Federico Stories

On November 3 rd , 1658, there was a massive eruption in the San Salvador Volcano. The residents of the surroundings didn't expect it. The volcano had been inactive for centuries. Even the local Amerindians were shocked by such a catastrophic event. They thought this would be the end of their lives. What nobody knew is that at the top of the volcano, a battle was happening. Saint Jerome and the devil were fighting. The devil wanted to erase every Christian, living in the surroundings and Saint Jerome wanted to protect them. Saint Jerome had been chosen as their protector. After several hours, Saint Jerome stopped the devil, but at a great cost. The large majority of the most Christian town was gone for good. The lava covered the entire town. Saint Jerome from heaven guided the residents of the destroyed town to a new location. They called it, Nejapa which in Nawatl means, "River of Ashes." In this place, they started a new life, and they called this eruption, 'El Play

In 1529, the warrior Shúri ruled Yusique (Chinameca). He belonged to the Lenca people and was a very thin cacique about thirty years old. He looked weak, but he had special physical abilities like a few people in  Cuzcatlan . He possessed the agility of the jaguar; the versatility of the deer and he was incredible flexibility as a bow. His personality was amazing because he used his brain more than pure brute force. His spirit inspired every Indian in his lands, he was considered the warlord of the warlords by his men (figure 1). Figure 1. Shúri.  ¹ At the beginning of that year, Shúri heard of some evil conquistadors taking full control of  Cuzcatlan (the western part of El Salvador) . He was concerned because of their military power and the 4-legged animals they were using to take control extremely fast. This seemed like an extremely challenging battle to win, but they had to stop them at any cost. In 1530, the situation in the central of the country got out of control because the Cu

Hundreds of years ago, a colossal giant called Sisimico (figure 1) lived in a canyon in San Vicente. The giant scared everyone for generations, but one day, it vanished and left his bones only. His bones rested at the bottom, resting his arms on the edges of the sidewalls, contemplating from there with his cyclopean eye watching the beauties of the surroundings, especially, its amazing, beautiful pool of crystalline blue waters. Figure 1. Sisimiaco. ¹ In recent times, an archeologist discovered that the bones came from a mastodon and presented them to the Pope in the Vatican City. They decided that it was an excellent piece to exhibit in one of the Vatican Museums, where it lays until today. Also, the word Sisimiaco comes from the Nahuatl Sisimitil , which means goblin or witch. A word that was associated with this unique place that sadly vanished from our lands in 2009 after a landslide. Inspired by Rafael González Sol’s version. Credits: ¹  A Total War Saga: Troy Leyendas de El Salv

Long ago, three fishermen woke up and decided to hunt some fish on the shores of El Espino Beach. Everyone was happy and seemed like it would be a good day. After a while, one of them started to yell, “Come here! I found a portrait.” The other two men came to see it and were shocked by the portrait. They were sure it was the Virgin Mary. All of them kneeled on the sand and thanked her for her visit. Especially because they were humble men. The men picked up the portrait carefully and brought it to the closes Catholic Church where the local priest deduced that it was the Virgin of Candelaria. The priest spoke with some local people, and everyone agreed to bring the portrait to a tiny old hermitage in the Old Town. Also, they agreed to create a statue that resembled her to her perfection (figure 1). From that day, the Virgin of Candelaria became their Patron and yearly Pilgrimage Festivities are organized on February 1 st and 2 nd as a memory of her visit. Figure 1. The Virgin of Cande

Hundreds of years ago, in the Canyon of the Olotes (Barranca de Los Olotes in Spanish)  near Izalco, cruel combat happened between the Spaniards and the Indians. On a terrible afternoon, thousands of arrows darkened the sun, trying to stop the Spanish invaders who had come with Pedro de Alvarado, one of their best captains. However, the Spaniards were able to protect themselves with their shields and laugh about their useless weapons. After a while, the Spaniards started to move their forces, and little by little, using their sophisticated  weaponry , they defeated the Indians. After the fight was over, Pedro de Alvarado decided to take a rest because it was insanely hot. However, the heat was so extreme that the rock softened and imprinted his right foot as a sign of their evil precise. Nowadays, everyone living in the Canyon  of the Olotes can appreciate the engraved foot (figure 1) as a memory of the old times and the Spanish Conquest. Figure 1. The Rock of The Conquest. ¹ Inspired

In Guaymango, there is a mysterious cave (figure 1), which the locals believe is the Devil’s House, an entry to hell. Figure 1. Devil’s Cave. ¹ Many people assure you that if you walk around the San Martín Canton, you will find a narrow path that is surrounded by deep vegetation and cornfields. After a while, you will find two huge stones that guard the entrance to the cave. If you reach this place on the wrong day, a massive golden snake is going to devour you. Only a few had escaped and said it came from the deepest part of the cave. Some drunk people walked around the cave at midnight, and they walked in circles for hours because they lost their way. This is dangerous and they assure that even during their hangover, they still couldn’t know their path for hours. They are sure anyone, even sober people, can lose their path. People who regularly walk around the cave start listening to some creepy laughs like coming from hell. On one occasion a man tried to see what was happening and t