Our Life In El Salvador

Author: Hugh Talley

  • Salvadoran Students Show They Can Compete with Germany and Sweden

    Salvadoran students participating in an educational modernization program achieved encouraging results comparable with averages recorded in Germany and Sweden.

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    A new international assessment has delivered encouraging news about the future of education in El Salvador.

    Students from 171 Salvadoran public schools achieved results in reading, mathematics, and science that were comparable with the averages recorded by Germany and Sweden in the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment, commonly known as PISA.

    The findings do not mean that El Salvador’s entire public education system has reached the same level as those European countries. However, they demonstrate something equally important: Salvadoran students can achieve excellent results when they receive the proper opportunities, resources, and educational support.

    An International Measure of Student Achievement

    According to Diario El Salvador, 1,198 volunteer students participated in the PISA for Schools assessment. All came from public schools connected to the country’s Educational Modernization Project.

    PISA for Schools is associated with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD. It measures how well students can apply their knowledge in three important areas:

    • Reading
    • Mathematics
    • Science

    The assessment also considers students’ learning environments, attitudes, and general well-being. Therefore, it looks beyond grades and examines some of the conditions that may influence educational success.

    The participating Salvadoran students performed above the national average. Their results were also comparable with the average scores achieved by students in Germany and Sweden during PISA 2022.

    For a country working to overcome years of educational challenges, this is a significant and encouraging result.

    AI Tutors Are Part of the Pilot Program

    The 171 participating schools have been part of a pilot program that includes tutors powered by artificial intelligence. The program had operated for slightly more than a year when the students were evaluated in June 2026.

    President Nayib Bukele celebrated the results and said that the program has already expanded to more than 1,000 public schools. According to the president, the government plans to introduce it throughout the public education system within approximately 18 months.

    Technology and artificial intelligence can provide students with additional help, immediate feedback, and learning material suited to their individual needs. They may also help teachers identify subjects that require additional attention.

    However, technology should support teachers rather than attempt to replace them. Computers and AI programs are tools. Their value depends on how they are used in the classroom and whether educators receive the training necessary to use them effectively.

    The encouraging results may have come from a combination of factors, including AI tutors, improved technology, teacher preparation, better learning materials, and greater attention given to the participating schools.

    The Results Require Proper Context

    These findings deserve recognition, but they must also be presented accurately.

    The assessment involved 1,198 volunteer students from 171 selected public schools. It was not a representative assessment of every student or every public school in El Salvador.

    Therefore, it would be incorrect to say that El Salvador’s entire education system now performs at the same level as Germany or Sweden. The results apply only to the students and schools participating in the modernization project.

    The published article also did not provide the precise scores for reading, mathematics, and science. Releasing those figures, along with more information about how the students and schools were selected, would allow parents, educators, and the public to understand the findings more completely.

    It is also too early to conclude that AI tutors alone produced the improvement. A longer evaluation would be necessary to separate the influence of technology from other changes introduced through the modernization program.

    None of these qualifications diminish what the participating students accomplished. They simply help us understand exactly what the results do—and do not—prove.

    Salvadoran Students Have Demonstrated Their Potential

    For many years, discussions about public education in El Salvador have concentrated on inadequate buildings, limited resources, school abandonment, teacher shortages, and the difficulties facing rural communities.

    Those challenges remain important. Nevertheless, these results help change the conversation.

    They show that Salvadoran children are not lacking in intelligence or ability. When students receive modern resources, capable teachers, and a learning environment that encourages them, they can compete with students from some of the world’s more developed countries.

    That may be the most important lesson from this assessment.

    The question is no longer whether Salvadoran students are capable of reaching a high international standard. Students in these 171 schools have demonstrated that they are.

    The challenge is now to create those same opportunities throughout the country.

    Expansion Must Include Rural Communities

    Expanding the program from 171 schools to more than 1,000 is an important step. Bringing it to every public school would be an even greater achievement.

    However, successful expansion will require more than distributing computers or installing software.

    Schools need dependable electricity, internet access, equipment maintenance, trained teachers, and continuing technical support. These requirements may be more difficult to provide in rural areas, where internet service and public infrastructure can remain limited.

    Students in smaller communities should receive the same opportunities as those attending schools in San Salvador and other major cities. Children living in Ahuachapán, Morazán, La Unión, Chalatenango, and the country’s other rural departments deserve equal access to modern educational resources.

    The true test of the program will be whether the encouraging results can be repeated across schools with very different conditions.

    A Promising Beginning for El Salvador

    This assessment should not be presented as proof that El Salvador has already solved all its educational problems. It should be viewed as evidence of what Salvadoran students can accomplish and what may be possible for the country’s public schools.

    The pilot program has produced results worthy of attention. It has shown that students in participating Salvadoran schools can perform at levels comparable with students in Germany and Sweden.

    That is an achievement the students, their families, their teachers, and the country should be proud of.

    The next step is to study the results carefully, identify what worked, improve what did not, and expand the program responsibly. Progress should also be measured regularly so that the public can see whether improvements continue as the project reaches more schools.

    El Salvador’s educational transformation will not happen overnight. Technology alone cannot produce it. Success will require qualified teachers, involved families, modern facilities, reliable services, and a long-term national commitment to learning.

    Still, this is a hopeful beginning.

    These results offer convincing evidence that Salvadoran students have the potential to compete internationally. If the country can provide the same level of opportunity to children in every community, education could become one of the strongest foundations for El Salvador’s future.

    If you enjoy following El Salvador’s progress in education, technology, development, and other areas of national transformation, please consider liking, commenting, sharing, and subscribing to Our Life in El Salvador. Your support helps us continue bringing these stories to more readers.

  • $37 Million for El Salvador’s Agromarkets: Supporting Farmers and Helping Families

    Salvadoran agromarkets can help families obtain affordable fresh food while providing local farmers with dependable places to sell their products.

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    The Legislative Assembly of El Salvador will study a proposal to reinforce the country’s agricultural market program with an additional $37 million.

    According to Diario El Salvador, the government wants to strengthen the agromarkets financially so they can continue selling agricultural products to the public at affordable prices. The program has become an important part of the government’s effort to reduce food costs and improve access to basic products.

    At first glance, this appears to be a worthwhile investment. Food prices affect every Salvadoran family, but they are particularly important for households surviving on limited incomes.

    However, $37 million is a substantial amount of public money. The proposal should therefore be accompanied by clear information explaining where the money will go, how it will help Salvadoran farmers, and how its results will be measured.

    Bringing Farmers and Consumers Closer Together

    One of the potential advantages of an agromarket is that it can reduce the distance between the farmer and the consumer.

    Agricultural products often pass through several intermediaries before reaching a neighborhood store or supermarket. Each step adds transportation, storage, handling, and profit costs to the final price.

    When farmers can sell through a more direct system, consumers may pay less while producers receive a fairer return for their work.

    That is the ideal situation: families save money without requiring farmers to accept prices that make it impossible for them to continue producing.

    Agromarkets can also provide farmers with dependable places to sell their crops. This may reduce waste, especially when producers harvest vegetables and fruits that must be sold quickly.

    Affordable Food Is Important to Salvadoran Families

    The cost of beans, corn, rice, vegetables, eggs, dairy products, and other necessities has a direct effect on the household budget.

