 |
Pan American experiences
|
------- |
El Salvador |
EL SALVADOR ------------------------------------------504[FEATURE] | |||
In El Salvador Modernization Means Displacing the PoorThe Social Impacts of Land Privatization, Expropriations, and Tourism DevelopmentBy Estefanía Muriel for Ruta Pantera on 10/17/2025 2:27:52 PM |
||||
| The modernization of El Salvador after the expropriation of the poorest In neighborhoods like Primero de Diciembre—a community founded on a landfill around 2004, now home to some 5,000 people eking out a living—a real estate developer suddenly appears claiming ownership of the land. With muddy streets, makeshift housing, and precarious services, its inhabitants have lived there for decades without formal legal titles. Then, in 2023, a company called Quebec SA presents itself as the owner, distributes leases, imposes rental rates , and demands high payments to buy the lots where families have built with their own hands. This painful and seemingly isolated conflict is only one piece of a larger picture: an accelerating wave of land privatization, expropriations, real estate and tourism projects, and the legal and judicial dispossession of the most vulnerable communities in El Salvador. Under the development vision promoted by Nayib Bukele , many of these communities face evictions, a state of emergency that suspends constitutional guarantees, unfulfilled promises of compensation, and the risk of being left homeless and without a livelihood. Real land, non-existent rights The affected communities often lack formal land titles, even if they have lived on the land for decades. This lack of legal status leaves them vulnerable to lawsuits, imposed leases, expropriations "by law," and forced displacement. In Condadillo and Flor de Mangle, for example, more than 200 families were forced to abandon their homes for the construction of the Pacific Airport in Conchagua. According to agricultural organizations, the compensation offered was symbolic, insufficient, or completely nonexistent. Meanwhile, megaprojects like Surf City 2 threaten coastal ecosystems and mangroves, and directly impact those who fish, farm, or engage in subsistence farming. At the same time, these projects, promoted to attract tourists or investors, raise land prices, change land use, displace street vendors and traditional merchants, and create exclusive real estate zones. | ||||
| State of exception, law and power united The government has resorted to a state of emergency—originally declared in 2022 to combat gang violence—to suspend constitutional guarantees: the right to habeas corpus, full judicial defense, the right to assemble freely, and judicial review of evictions. Organizations such as MILPA (Indigenous Movement for the Articulation of Ancestral Peoples) denounce that these measures are now being used not only to combat crime, but also as a tool to accelerate expropriation and legalize evictions. In many cases, the expropriation law and other new regulations make it easier for cooperatives, Indigenous communities, and peasants to lose land previously considered common or held in de facto possession, without real guarantees of fair compensation. In Flor de Mangle and Condadillo, the promised payments for airport construction have still not been made, according to community reports. What does this mean for democracy and social justice? Evictions and land dispossession threaten more than immediate economic security: they undermine dignity, community identity, livelihoods, and trust in institutions. In a nation where a significant portion of the population depends on land for production, to live near their water source, to fish, or to farm, the loss of access means a loss of well-being, health, and livelihoods. The growth model that focuses on mega-tourism projects, airports, luxury real estate developments, and exclusive areas seems to benefit a narrow circle of businesspeople and political elites, leaving behind communities without a voice or resources to defend their rights. This opens up a profound dilemma: modernization at the expense of those who have historically been invisible? The rule of law, or the right of the powerful state? | ||||
|
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| |
|
|
|
|
×
|
||||
Please leave a comment about this article: 504 |
|
| Enter your email address: |
Your email will not be displayed. |
| Your nickname: | |
| Your comment: | |
| Was this article helpful to you? | |
|
|
|
Articles about exciting travel experiences in our hemisphere.
BEACH & SUN
Welcome to the World’s Largest New Year’s Celebration
For those traveling from North, Central, or South America, New Year's Eve in Rio offers a rich narrative about how a city can transform a universal holiday into a unique celebration, rooted in local traditions and open to the world.
|
Experiences Finder
(Search our catalog of articles here.) |
|---|
