them are those campesinos from northern El Salvador who shared with me their homes and histories. I would like to list each and every one of them by name; it seems such a small and easy step toward providing credit where credit is due. I have chosen not to, however. While these Salvadorans have taught me much about their history, I have also learned of and lived in El Salvador— and life there is far from easy. Many of the campesinos with whom I worked continue today as activists at the local, regional, and national levels. Although they deserve tribute for their efforts (past and present), such tribute often prompts harassment and attack. I do not wish for them to suffer because they collaborated with me in writing their histories; withholding their names is intended to stay possible direct retaliation. Yet without each and every one of them this book would not have been possible. So, mil gracias, compañeros. You know who you are. In addition to the Salvadoran campesinos, there were many others in El Salvador who contributed to this project in one way or another. Yvonne López Esquivel, Georgina Hernández Rivas, and Carlos Henríquez Consalvi of the Museo de la Palabra y la Imagen offered documentation not available elsewhere. I found additional materials with the assistance of Eugenia López Velásquez at the Archivo Nacional de la Nación; Olinda Estela Gómez, Aydee de Martínez, and the staff at the Biblioteca “Doctor José Gustavo Guerrero” of the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores; and Gladis Aguirre and her colleagues at the Centro de Documentación e Investigación Histórica (CEPAZ). Erin Conrad, Walter Navarrette, Adán Estrada, and many others at Comité xi  Cristiano Pro Desplazados de El Salvador (CRIPDES), Comité de Reconstrucci ón y Desarrollo Económico-Social de las Comunidades de Suchitoto, Cuscatlán (CRCC), Fundación Salvadoreña para la Reconstrucción y el Desarrollo (REDES), and San Vicente Productivo shared meals, homes, stories, and contacts. I am especially indebted to Ariane de Bremond, Sarah Loose, and David Holiday for resources, insights, contacts, and amazing document caches. And Nidia Cueva was my home away from home. In Honduras the following individuals and organizations made research not only possible but also enjoyable: Leo Valladares Lanza; Mario Argueta; Colonel Abrahám García Turcios; the staff at the Biblioteca Nacional de Honduras ; Víctor Meza and his colleagues at the Centro de Documentación de Honduras; everyone at the Comisión Cristiana de Desarrollo; Bishop Luis Santos ; Albert Depienne; Centro de Investigación y Promoción de los Derechos Humanos (CIPRODEH); Alma Mateo; and the people of Santa Rosa de Copán and San Marcos de Ocotepeque, especially Father M., Marta, Mario, and Rosalinda. In Costa Rica I received crucial assistance from the staff at the Biblioteca Conjunta of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the InterAmerican Institute of Human Rights, the Fundación Arias para la Paz y El Progreso Humano, Mark Manly and Juan Carlos Murillo at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Juan Carlos Gutiérrez at the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL), and Yamilette Solano and her colleagues at the Biblioteca Nacional de Costa Rica. In Switzerland Patricia Fluckiger and Montserrat Canela Garayoa opened to me the Central American files of the UNHCR and Thomas Todd helped ensure that I made it through the stacks of folders. In the United States Barbara Alvarado, Marc Rosenthal, Ian Davies, and others of the U.S.–El Salvador Sister Cities network accompanied me during the first parts of this journey and introduced me to many of the comunidades organizadas of northern El Salvador. And Beth Cagan and Steve Cagan shared their home, their stories, and their phenomenal personal archive. This book would not have been possible without financial assistance from a variety of sources. A Fulbright fellowship funded the bulk of my initial field researchinCentralAmerica.ManydepartmentsandprogramsattheUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison provided financial support at the various stages of this project: the History Department; the Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies Program; the Global Studies Program; and the Graduate Student Council. A Presidential Research Fellowship and New...

Share