    Even a small difference in price can matter to a family purchasing food every week. If the agromarkets can consistently offer fresh products below regular retail prices, they could provide meaningful relief.

    However, affordability should not depend on a temporary government subsidy alone. The program should eventually help strengthen the entire agricultural system.

    That includes supporting Salvadoran production, improving transportation and storage, reducing crop losses, and helping farmers respond to changing weather conditions. It should also help the country become less dependent on imported food whenever domestic production is possible.

    Will Salvadoran Farmers Receive the Benefits?

    This is one of the most important questions surrounding the proposal.

    The additional funding should not only make products cheaper for consumers. It should also create opportunities for small and medium-sized Salvadoran farmers.

    Many small producers do not have their own transportation, refrigerated storage, or direct access to large markets. They may have little choice but to sell their crops to an intermediary at a low price.

    The agromarkets could help change that situation if the government establishes a fair and accessible purchasing system.

    Farmers should know how they can participate, what quality standards they must meet, how prices are established, and when they will be paid. These opportunities should not be limited to a few large suppliers or companies.

    It will also be important to know what percentage of the food sold in the agromarkets is grown in El Salvador. Selling affordable imported products may help consumers temporarily, but it does not necessarily strengthen Salvadoran agriculture.

    Rural Communities Should Not Be Forgotten

    The program should also reach communities outside the major cities.

    Families living in rural areas often face the same high food prices, along with limited transportation and fewer shopping choices. Some must travel considerable distances to reach a supermarket or established agromarket.

    Here in Cara Sucia, we already have a very good government agromarket, where Elizabeth and I shop regularly. I have also seen these markets while traveling through other parts of Ahuachapán. From my experience, the program is reaching communities outside the major cities. Additional funding could help existing agromarkets maintain their supplies, improve their services, and continue offering affordable products to local families.

    The government could also publish the location, operating schedule, and available products for every agromarket. That information would make the program easier for families to use.

    More Details Are Needed

    The Diario El Salvador article explains the general purpose of the proposed $37 million reinforcement, but it leaves several important questions unanswered.

    How much of the funding will be used to purchase agricultural products? How much will be spent on transportation, storage, buildings, equipment, employees, and administration?

    Will the money open additional markets, or will it primarily support existing locations? How many Salvadoran farmers currently supply the program? What safeguards will prevent waste, favoritism, or unnecessary administrative costs?

    There is also a need to clarify the history of this allocation. Earlier reporting in 2026 referred to a $37 million budget reinforcement connected with the operation of 61 agromarkets. Officials should explain whether the current proposal is that same allocation moving through another legislative stage, a revised proposal, or a separate request for additional funding.

    That distinction is important because the public deserves to understand exactly how much money has been approved and spent.

    Transparency Will Build Public Confidence

    The government could strengthen public confidence by regularly publishing information about the program.

    This should include operating expenses, participating farmers, suppliers, purchasing prices, products sold, total sales, and estimated consumer savings.

    The government should also compare agromarket prices with prices at supermarkets, municipal markets, and neighborhood stores. This would show whether the program is delivering the savings it promises.

    Transparency is not an attack on a public program. It is one way to protect a worthwhile program and ensure that the money reaches the people it was intended to help.

    A Promising Investment—If Managed Properly

    I believe the agromarkets have the potential to benefit El Salvador.

    Families need affordable food, and farmers need reliable buyers who will pay fair prices. A well-managed program could help both sides while supporting local production and strengthening food security.

    However, the success of this proposal should not be measured by the amount of money approved. It should be measured by its results.

    The results should show whether families are paying less for fresh food and Salvadoran farmers are earning more. They should also reveal whether small producers have greater opportunities to participate and rural communities are receiving better access to affordable products. Is more food being grown here in El Salvador?

    If the additional $37 million produces clear and measurable progress in these areas, it could be a valuable investment in the country’s future.

    The proposal deserves serious consideration, but it also deserves careful oversight. Salvadorans should be able to see where the money goes and how it improves the lives of both farmers and consumers.

    What do you think about the proposed $37 million reinforcement for El Salvador’s agromarkets? Have you visited one of these markets, and did you find that its prices were lower? Please share your experience in the comments.

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  • After 64 Years, the Friendship Between El Salvador and Korea Continues to Grow

    El Salvador and the Republic of Korea celebrate 64 years of friendship built through cultural exchange, cooperation, and mutual respect.

    AI Image Generated for Our Life in El Salvador

    The friendship between El Salvador and the Republic of Korea has now reached an important milestone. This year, the two countries commemorated 64 years of diplomatic relations with a celebration that brought Korean culture directly to the Salvadoran public.

    Hundreds of people attended the first K-Festival 2026 in San Salvador. The event featured Korean music, dancing, traditional games, taekwondo, food, fashion, and K-pop performances. It was much more than an official diplomatic ceremony. It allowed Salvadorans to experience some of the traditions that have helped Korea build a cultural following around the world.

    The celebration also marked the first official Day of Salvadoran-Korean Fellowship. Earlier this year, El Salvador’s Legislative Assembly declared August 30 an annual day recognizing the friendship between the two countries and the contributions of the Korean community in El Salvador.

    A Relationship Dating Back to 1962

    El Salvador and the Republic of Korea formally established diplomatic relations on August 30, 1962. However, the connection between the two countries began even earlier.

    During the K-Festival, Korean Ambassador Kwak Taeyeol recalled that El Salvador extended a hand of solidarity during the difficult period surrounding the Korean War. He said Korea has never forgotten that assistance and considers it one of the earliest bonds between the two countries.

    That history shows that meaningful friendships between nations are not built only through trade agreements or formal ceremonies. They are also created when one country stands beside another during a time of hardship.

    The ambassador described the present relationship between El Salvador and Korea as being at an excellent point. After more than six decades, that friendship has developed into cooperation involving infrastructure, health, education, agriculture, public safety, innovation, climate change, scholarships, and programs assisting returning migrants.

    Korean Cooperation Can Be Seen in El Salvador

    One of the most visible examples of Korean involvement in El Salvador is the Los Chorros Viaduct project.

    South Korea has also supported educational and technological development. The recently announced Innovation Center at the University of El Salvador is another example of how the relationship is moving beyond traditional diplomacy.

    These projects are important because they can produce practical benefits for Salvadorans. Better infrastructure can improve transportation and commerce. Educational cooperation can give students and researchers access to new knowledge. Agricultural and technological programs can help El Salvador develop solutions suited to its own needs.

    The real value of an international partnership should be measured by more than the number of years it has existed. We should also ask what it has produced and whether its benefits reach ordinary people.

    In the case of Korea and El Salvador, there are several areas where those results are becoming visible.

    Culture Has Become an Important Bridge

    Government agreements may establish diplomatic relations, but culture helps ordinary people understand one another.

    Korean music, television programs, food, cosmetics, and fashion have become increasingly popular among Salvadorans. Some young people are studying the Korean language, while dance groups are learning and performing K-pop routines.

    The K-Festival gave those interests a public place to come together. Visitors could watch taekwondo demonstrations, participate in traditional games, sample Korean dishes, and enjoy performances inspired by modern Korean popular culture.

