Anamorós

Anamorós is a municipality in the La Unión department of El Salvador.

The associated Catholic parish was the first post of future archbishop and martyr Óscar Romero.

History

The name of Anamorós is believed to come from the Lenca language meaning Maizal (Corn field). However there are other possible interpretations.

It is unknown when the village of Anamorós was first founded. There are some recorded documents suggesting that it may be between 1574 and 1689.Dirección Nacional de Patrimonio Cultural, Coordinación de Zonas y Monumentos históricos – CONCULTURA, Ficha de Centros Históricos, La Unión Anamorós, Pág.3 With the name and its location in the middle of Lenca former territory, there is no doubt the Lenca people were in Anamorós before the Spanish, but Jorge Larde y Larin (from El Salvador´s Ministry of Culture) claims it was not really a village or town prior to Spanish Conquest, saying such a thing was not mentioned in the ancient chronicles.

Timeline

* In 1737 the lands of Anamorós were measured and divided by the government.
* In 1740, there was a population of 28 of which no Catholic Church was founded yet.
* In 1770, Anamorós was a village in the parish of Gotera, with 170 inhabitants and 72 families (found in the census data collected by the Archbishop Pedro Cortes y Larraz).
* In 1786, Anamorós joined the Gotera ''district''.
* In 1807, it was head of the parish Anamorós, with the villages of Polorós and Lislique as annexes.
* In 1871, it obtained the title of town
* In 1972, Anamorós finally gain the title of city as "Ciudad de Anamorós."

Civil War

Between January 1980 and July 1991, El Salvador was in a civil war, fought between the Salvadoran government and the FMLN front guerrillas. During this time many guerrilleros from the FMLN movement and soldiers from the government would be guilty of violence and human rights violations. In November of 1983, 135 Salvadoran soldiers surrendered to the FMLN. That same month, the prisoners of war were later released to the ICRC. In the middle of the road, a fourteen-year-old was hurt by an FMLN mine sometime in August 1985. A well-known photojournalist, Scott Wallace, has passed through the area of Anamorós and documented his experience.

Name Origin

The name of Anamorós comes from the Lenca language of Potón. It has three possible meanings:

* ''Corn field'' (or a place where corn can be found) in Spanish: "''Maizal''" Anam = corn, Oro,Oros = locative suffix
* ''Eaters of Zapote'' Amo = Zapote, Ros = to eat
* ''Place of lizards'' (or geckos) Anam = lizard, Oro,Oros = locative suffix

Culture

Church

Like most towns established or organized by the Spanish, Anamorós has a Catholic Church in the main town square named: ''Iglesia Católica Parroquia Nuestra Señora Virgen de la Asunción''.

Festivities

The ''Fiestas Patronales'' (patron saint festivities) of Anamorós are celebrated from the 10th to 16th of August in honor of the Virgin of Asunción.

Legends

One famous legend involves one of the geological features prominent in Anamorós.

The Legend goes: Many years ago, in a place inhabited by Indians, the chief of Cedros and the Indians of Anamorós were at odds. The chief of Cedros, transforming into a large snake, attempted to destroy Anamorós. However, an Indian from Anamorós, aware of this threat, built a hill of stones to locate the snake. When the snake passed under the hill, the Anamorós Indian killed it with a poisoned arrow, dividing his body in two. The head formed a deep pool known as the “Poza Bruja" (accursed pool) and the tail formed another pool called the “Medina pool.” The hill was left in the shape of a snake, known as “Cerro de la Culebra”, and the stone hill built by the Anamorós Indian remained as a monument to his defense against the enemy.

Administration

The municipality is divided into 8 cantons (a rural administrative division) and 84 hamlets, which are:

* Agua Blanca
* Cordoncillo
* El Carbonal
* El Cedro
* El Tizate
* Huertas Viejas
* Terreritos
* Tulima

Industry, Commerce and Communications

The industry in the city is varied. There are clay derivative factories, concentrate factories, welding workshops, among others.

There is the production of panela candy, dairy products, hammocks, cast nets, comales and clay pots. There are also pharmacies, hardware stores, agricultural services, stores and other small businesses.

The city of Anamorós's paved roads are connected with the city of Santa Rosa de Lima, with the city of Nueva Esparta, with Lislique and with El Sauce.

Anamorós is the headquarters of the company ''Anamorós Televisión S.A. of C.V.'' (owner of the cable television system and residential internet through fiber optics.) It has a network that covers the municipalities of Anamorós, Lislique, Nueva Esparta, El Sauce, Polorós, Pasaquina, Santa Rosa de Lima and some areas of Concepción de Oriente.

There are 2 local channels transmitted by cable: ATV Channel 17 "the signal that is seen" (property of Anamorós Televisión S.A. of C.V.) and TVC La Asunción Channel 68 (property of the Nuestra Señora Virgen de la Asunción Parish Catholic Church.)

Sports

The local football club is named C.D. SAN CARLOS and it currently plays in the Salvadoran THIRD Division.

External links

Municipalities of the La Unión Department

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