The Nahuat Pipil, El Salvador_ENG

The Nahuat Pipil, El Salvador

EPSULA team

The Nahuat Pipil, El Salvador

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General Information Source: EPSULA, USC Nombre: Nombre: Nahuat-Pipil Ethonymm: Nahuat, spelled also Nawat, Nahuate, Náwat, Náhuat Linguistic Group: uto-aztec family Approximate Number: It is difficult to establish, given that people do not wish to declare their indigenous origin. (in 2023)

Localization: Departaments of Ahuachapán, Santa Ana, Sonsonate, La Libertad, San Salvador, Cuscatlán, La Paz, San Vicente and Chalatenango,

Photo: EPSULA, UNICAES, 2023

Map: EPSULA, USC, 2023

Society When the Spanish arrived in the lands of Cuscatlán (now El Salvador), they encountered indigenous communities that spoke various languages belonging to the Aztec, Chibcha, and Mayan families and maintained their own cultural traditions. In everyday life, however, all these languages were supplanted by Spanish. The only indigenous language that has managed to survive to this day is Nahuatl. However, it is in danger of extinction, being spoken as a first language by very few people, mainly in the municipality of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, Sonsonate, which represents the last bastion of Nahuatl speakers in the country. Most indigenous people of Nahuatl origin use Spanish as their first language. Although Nahuatl is often considered an inactive language, confined solely to a small community in the west of the nation, there are numerous attempts to revitalise it.

PHOTO: EPSULA, UNICAES, 2023

EPSULA recommends watching the Interview with Nicolás Sánchez Vides LINKS: to videos from Nahuizalco, Izalco, and Santo Domingo de Guzmán where the Nahuat Pipil communities live.