    One participant told Diario El Salvador that the event provided an opportunity to learn about the Korean language, culture, and food while connecting with people from another country.

    That kind of cultural exchange matters. It allows people to see another nation as more than a distant place on a map.

    My Own Connection With Korea

    This story is especially interesting to me because Korea was once an important part of my own life.

    I spent approximately five years in Korea while serving in the United States Army during the late 1970s and early 1980s. I was stationed at Camp Humphreys and Camp Aims during a period when South Korea was still undergoing a remarkable transformation.

    The Korea I remember was already a country of hardworking, determined people. It was rebuilding, modernizing, and moving forward. The progress Korea has achieved since then is extraordinary.

    Today, South Korea is known around the world for technology, automobiles, electronics, entertainment, and education. Companies such as Samsung, Hyundai, and LG have become international names. Korean music and television programs have gained audiences in countries far removed from the Korean Peninsula.

    I also developed a lasting appreciation for Korean food. Even after all these years, I still enjoy it. Finding Korean restaurants in San Salvador operated by Korean families reminds me that connections formed in one part of life can sometimes reappear many years later and in a completely different country.

    When I see Salvadorans enjoying Korean food, learning the language, or watching Korean cultural performances, I understand some of that interest. Korea has a distinctive culture, a long history, and a strong sense of identity.

    What El Salvador Can Learn From Korea

    El Salvador and Korea are very different countries, but Korea’s development offers lessons worth examining.

    South Korea endured war, poverty, destruction, and political uncertainty. It did not become a modern economic and technological power overnight. Its transformation required decades of education, industrial development, infrastructure investment, discipline, and long-term planning.

    El Salvador must follow its own path, but Korea demonstrates what can happen when a country invests consistently in its people and prepares for the future.

    Cooperation with Korea could help El Salvador strengthen technical education, agricultural innovation, infrastructure, scientific research, and advanced industries. However, partnerships should not consist only of foreign countries building projects for El Salvador. They should also transfer knowledge so Salvadorans can operate, maintain, and eventually develop similar projects themselves.

    That is how international cooperation creates lasting progress.

    Friendship Must Continue Producing Results

    Celebrating 64 years of diplomatic relations is meaningful, but anniversaries should also provide an opportunity to look ahead.

    What additional scholarships could be offered to Salvadoran students? Korean companies could create more manufacturing and technical jobs in El Salvador. Universities from both countries might also develop joint research programs. In agriculture, Korean technology may help Salvadoran farmers respond to changing weather and rising production costs.

    Those are the questions that will determine what this relationship means during its next decade.

    The cultural celebration showed that the friendship is not limited to government officials. Salvadorans are developing a genuine interest in Korea, while Korean institutions and businesses continue contributing to projects in El Salvador.

    The relationship now has history behind it, but it also has considerable room to grow.

    A Friendship Worth Celebrating

    The first Day of Salvadoran-Korean Fellowship celebrated more than 64 years of diplomatic history. It recognized a relationship that has expanded from an early gesture of solidarity into cooperation involving culture, education, infrastructure, technology, and economic development.

    For me, the celebration also connects two countries that have each played an important role in my life. I could never have imagined while serving in Korea decades ago that I would one day retire in El Salvador and watch these two nations develop such a close friendship.

    The world often seems divided by politics, geography, and competing interests. Events like this remind us that countries can also be connected through gratitude, cultural understanding, shared experiences, and the desire to build something beneficial together.

    That is a friendship worth recognizing—and one that deserves to continue growing.

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  • Small Salvadoran Businesses Are Reaching Customers Around the World

    Salvadoran micro and small businesses are taking locally made products, traditions, and creativity into international markets.

     AI-generated image created for Our Life in El Salvador.

    El Salvador’s micro and small businesses may be small in size, but their products are beginning to reach far beyond the country’s borders.

    According to Diario El Salvador, the National Commission for Micro and Small Enterprises, known as CONAMYPE, expects these businesses to export approximately $3.5 million in products during 2026.

    The products include honey, clothing, handicrafts, prepared foods, and other traditional Salvadoran goods. Many are considered nostalgic products because they remind Salvadorans living abroad of the country they left behind.

    For someone living in the United States, Canada, or Europe, finding a familiar Salvadoran food or handmade product can provide a comforting connection to home. At the same time, every purchase creates an opportunity for a small producer or family business here in El Salvador.

    More Than an Export Number

    At first glance, $3.5 million may not sound like an enormous amount when compared with the exports of large companies. However, that is not the most important part of this story.

    For a small business, even one reliable international buyer can make a meaningful difference. Exporting can increase sales, support local employment, and provide income for families and communities.

    It can also help a small producer grow into a more established company.

    CONAMYPE reports that approximately 60,000 micro and small enterprises are registered in El Salvador. The organization says that an important percentage of them already sell products outside the country.

    Unfortunately, the article does not tell us exactly how many are currently exporting. It also does not compare the projected $3.5 million with the amount exported during 2025.

    Those figures would help us better understand how quickly this part of the economy is growing.

    Still, the effort to help small Salvadoran businesses enter international markets is encouraging.

    Connecting Producers With International Buyers

    One of the greatest challenges facing small businesses is not always making the product. The difficulty often comes with finding buyers and getting the product into another country.

    A small producer may make excellent honey, chocolate, coffee, clothing, or handicrafts. However, exporting involves much more than placing the product in a box and shipping it overseas.

    Businesses must understand customs regulations, packaging requirements, health permits, taxes, shipping expenses, and international documentation. They must also find distributors that can place their products in stores and connect them with customers.

    CONAMYPE is helping Salvadoran businesses overcome some of these obstacles.

    The organization currently works with 14 commercial distribution companies in different countries. Four more are expected to join the network before the end of 2026.

    These companies help connect Salvadoran producers with markets in the United States, Canada, Europe, and other parts of the world.

    This distribution network could become one of the most valuable parts of the program. A small business may not have the money or experience to open its own operation in another country. Working through an established distributor gives it a more realistic path into the international market.

    Teaching Businesses How to Export Successfully

    The government is also providing training through CONAMYPE and the Special Fund of Resources from the Privatization of ANTEL, known as FANTEL.

    The third edition of the forum International Trade in Action: Exporting and Importing Successfully was recently held in San Salvador.

    The event provided information about customs regulations, tariff classifications, documentation, access to markets, and other parts of international trade.

    It was designed for businesses already involved in exporting, those preparing to export for the first time, and companies hoping to improve their existing international operations.

    This kind of practical assistance is important. Encouraging entrepreneurs is good, but encouragement alone is not enough. Small-business owners also need clear information, dependable contacts, and guidance through complicated government and international requirements.

    An earlier Exporta SV forum in San Miguel attracted more than 125 micro and small businesses. They represented industries such as food, beverages, clothing, footwear, handicrafts, technology, and agricultural production.

    Holding these programs outside San Salvador is especially valuable. Business opportunities should not be limited to the capital. Producers in the eastern and western parts of the country also need access to training and international markets.

    Salvadoran Identity Has International Value

    Traditional Salvadoran products have something that cannot easily be copied: a connection to the country’s culture and identity.

    A package of coffee, a handmade item, a traditional sweet, or a familiar food can carry a story with it. These products represent Salvadoran skills, traditions, ingredients, and family recipes.

