Farabundo Martí

For the leftist Salvadoran political party, see Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Martí and the second or maternal family name is Rodríguez.

Farabundo Martí
Martí in 1929.
Born	Agustín Farabundo Martí Rodríguez 5 May 1893 Teotepeque, El Salvador
Died	1 February 1932(1932-02-01) (aged 38) San Salvador, El Salvador
Cause of death	Execution by firing squad
Nationality	Salvadoran
Occupation(s)	Revolutionary leader, activist
Political party	Communist Party of El Salvador

Agustín Farabundo Martí Rodríguez (Spanish pronunciation: [faɾaˈβundo maɾˈti]; 5 May 1893 – 1 February 1932) was a Marxist-Leninist activist and a revolutionary leader in El Salvador during La Matanza.

Early life

House where Agustín Farabundo Martí, was born in Teotepeque, El Salvador

Martí was born in Teotepeque, a farming community located in Departamento de La Libertad, El Salvador. After graduating from Saint Cecilia's Salesian Secondary School Santa Tecla, he entered the University of El Salvador (San Salvador). Early on, he condemned the exploitation of the country's poor was for the profit of the rich. He became known as a Salvadoran revolutionary and, for many, a martyr.

Revolutionary activity

Categorized by Miguel Mármol, in his testimonio, an intellectual but a proletarian-like young man, Martí decided to drop out of his Political Science and Jurisprudence program at the University of El Salvador to fight for his community and nation. In 1920, he was arrested for taking part along with other students in a protest against the Meléndez-Quiñónez dynasty, which was ruling the country. His arrest subsequently led to his exile from the country, and he took up residence in Guatemala and Mexico until his return to El Salvador in 1925.

Augusto Sandino (centre) Farabundo Martí, (next to the right).

Returning from exile, Martí was appointed as a representative to go to the conference of the Anti-Imperialist League of the Americas in New York City. Upon arriving in New York, he was once again arrested and then released. In the meantime, he worked with Nicaraguan revolutionary leader Augusto César Sandino.

Martí and Sandino in Mexico.

Martí became involved in the founding of the Communist Party of Central America, and he led a communist alternative to the Red Cross, called International Red Aid, serving as one of its representatives. Its goal was to help poor and underprivileged Salvadorans by the use of the Marxist-Leninist ideology. In December 1930, at the height of the country's economic and social depression, Martí was once again exiled because of his popularity among the nation's poor and rumors of his upcoming nomination for President the next year.

Uprising and death

Once the new president was elected in 1931, Martí returned to El Salvador and, along with Alfonso Luna and Mario Zapata, began the movement that was later truncated by the military. They helped start a guerrilla revolt of indigenous farmers. During that time he was acting as the Interim General Secretary of the Party.

File:Ultima afoto de farabundo marti.jpg

he started a revolt of indigenous farmers against the dictator Maximiliano Hernandez Martinez, culminating in the President's massacre of up to 40,000 Native American peasants in 1932. Marti was captured, tried, and then executed by firing squad that same year.

The Communist-led peasant uprising against dictator Maximiliano Hernández Martínez, fomented by collapsing coffee prices, enjoyed some initial success, but was soon drowned in a bloodbath, being crushed by the Salvadoran military ten days after it had begun. Over 30,000 indigenous people were killed at what was to be a "peaceful meeting" in 1932; this became known as "La Matanza" ("The Slaughter").

President Hernández Martínez, who had himself toppled an elected government only weeks earlier, ordered Martí shot after a perfunctory hearing.

See also

• History of El Salvador
• Politics of El Salvador
• Santa Ana, El Salvador

External links

• Farabundo Martí Youth (official youth of the FMLN)