Federico Stories

When Pedro de Alvarado arrived at Atehuan (Ateos) he received a message from Atlacatl (figure 1) in which he accepted his surrender since they had taken control of a large part of the territory. Figure 1. Atlacatl. ¹ Pedro de Alvarado was extremely surprised by such a fast surrender since Atlacatl was one of the mightiest chiefs. However, he still agreed to visit Atehuan and take control of it. However, when he arrived, he found the entire town in revolt since all the Pipil people had fled to the mountains. Pedro de Alvarado was angry and sent a letter to Atlacatl asking him to surrender for good. However, Atlacatl replied: "If you want our weapons, come and bring them to the mountains." The conquistador was furious and on July 4, 1524, attacked all surrounding mountains. Many horses, Spaniards, and indigenous people died. However, Atlacatl survived and never bowed to any foreign authority, and from the mountains, he kept attacking the invaders. Pedro de Alvarado tried to cap...

Long ago, before the creation of the indigenous man on the American territory. In those days, a family with supernatural powers used to live in El Salvador. They were demigods of the mythology of  Cuzcatlan ! They lived in the Salvadorian rainforest. However, despite being a dense and deep jungle, the water was very scarce, and to collect some was needed to walk by long stretches of hostile territory. The worst part was they needed to carry it in clay pots. It was very heavy work that they had to do daily. In those days, there was a family of demigods. It consisted of two elders and two young boys. These were grandchildren of the elder couple who were descendants of Tlaloc. Daily, the grandfather was going to collect water for their chores. He knew where to discover it. However, he never revealed the secret of where he got it. Most of the time, his grandchildren accompanied him and sent them back with water without ever revealing, where, or what part of the jungle he got it. Ne...

It was the year 1510 when some of the first Spanish Conquistadors arrived at the lands of Cuzcatlan, which nowadays is known as El Salvador. They arrived with priests and nuns to convert all misbelievers from the region. In those lands, there were two ponds, one was full of odd animals, and the other was cursed (figure 1). Some of the Indians went there to worship a wicked god. He was capable of giving them all they wanted, including cocoa (their gold), power, women, sex, everything! Figure 1. Devil ’ s pond. ¹ However, there was an excessive price to pay. After a couple of days, months, or years, these people, who explored the pond and got their wishes, lost their souls, and some of them just disappeared and were never seen again. Only a couple of them were able to escape from the demon’s powers. These Indians shared that behind the pond, there is a waterfall where there is a secret entrance to the underworld (hell in the Christian world). Also, they showed everyone the ...

Long ago, Cuzcatlán had different provinces, which had been appointed by chiefs. They were the local leaders and owed obedience to the Lord of Cuzcatlán. Prince Atonal governed the Izalco area. In Izalco, Atonal had the mission to confront the Spanish invaders and every Indian who joined them in the conquest of Cuzcatlán in 1524 (figure 1). One night, in his council, Atonal took the floor and exclaimed: “My life for our people. Oh, great Lord.” This declaration manifested immense satisfaction in the Atlacatl (the last lord of Cuzcatlán). Everyone presented the spirit of struggle and solidarity as never before. Figure 1. Prince Atonal vs the Conquistadors. ¹   Atonal and his assistants prepared the strategy that was to stop the invaders. He placed a few spies along the coastal paths from the River of La Paz to Caluco. Also, he put a parapet between Mochicalco and Acatepeque, where he placed a Calpulli (a small combat unit composed of a dozen of the best Pipil warriors). ...

Long ago, there was a terrible war in the lands of Cuzcatlan. On it, Hoitzi and the Pipil people were fighting with Atlacatl and his group. No one knows the precise reasons behind it, but the results were catastrophic. After several months and uncountable causalities, the unthinkable happened. Hoitzi died, and when Princess Naba discovered her beloved was defeated and his body was lying down on the battlefield, she ran away to collect it. She took advantage that the King and his warriors were celebrating their triumph over the Pipil people. Throughout the night, Naba and her six maidens dedicated all their time to serving the wounded and comforting those who only waited for their imminent death. At midnight, some spies warned Atlacatl  what the princess was doing. The King enraged, and still, under the effects of chicha (a special alcoholic drink) went to face her. He wanted to demand explanations about her acts, but he saw what she was doing. She was next to Hoitzi’s dead bo...