    The large Salvadoran community living outside the country creates a natural market for them. Many Salvadorans abroad want the foods and products they remember from their childhood.

    However, the possibilities should not end with the Salvadoran community.

    Quality Salvadoran products can also attract customers who have never visited the country. Coffee, chocolate, honey, handmade textiles, natural products, and traditional foods can compete in specialty markets when they are presented and marketed properly.

    This is where packaging, quality control, consistency, and good business planning become especially important.

    The Questions That Still Need Answers

    The export projection is positive, but several questions remain.

    The article does not say how much these businesses exported last year. It also leaves us wondering how many companies will contribute to the projected $3.5 million. Another important question is how much money producers will keep after paying shipping, distribution, and other expenses.

    It would also be useful to know whether these businesses are receiving occasional orders or developing lasting relationships with international buyers.

    Reaching the $3.5 million target would be welcome news. However, the real measure of success will be whether small businesses can continue exporting year after year.

    CONAMYPE reports that its work over the past seven years has contributed to more than $38.5 million in increased exports. It also reports more than $184 million in increased business sales and the creation of thousands of jobs.

    Those figures suggest that the support being offered can produce meaningful results.

    Opening Doors for Salvadoran Entrepreneurs

    El Salvador’s economic growth cannot depend only on large companies and foreign investment. Micro and small businesses also have an important role to play.

    They provide employment, support families, preserve traditions, and keep money circulating within local communities.

    Helping them reach international markets gives them another opportunity to grow. It also allows people around the world to discover products made by Salvadoran hands.

    The $3.5 million export projection is a good beginning, but it should be viewed as one step in a much longer journey.

    If these businesses receive continued training, dependable access to distributors, and help meeting international requirements, their exports could grow considerably in the coming years.

    El Salvador’s small businesses are not merely selling products. They are carrying Salvadoran flavors, craftsmanship, traditions, and identity into international markets.

    That is something worth encouraging—and watching closely.

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  • El Salvador Marks 205 Years of Independence with a Renewed Sense of Freedom

    Salvadoran flags, students, and families gathering near the National Palace to commemorate 205 years of independence.

    AI-generated image created for Our Life in El Salvador.

    September has begun in El Salvador with the raising of blue-and-white flags, civic ceremonies, traditional music, and a renewed opportunity to reflect on what independence means today.

    Government officials, members of the diplomatic community, and students from different schools gathered at the National Palace in the Historic Center of San Salvador to inaugurate Civic Month. The ceremony marked the beginning of activities leading up to September 15, when El Salvador and its Central American neighbors will commemorate 205 years since declaring independence from Spain in 1821.

    The event included the entrance of the national flag and cultural performances by the National Ballet. However, the ceremony was about more than remembering a date from history. It also encouraged Salvadorans to consider what independence means in the present.

    Independence Was Only the Beginning

    During the ceremony, Vice President Félix Ulloa reminded those attending that independence did not end with the declaration signed in 1821.

    That event represented the beginning of a much longer responsibility. The people of Central America gained the right to determine their own future, but they also inherited the difficult task of building nations capable of protecting and serving their citizens.

    More than two centuries later, that responsibility continues.

    Independence is not something that a country achieves once and then places safely inside a history book. Each generation must preserve it, strengthen it, and decide how to use it.

    A country can possess its own flag, government, and borders. However, true independence must also be visible in the lives of ordinary people.

    It should mean that families can live without fear. Children should have access to education, while workers need opportunities to build better lives. Business owners should be able to operate without threats, and communities should have hope for the future.

    Freedom Must Be Felt in Daily Life

    One of the strongest points made during the ceremony concerned the relationship between security and freedom.

    For many years, millions of Salvadorans lived in communities where criminal groups controlled daily life. Gangs decided who could enter certain neighborhoods, which streets residents could use, where people could operate businesses, and sometimes whether families could remain in their own homes.

    El Salvador was an independent nation, but many Salvadorans did not feel free.

    People adjusted their lives around invisible borders. Business owners lived under the threat of extortion, while parents worried about their children traveling through areas controlled by rival gangs.

    Vice President Ulloa described security as a basic condition of freedom. He said that the government’s transformation of the country began with restoring state control over the national territory and returning to citizens their fundamental right to live in peace.

    This is an important point. Freedom means much more than independence from a foreign power. It must also include the ability to walk down a street, open a business, visit relatives, and raise a family without living under constant fear.

    A Transformation People Can See

    I have lived in El Salvador since 2011, and I have watched the country change in ways that are difficult to understand unless you experienced the earlier years.

    There were once places people avoided and roads they hesitated to travel. Salvadorans often knew where they could go and where they should not go. Even when someone never personally became a victim of crime, the possibility remained in the back of their mind.

    Today, families are returning to public spaces. Historic areas are being restored, communities are becoming more active, and people can travel around the country with a greater feeling of security.

    Problems still exist, as they do in every nation. Economic hardship continues to affect many families, and the country still needs more jobs, better opportunities, continued investment in education, and stronger support for local communities.

    Nevertheless, it would be unfair to deny the transformation that has taken place or the difference it has made in the daily lives of Salvadorans.

    More Than Flags and Parades

    Civic Month will bring flags, school activities, music, traditional clothing, and patriotic celebrations throughout El Salvador.

    These traditions matter. They help young Salvadorans understand their history and remind families of the sacrifices made by earlier generations.

    However, patriotism should involve more than displaying the national colors during September.

    Loving a country also means caring for its communities, protecting its natural resources, preserving its history, supporting its people, and expecting national progress to reach those who need it most.

    It means recognizing accomplishments without pretending that every problem has been solved.

    The best way to honor independence is to continue building a nation where freedom, security, education, and opportunity are not reserved for a few but are available to everyone.

    Looking Toward the Next Chapter

    As El Salvador commemorates 205 years of independence, the country is not simply looking backward at the events of 1821. It is also looking toward the kind of nation it wants to become.

    The Salvadoran flag represents a proud history, but it also represents an unfinished responsibility.

    The generations that declared independence opened the door. Every generation since then has had to decide where that door should lead.

    Today, El Salvador has an opportunity to continue moving forward with greater security, stronger communities, expanding educational opportunities, responsible economic development, and renewed pride in the country.

    Independence gave El Salvador the right to determine its own future. The challenge now is to make sure that future provides dignity, peace, and opportunity for every Salvadoran.

    As the blue-and-white flags rise across the country this September, they should remind everyone that independence is not only something inherited from the past. It is something each generation must continue to build.

    Source: Diario El Salvador, “El Salvador conmemora 205 años de independencia,” published September 1, 2026.

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  • From Impossible to Unforgettable: El Salvador’s Wild Treasure Gains Global Recognition

    El Imposible National Park showcases the forests, mountain trails, waterfalls, and natural beauty that earned it international recognition in 2026. AI-generated image created for Our Life in El Salvador.

    El Salvador continues to gain international attention as travelers discover that this small country offers much more than beautiful beaches and surfing.

    Condé Nast Traveler has included El Imposible National Park in its selection of “The Seven Wonders of the World for 2026.” The respected international travel magazine placed the Salvadoran park alongside remarkable destinations in Canada, Italy, England, Algeria, Denmark, and South Africa.

