El Salvador Muralists Cover Up Signs of Violence in San Salvador Neighborhood – Reuters

By Nelson Renteria

MEJICANOS, El Salvador – From the window of her tin-sided shop outside San Salvador, Esmeralda Quintanilla observes artists transform her neighborhood, where walls still bear scars from the civil war and gang violence.

Equipped with brushes, paint, and spray cans, muralists and graffiti artists have begun to adorn the walls of several five-story units in a housing complex within the Zacamil neighborhood.

"The murals really enhance the area," said Quintanilla, a 55-year-old seamstress who has spent nearly half her life in the neighborhood. "You see these artworks, and it changes the image of the place. It makes me feel happy and proud."

The completed murals feature a variety of themes, including a Mesoamerican pyramid, pixelated images of the Virgin Mary, and creative expressions from the artists’ imaginations.

This initiative aims to fill communities with art and is spearheaded by a Salvadoran foundation. Over the next two years, the goal in Zacamil is to create large murals on nearly every wall of the complex, which accommodates around 4,000 residents.

Zacamil experienced a reduction in violence two years ago when President Nayib Bukele initiated a nationwide crackdown on gangs. The ongoing state of emergency, which has drawn criticism from human rights groups, has led to the imprisonment of nearly 82,000 alleged gang members.

While the new murals enhance the neighborhood’s appearance, significant issues persist, including garbage accumulation on the streets and clogged storm drains. The area is also cluttered with TV antennas, power lines, and clothes hanging from lines across windows.

Many residents of Zacamil fled during the brutal fighting between the Salvadoran army and the former leftist guerrilla group, Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN), which nearly destroyed the Mejicanos district in 1989. When they returned, they found their homes damaged by two earthquakes in 2001 or overrun by gangs.

"There are always problems, but this is giving the neighborhood a facelift," said a 70-year-old local resident who preferred to remain unnamed.

El Salvador’s devastating civil war, which lasted from late 1979 to January 1992, resulted in the deaths of over 75,000 people.