Segundo Montes, Morazán
Encyclopedia
Segundo Montes, Morazán is a community in Morazán Department
, El Salvador
, formed in 1990 by repatriated refugee
s who had fled the country's civil war. The community was named in memory of Segundo Montes
, a Jesuit priest and scholar at the Universidad Centroamericana "José Simeón Cañas" who was murdered by right-wing forces in November, 1989, together with five other priests, their housekeeper, and her daughter (see The murdered scholars of UCA).
When the settlement was first proposed, the national government opposed the return of the refugees, ceding their right to return only after the United Nations
intervened on their behalf. Among those who made their home in Segundo Montes was Rufina Amaya
, known as the lone survivor of the December, 1981, El Mozote massacre
.
In 1991, Ciudad Segundo Montes became a sister city to Cleveland
, Ohio
, home of Dorothy Kazel
and Jean Donovan
, two American churchwomen raped and murdered by members of the Salvadoran National Guard in 1980. The sister-city relationship was a joint project among Central American Network, the Salvadoran Association of Ohio, the Commission on Catholic Community Action and the Community Relations Board of the City of Cleveland.
The community's beginnings in a Honduran refugee camp and their return to their homeland were the subject of a 1992
documentary by WHYY-TV
of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. The film was described by Philadelphia Inquirer critic Jonathan Storm as "hopeful," portraying how the town's founders increased local literacy
rates from "from next to nothing to 85 percent in a nine-year period" and showing the town's establishment while the war still was being waged.
Morazán Department
Morazán is a department of El Salvador. Located in the northeast part of the country, its capital is San Francisco Gotera. It covers a total surface area of 1,447 km² and has a population of more than 200,000.-History:...
, El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, formed in 1990 by repatriated refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s who had fled the country's civil war. The community was named in memory of Segundo Montes
Segundo Montes
Segundo Montes, S.J. was a scholar, philosopher, educator, sociologist and Jesuit priest...
, a Jesuit priest and scholar at the Universidad Centroamericana "José Simeón Cañas" who was murdered by right-wing forces in November, 1989, together with five other priests, their housekeeper, and her daughter (see The murdered scholars of UCA).
When the settlement was first proposed, the national government opposed the return of the refugees, ceding their right to return only after the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
intervened on their behalf. Among those who made their home in Segundo Montes was Rufina Amaya
Rufina Amaya
Rufina Amaya was one of the few survivors of the El Mozote massacre on December 11 and December 12, 1981, in the Salvadoran department of Morazán during the Salvadoran Civil War. Her testimony of the attacks, reported shortly afterward by two American reporters but called into question by the U.S....
, known as the lone survivor of the December, 1981, El Mozote massacre
El Mozote massacre
The El Mozote Massacre took place in and around the village of El Mozote, in Morazán department, El Salvador, on December 11, 1981, when Salvadoran armed forces trained by the United States military killed at least 200 and up to 1000 civilians in an anti-guerrilla campaign during the Salvadoran...
.
In 1991, Ciudad Segundo Montes became a sister city to Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, home of Dorothy Kazel
Dorothy Kazel
Dorothy Kazel was an American Ursuline nun and missionary to El Salvador. On December 2, 1980, she and fellow missionaries Ita Ford, Jean Donovan and Maura Clarke were raped and murdered by members of the military of El Salvador.-Life and work:Kazel was born Dorthea Lu Kazel to Lithuanian American...
and Jean Donovan
Jean Donovan
Jean Donovan was an American lay missionary who was murdered with three nuns in El Salvador by a military death squad while volunteering to do charity work during the civil war there.-Life:...
, two American churchwomen raped and murdered by members of the Salvadoran National Guard in 1980. The sister-city relationship was a joint project among Central American Network, the Salvadoran Association of Ohio, the Commission on Catholic Community Action and the Community Relations Board of the City of Cleveland.
The community's beginnings in a Honduran refugee camp and their return to their homeland were the subject of a 1992
1992 in film
The year 1992 in film involved many significant films. -Top grossing films:-Awards:Academy AwardsGolden Globe AwardsNational Film Awards...
documentary by WHYY-TV
WHYY-TV
For the former channel 12 in Wilmington, see WVUE .WHYY-TV, channel 12, is a non-commercial educational television station licensed to Wilmington, Delaware, USA...
of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. The film was described by Philadelphia Inquirer critic Jonathan Storm as "hopeful," portraying how the town's founders increased local literacy
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
rates from "from next to nothing to 85 percent in a nine-year period" and showing the town's establishment while the war still was being waged.