    This recognition should be a source of pride for all Salvadorans. It is especially meaningful to those of us who live in the department of Ahuachapán, where this extraordinary national park is located.

    However, it is important to describe the recognition correctly. El Imposible was not named one of the official Seven Wonders of the World. Instead, Condé Nast Traveler selected seven destinations that its editors believe travelers should consider visiting in 2026.

    That distinction does not take away from the importance of the recognition. Being selected by an internationally known travel publication introduces El Imposible—and El Salvador—to readers around the world.

    A Different Side of El Salvador

    Many international travelers know El Salvador for its Pacific beaches, excellent surfing, volcanoes, and growing tourism industry. El Imposible presents another side of the country.

    It is a place of deep canyons, thick forests, mountain trails, waterfalls, hidden pools, and an impressive variety of plants and animals. The park protects some threatened and endangered species, making it one of El Salvador’s most important natural areas.

    Condé Nast Traveler described El Imposible as one of the least-known wilderness areas in Central America. That observation is important. Something so beautiful and valuable has remained unfamiliar to much of the international traveling public.

    Perhaps that is beginning to change.

    The inclusion of El Imposible on this list gives El Salvador another opportunity to show the world the variety found within such a small country. A visitor can enjoy the beaches, explore archaeological sites, walk through historic towns, climb volcanoes, and experience a protected tropical forest without traveling great distances.

    Few countries can offer so much within such a compact area.

    The Story Behind the Name

    The name El Imposible comes from the difficult and dangerous journey once made by coffee farmers in this mountainous region.

    Farmers transported coffee from the highlands toward the port of Acajutla. Along the way, they and their mules had to cross an extremely narrow and hazardous passage through the mountains. The route was so difficult that people began calling it “El Imposible.”

    According to the story highlighted by Condé Nast Traveler, the mules were sometimes blindfolded to keep them from becoming frightened while crossing the dangerous section.

    A bridge eventually made the passage safer. A plaque placed there reportedly carried the words, “May 1968—it is no longer impossible.”

    This history gives the park something that many beautiful destinations do not have. El Imposible is not only a place of natural beauty. Its name preserves the memory of the people who worked in these mountains and the hardships they faced while moving their coffee to market.

    It connects the landscape with the history, labor, and determination of Salvadorans.

    A Major Recognition for Ahuachapán

    For Ahuachapán, this international attention could create valuable opportunities.

    Visitors to El Imposible may also spend money at local restaurants, small hotels, transportation services, shops, and other businesses. Local guides can help travelers understand the forest, its wildlife, and the history of the surrounding communities.

    This type of tourism can bring economic benefits to rural areas that do not always receive the same attention as the country’s beaches or larger cities.

    El Imposible could also become part of a wider experience in western El Salvador. Visitors might combine the park with stops along the Ruta de las Flores, the archaeological site at Cara Sucia, Barra de Santiago, local coffee farms, and the many communities that make Ahuachapán special.

    The recognition helps demonstrate that western El Salvador has the potential to become one of the country’s most complete tourism regions.

    Recognition Also Brings Responsibility

    Increased attention can benefit the region, but it must be handled responsibly.

    El Imposible is not an amusement park. It is a protected natural area containing wildlife, forests, rivers, and fragile ecosystems. More visitors can create employment and income, but uncontrolled tourism can also damage trails, disturb animals, pollute water, and leave trash behind.

    Development near the park must respect the environment. Visitors should follow established rules, remain on approved trails, use qualified guides when necessary, and avoid disturbing the plants and wildlife.

    The goal should not be to bring the largest possible number of people into the forest. It should be to welcome visitors in a way that protects the park for future generations.

    International recognition will mean little if the natural beauty that earned it is not preserved.

    More Than a Place on a List

    Lists created by travel magazines come and go, but this particular selection carries a larger message.

    El Salvador no longer needs to be known internationally for only one type of tourism. The country has beaches, mountains, forests, archaeological treasures, colonial towns, cultural traditions, and remarkable wildlife.

    El Imposible represents the natural heart of that broader story.

    Its selection by Condé Nast Traveler gives the country another opening to reach travelers searching for nature, hiking, history, and authentic experiences. It also reminds Salvadorans of the extraordinary natural heritage found within their own borders.

    Sometimes people living near a beautiful place do not fully appreciate how remarkable it is until someone from outside recognizes it. This international attention should encourage more Salvadorans to learn about El Imposible, visit it responsibly, and understand why it deserves protection.

    My Thoughts

    Living in Ahuachapán makes this recognition feel especially close to home.

    We often hear about major attractions in distant countries while overlooking the treasures found in our own communities. El Imposible may not have the size of Canada’s Banff National Park or the international fame of Matera in Italy, but it has a character and history that belong entirely to El Salvador.

    Its forests, waterfalls, mountain passages, wildlife, and connection to the coffee farmers of the past make it worthy of international attention.

    I am pleased to see this part of El Salvador recognized by a respected travel publication. At the same time, I hope the attention encourages conservation and thoughtful tourism rather than uncontrolled development.

    The greatest success would not simply be attracting more visitors. It would be allowing people to experience El Imposible while ensuring that its forests and wildlife remain protected.

    A place once named for a journey considered impossible is now helping El Salvador reach travelers throughout the world.

    That is something worth celebrating—and something worth protecting.

    What are your thoughts about El Imposible receiving this international recognition? Have you visited the park, or would you like to visit it? Please share your experiences in the comments.

    If you enjoy stories about El Salvador’s tourism, culture, environment, development, and continuing transformation, please consider liking, commenting, sharing, and subscribing to Our Life in El Salvador. Every interaction helps more readers discover our work and learn about this remarkable country.

  • El Salvador Puts Childhood First: A Lesson in What Early Education Should Be

    AI-generated image for Our Life in El Salvador illustrating early childhood education in El Salvador, where young students learn through books, music, play, creativity, and hands-on activities in a supportive classroom.

    El Salvador is continuing to reshape its education system, and one of the latest changes may be among the most important.

    The Office of First Lady Gabriela de Bukele, working with the Ministry of Education, has begun distributing educational materials to early childhood centers across the country. The goal is ambitious: equip 100% of public educational centers that serve young children.

    The program represents an investment of $12.67 million and is expected to benefit 246,113 children throughout El Salvador.

    For a small country with limited resources, that is a serious commitment to its youngest generation.

    More Than New Books for the Classroom

    According to Diario El Salvador, the program includes 375,000 books from the Árbol de Vida collection, 195,000 musical instruments, 37,000 educational and recreational resources, sensory materials, and practical-life learning kits.

    These are not simply supplies to fill shelves.

    They support El Salvador’s new National Early Childhood Curriculum. The curriculum focuses on learning through play, exploration, creativity, participation, and interaction.

    That is important.

    Young children naturally want to explore the world around them. They learn by touching, listening, building, asking questions, playing, and interacting with other children.

    Education at that age should encourage their curiosity rather than take it away.

    Learning About Their Own Country

    Another part of this program caught my attention.

    The educational materials include elements of El Salvador’s natural environment, history, and culture. Some teaching resources even introduce children to vocabulary in Náhuat.

    I believe that matters.

    Children should learn about the country where they live. They should know something about its history, traditions, environment, and people.

    There is nothing wrong with preparing children for an increasingly international world. That will become even more important as El Salvador continues developing.

    However, becoming part of the larger world should not require forgetting where you came from.

    A Salvadoran child should grow up knowing something about El Salvador.

    Music, Reading and Practical Skills

    I also like the variety of materials being introduced.

    Music helps children develop coordination, listening skills, movement, and expression.

    Books encourage imagination while establishing the foundation for reading.

    Educational games can help children develop concentration and reasoning.

    Sensory materials allow younger children to learn through interaction with their surroundings.

    The practical-life kits may be especially interesting. They introduce children to everyday activities and help them become more independent.

    These might sound like simple things, but childhood development often begins with simple things.

    Before advanced mathematics, computers, artificial intelligence, and all the technology waiting for today’s children, there must first be a foundation.

    Children need to learn how to think, communicate, create, cooperate, and solve problems.

    Perhaps the United States Could Learn Something Here

    Watching this also makes me think about education in the United States.

    I grew up in America during a very different time. School was primarily a place where children learned reading, writing, mathematics, history, science, music, art, and the basic skills they would need later in life.

    Times change, and schools certainly must change with them.

    However, from what I see today, education in the United States has become involved in far too many political and social battles.

    Parents argue with school boards. Teachers find themselves caught in the middle. Politicians from both sides fight over what children should be taught. Subjects that once belonged primarily within families have increasingly become part of national arguments about the classroom.

    I believe young children especially deserve something simpler.

    Teach them to read.

    Let them make music.

    Let them paint and build things.

    Teach them numbers.

    Let them discover nature.

    Teach them about their country and its history.

    Encourage them to ask questions.

    Give them the ability to think for themselves.

    And allow parents to remain an important part of deciding how their children learn about complicated social and personal issues.

    That should not be a controversial idea.

    Education should give children the tools they need to eventually form their own opinions. It should not simply tell them what opinions they are expected to have.

    Parents Still Matter

    One thing governments everywhere should remember is that schools do not replace parents.

    Teachers have an extremely important responsibility, and good teachers can influence a child’s life forever. However, parents and families remain the first teachers in a child’s life.

    A successful education system should work with families rather than push them aside.

    El Salvador’s emphasis on early childhood development, play, reading, culture, music, creativity, and practical skills appears to recognize that childhood is a special stage of life.

    Children do not need to carry every argument of the adult world on their shoulders.

    They will have plenty of time for that later.

    Investing Early Can Pay Dividends for Decades

    There is another reason this program deserves attention.

    Countries often talk about development in terms of highways, airports, tourism, technology, investment, and new buildings.

    Those things are important.

    But development is also sitting on the floor of a classroom with a five-year-old learning to recognize letters.

    It is a child opening a book.

    It is a teacher introducing music.

    It is children learning to cooperate while playing a game.

    It is a young Salvadoran discovering something about the history and culture of the country where he or she was born.

    Those investments may not produce dramatic results tomorrow. Their real value could appear ten, twenty, or thirty years from now.

    A Different Kind of Transformation

    We have written many times about the changes taking place in El Salvador.

    Much attention naturally goes toward security, infrastructure, tourism, investment, technology, and economic development.

    But transforming a country also means preparing the generation that will inherit it.

    Providing every public early-childhood educational center with books, musical instruments, learning games, sensory materials, and other resources is a step in that direction.

    No educational program will be perfect, and the real test will come from how well these materials are used inside the classroom.

    Still, I like the direction.

    Let children learn.

    Let them explore.

    Let them create.

    Teach them about their culture and their country.

    Give teachers the tools they need and keep parents involved.

    Most importantly, give children the knowledge and ability to eventually think for themselves.

    Perhaps that is a lesson that extends far beyond El Salvador.

    Source: Diario El Salvador, “Office of the First Lady will equip 100% of early childhood schools,” August 31, 2026.

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  • When Walls No Longer Warn: Art Reclaims El Salvador’s Former Gang Territories

    AI-generated image created for Our Life in El Salvador. Salvadoran artists transform a neighborhood wall into a colorful expression of community identity, hope, and renewal.

    For many years, graffiti painted by gangs on walls across El Salvador carried a message that everyone understood. It marked territory, warned outsiders to stay away, and reminded residents who controlled their neighborhood.

    Today, many of those same walls are sending a completely different message.

    Artists are covering former gang graffiti with colorful murals depicting faces, birds, flowers, landscapes, and elements of Salvadoran culture. The walls that once represented fear and division are slowly becoming symbols of creativity, identity, and community pride.

    This transformation is about much more than paint. It reflects a change in how Salvadorans can use and enjoy public spaces that were once controlled by violence.

    Artists Reclaim Places Once Ruled by Fear

    According to a recent report in Diario El Salvador, the Festival Pigmen Trip has been painting murals in communities across the country since 2019.

    The initiative was founded by Salvadoran visual artist Isaac Sosa. Its artists have worked in San Rafael Obrajuelo, Panchimalco, Mejicanos, Berlín, Concepción de Ataco, and other communities once considered dangerous.

    Many of these places were previously marked by graffiti connected to the Mara Salvatrucha or Barrio 18. Painting in those neighborhoods could be dangerous, even when the artist had permission from the owner of the wall.

    Sosa explained that artists once had to consider more than the wishes of a property owner. They also had to worry about the criminal group controlling the neighborhood. Entering the wrong area or painting something without gang approval could have brought serious consequences.

    Despite the danger, Sosa and other artists continued their work. He described those early efforts as a form of courage mixed with a willingness to take risks.

    Today, the situation is very different.

    Artists can enter communities that were once almost impossible for outsiders to visit. They can create their work without first seeking approval from criminals. That freedom allows public art to reach people who were separated from many cultural opportunities for years.

    A Wall Can Carry a Powerful Message

    To someone who did not live through El Salvador’s most violent years, gang graffiti may appear to be nothing more than writing on a wall.

    For the people who lived in those communities, however, it meant much more.

    The markings announced which gang controlled the territory. They created invisible borders that residents crossed at their own risk. A person could face danger because of where they lived, where they worked, or which bus they took.

    Those walls were not merely damaged property. They were part of a system that communicated fear and control.

    That is why replacing the graffiti with art carries such powerful meaning.

    A mural of a child, a bird, a flower, or a piece of local history sends a new message. It says that the neighborhood belongs to its residents. It says that beauty and imagination can return to places where fear once decided what could appear on the walls.

    Art Moves Beyond the Galleries

    One of the artists involved in the project described the murals as a type of open-air museum.

    That is a fitting description.

    Not everyone has the opportunity to visit an art gallery or museum. A public mural brings art directly into the community. Children see it while walking to school. Families pass it while going about their daily lives. Visitors stop to take photographs and learn something about the place.

    The work has also attracted artists from other countries, including Colombia, the United States, Honduras, Mexico, and Peru. Their participation shows that El Salvador’s changing communities are gaining attention beyond the country’s borders.

    This exchange allows Salvadoran artists to share ideas with international visitors. At the same time, foreign artists experience communities they might once have been warned not to enter.

    Murals Can Support Local Businesses

    Public art can also provide practical benefits.

    A merchant in Panchimalco told Diario El Salvador that the murals make his community more attractive. More visitors come to see the artwork, and their presence can create additional business for local vendors.

    We have already seen how murals contribute to the character of places such as Concepción de Ataco. Visitors walk through the streets, photograph the artwork, eat in local restaurants, and purchase products from small businesses.

    Not every mural will transform a community into a tourism destination. However, clean, colorful, and welcoming public spaces can encourage people to stop and spend time there rather than simply pass through.

    That can help residents feel greater pride in their surroundings while giving visitors another reason to explore parts of El Salvador they may not know.

    Security Is More Than a Statistic

    We often measure improvements in security through homicide totals, arrest numbers, or government reports. Those figures are important, but they do not tell the entire story.

    Real change can also be seen in ordinary activities that were once too dangerous.

    It can be seen when a family visits a park after sunset, when a business opens in a previously abandoned area, or when an artist stands in front of a wall without fearing who might approach.

    For those of us who remember what El Salvador was like before these changes, that difference is difficult to ignore. Many communities were places outsiders would not enter, and residents themselves lived with restrictions that most visitors never fully understood.

    The freedom to paint a mural may sound like a small thing. In the history of these neighborhoods, it is not small at all.

    Paint Cannot Erase Every Wound

    It is also important not to romanticize the transformation.

    A new mural cannot erase everything that happened in these communities. Families lost loved ones. Residents were displaced. Businesses closed because of extortion. Young people grew up surrounded by threats, and some artists reportedly disappeared during the years when gangs held greater power.

    Those wounds will not vanish simply because the graffiti is gone.

    Communities need time, opportunity, education, employment, and continued support. They also need ways to preserve their stories without allowing the violence of the past to define their future.

    Art can be part of that process. It provides people with a way to remember, express themselves, and imagine something better.

    The Next Walls to Change

    Festival Pigmen Trip plans to bring its work to the colonia 10 de Octubre in San Marcos. The community was previously known as a stronghold of an MS-13 clique.

    For Sosa, entering the neighborhood and helping change its appearance represents another important step. It is an opportunity to contribute to a community that lived under the weight of gang control.

    The project will not undo that history, but it can help residents write the next chapter.

    A Different Kind of Freedom

    What is happening on these walls tells a larger story about El Salvador.

    The change is not only that gang graffiti has disappeared. The more meaningful change is that residents and artists can now decide what takes its place.

    Artists are replacing signs of fear with images of culture, nature, family, and hope. Former territorial markers are becoming gathering places and outdoor galleries. As a result, communities are gaining something that everyone can appreciate instead of symbols once used to keep people apart.

    A wall may seem like an ordinary part of a neighborhood. In El Salvador, however, some walls carry the history of everything a community has endured.

    When those walls no longer warn people to stay away—and instead invite them to stop, look, and appreciate the art—they become evidence of a country trying to reclaim not only its public spaces, but also its identity and its future.

    Source: “Artists Beautify Walls Where Gang Graffiti Once Appeared,” Diario El Salvador, August 30, 2026.

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  • From El Zonte to Vogue: El Salvador Steps Onto the International Fashion Stage

    AI-generated image for Our Life in El Salvador inspired by El Zonte’s Pacific coastline, where El Salvador’s natural beauty is gaining new attention through international fashion.

    El Salvador continues to appear in places where, not that many years ago, few people would have expected to see it.

    This time, it is Vogue Latinoamérica.

    The internationally known fashion publication has turned its attention to El Salvador’s Pacific coast for a new photographic project called “Paseo por El Salvador.” The first part of the project was photographed at Playa El Zonte, bringing international fashion together with one of the country’s most recognizable coastal settings.

    When I first saw the story, what caught my attention was not really the clothing or the fashion industry.

    It was the location.

    Vogue could choose beautiful locations almost anywhere in the world. This time, someone looked at El Salvador and decided that our coastline was where they wanted to tell their story.

    That says something about how the outside world’s view of El Salvador continues to change.

    Vogue Comes to El Zonte

    According to Diario El Salvador, Vogue Latinoamérica’s Head of Editorial Content, Karla Martínez de Salas, shared the first images from the project.

    The production uses Playa El Zonte as its setting, combining fashion photography with the natural surroundings of El Salvador’s Pacific coast.

    Brazilian model Paula Soares appears in the project, while James C. Turlington was behind the camera. Fashion journalist Sebastián Cabrices edited the feature.

    The photographs appear designed to do more than show clothing. They also capture the ocean, coastline, tropical surroundings and atmosphere that make this part of El Salvador different.

    One image even incorporates the blue and white colors associated with the Salvadoran flag.

    But there is another part of this story that makes it even more interesting.

    A Salvadoran Family Connection

    James Turlington has his own connection to El Salvador.

    He said that his grandmother was from El Salvador and that he grew up hearing her stories about the country. During the project, he expressed his appreciation for finally experiencing the land she had described to him.

    James is also the nephew of Christy Turlington, one of the world’s best-known supermodels of the 1980s and 1990s. Vogue has previously documented James following his aunt into the modeling industry after an earlier career in professional baseball.

    Christy Turlington also has a strong Salvadoran connection.

    Her mother came from El Salvador, and Christy has spoken over the years about visiting the country when she was young. She has described El Salvador as a place she has always felt connected to.

    That makes this Vogue project more than an international fashion crew simply arriving at a Salvadoran beach because it looked good in photographs.

    There is a family connection behind it.

    A grandmother told stories about El Salvador to her family. Years later, her grandson returned with a camera and helped present that country to an international audience.

    I think that is a wonderful part of the story.

    El Zonte Has Come a Long Way

    El Zonte is especially interesting as the location.

    For many years, communities along El Salvador’s coastline were known mainly by surfers and local residents. International travelers certainly visited them, but they were not regularly appearing in major international publications.

    That has changed dramatically.

    Today, beaches such as El Zonte, El Tunco, La Bocana and El Sunzal have become closely associated with El Salvador’s growing tourism industry and international surfing reputation.

    Now El Zonte is appearing in Vogue.

    Whether someone is interested in fashion or not, that kind of exposure matters.

    Millions of people around the world form opinions about countries through what they see in magazines, websites, social media, television and videos.

    One beautiful photograph may cause someone to ask, “Where is that?”

    Then they discover it is El Salvador.

    That person may begin searching for El Zonte. They may discover Surf City, Salvadoran food, volcanoes, Ruta de las Flores, archaeological sites and communities throughout the country.

    That is how perceptions slowly change.

    A Different El Salvador Reaching the World

    For much of my lifetime, international stories about El Salvador were rarely positive.

    People outside the country heard about civil war, gangs, crime, poverty and migration. Those stories became so dominant that many people knew almost nothing else about the country.

    Some still have that image today.

    But there is another El Salvador that those of us who live here see every day.

    It is a country of beaches and mountains, volcanoes and lakes, archaeological sites, historic towns, family traditions, food, music and people working to build better lives.

    Increasingly, that El Salvador is reaching international audiences.

    We have seen international attention surrounding surfing and major sporting events. Salvadoran coffee is receiving recognition abroad. Archaeological discoveries are attracting interest. Tourism continues bringing more visitors. Cultural events are receiving more attention.

    Now international fashion has entered the picture.

    None of these stories alone will completely change how the world sees El Salvador.

    Together, however, they begin to create a very different picture.

    More Than a Fashion Shoot

    I am not someone who follows the international fashion industry very closely, and normally a fashion photography story would probably not get my attention.

    This one did.

    What interested me was seeing El Salvador itself becoming part of the story.

    The rocks, the ocean, the tropical landscape and the atmosphere of El Zonte are not simply sitting quietly in the background. They are part of what makes the photographs interesting.

    That is important.

    There is a difference between a country paying for a tourism advertisement and an international publication deciding that the country is interesting enough to become part of its own editorial work.

    Vogue chose El Salvador.

    That is why I believe this small story deserves some attention.

    And This Is Only Part One

    There may also be more to come.

    According to Diario El Salvador, the El Zonte photographs are being presented as “Part 1” of a series designed to showcase and rediscover El Salvador for an international audience.

    That leaves an interesting question.

    Where will Vogue go next?

    Perhaps we will see another beach. Maybe a colonial town, a volcano, a coffee plantation, one of our archaeological sites or another part of the country rarely seen by international audiences.

    Whatever comes next, I will be interested to see it.

    Because for me, the most important part of this story is not whether El Salvador is becoming fashionable.

    It is that people around the world are being given another opportunity to see El Salvador differently.

    And sometimes changing the way people see a country begins with something as simple as a photograph.

    Source: Diario El Salvador, August 30, 2026; additional background from Vogue and interviews with the Turlington family.

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  • New Reference Prices for Basic Grains: Will Salvadoran Families Feel the Difference?

    Salvadoran market vendor weighing rice beside sacks of red beans, white corn, and rice.

    AI-generated image created for Our Life in El Salvador.

    The Salvadoran government and private-sector distributors have reached agreements on reference prices for several of the country’s most important basic grains.

    The measure covers rice, red beans, and white corn. These foods are found in homes across El Salvador and represent an important part of the family food budget.

    According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, the agreements seek to promote fairer prices during a difficult period. Farmers are dealing with drought conditions, damaged crops, higher fuel costs, and more expensive agricultural supplies.

    Establishing reference prices could provide greater transparency. However, the real test will be whether Salvadoran families see reasonable prices in stores and local markets.

    What Are the New Reference Prices?

    The announced prices apply by the quintal and vary according to the quality of the grain.

    For red beans, the reference prices are:

    • $79 per quintal for popular quality
    • $82 for medium quality
    • $86 for superior quality

    For white corn, the prices are:

    • $23 per quintal for popular quality
    • $23.75 for medium quality
    • $24.50 for superior quality

    The reference prices for white rice are:

    • $36 per quintal for popular quality
    • $37 for medium quality
    • Between $38 and $41 for superior quality

    Superior-quality precooked rice has a reference price of between $41 and $45 per quintal.

    These values were established following discussions between the government, private companies, large distributors, and producers with extensive distribution networks.

    These Are Wholesale Reference Prices

    One important detail must be understood: these are wholesale reference prices.

    They do not necessarily represent what consumers will pay by the pound at a supermarket, municipal market, or neighborhood store. Transportation, packaging, handling, and the retailer’s profit can all affect the final price.

    Reference prices also are not necessarily the same as mandatory price controls. They provide a point of comparison that can help identify unreasonable increases, but the government has not fully explained how the agreements will be enforced.

    Officials have also not said how long the announced reference prices will remain in effect.

    Therefore, it is too early to know exactly how much relief Salvadoran families will receive.

    An Attempt to Prevent Unfair Price Increases

    The reference prices could still serve an important purpose.

    When weather conditions threaten agricultural production, rumors of shortages can quickly lead to higher prices. Sometimes those increases reflect legitimate costs. In other cases, uncertainty may be used to justify excessive profits.

    By publishing wholesale prices, the government is giving merchants and consumers a clearer idea of what basic grains should cost before they reach the retail market.

    Vice Minister of Agriculture Óscar Domínguez said the agreements include major distributors of imported and nationally produced grains. He also stated that the prices considered increases in fuel, supplies, and other expenses associated with the drought.

    The government says the arrangement allows producers, distributors, resellers, and consumers to benefit without placing the entire burden on one part of the supply chain.

    Consumers who believe they have encountered abusive prices can report the situation by calling 910 for the Defensoría del Consumidor or 912 for the Ministry of Agriculture.

    Drought Remains a Serious Concern

    The announcement comes as insufficient rainfall continues to affect agricultural production in different parts of El Salvador.

    The postrera planting season is especially important for beans. According to agricultural representatives, El Salvador receives a large portion of its national bean production from this season.

    A delayed or reduced planting could create a deficit in locally produced beans. Farmers have also reported damage to corn, plantains, and other crops. Some are spending more money on irrigation, while others have seen plants dry up or produce smaller harvests.

    These conditions make it understandable that Salvadorans are concerned about future food prices.

    Government officials have stated that the country does not face an expected shortage of basic grains. They say national production will be supported with secured imports when necessary.

    That assurance is encouraging, but imported food is also affected by transportation costs, fuel prices, international markets, and conditions in the countries where it is produced.

    Farmers Must Also Receive a Fair Price

    Any effort to protect consumers must also consider the farmers who produce the food.

    Small farmers cannot continue planting if the price they receive does not cover seed, fertilizer, labor, fuel, irrigation, and transportation. Holding prices too low without reducing production costs could eventually force more farmers out of agriculture.

    The best solution should protect families from speculation while allowing responsible producers and merchants to earn a reasonable return.

    That balance is not always easy to achieve.

    Reference prices could help by making the market more transparent. Still, they must be reviewed as conditions change. A price that is fair today may no longer be realistic if the drought becomes worse or international costs rise.

    Will Families See the Difference?

    For Salvadoran families, the most important question is not the price of a quintal at the wholesale level. It is the amount they must pay for one or two pounds of beans, rice, or corn where they normally shop.

    A reference price provides useful information, but its success should be measured at the consumer level.

    Several questions remain. The price of beans must stay within reach of low-income families. Local stores also need access to grains at better prices, and retailers should pass some of those savings to their customers. At the same time, farmers must receive enough money to continue producing.

    These are the questions that should be followed in the coming weeks.

    A Positive Step That Requires Follow-Up

    The agreement between the government and private distributors is a positive step toward greater transparency.

    Publishing the figures allows the public to see the wholesale value assigned to different grains and quality levels. It may also discourage some distributors or resellers from using the drought as an excuse for unjustified increases.

    However, announcing reference prices is only the beginning.

    Authorities must monitor the supply chain, keep the public informed, and explain how long the prices will apply. Consumers should also be told what reasonable retail prices might look like after normal transportation and business costs are added.

    Most importantly, the government must continue supporting the Salvadoran farmers affected by the lack of rain.

    If these agreements stabilize the market, discourage speculation, and protect agricultural production, they could provide meaningful help. If the benefits remain limited to the wholesale level, ordinary families may notice little difference.

    For now, the reference prices offer a useful standard. What happens in stores, markets, and homes across El Salvador will determine whether the measure truly succeeds.

    Sources: Diario El Salvador, La Prensa Gráfica, elsalvador.com, and information released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock.

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