San Miguel holds a vital yet often overlooked place in the history of Afro-descendants in El Salvador. During the colonial period, the region’s gold mines and plantations relied heavily on enslaved African labor, with many Africans arriving in the 1540s and 1550s. Over time, San Miguel became one of the principal areas where Afro-descendants settled, and today many Afro-Salvadorans trace their lineage to this region. Despite this deep-rooted presence, San Miguel—like the rest of El Salvador—has been shaped by a long-standing national narrative of mestizaje that denies Blackness and pushes Afro-descendants to the margins. In the 20th century, particularly under President Hernández Martínez, racialized migration laws and assimilationist policies further erased Afro-Salvadoran identity. Yet San Miguel has also been a center of quiet resilience and cultural survival. Contemporary artists and activists like Carlos Lara, based in San Miguel, are reclaiming Black identity through visual art, community storytelling, and digital media. Local celebrations and oral histories continue to affirm African heritage in the region, even in the face of national erasure. Through creative and political work, San Miguel’s Afro-descendant communities are making visible a legacy of Black life that has long shaped the region.
BCA is a platform dedicated to amplifying Black Central American history, culture, and scholarship. Through curated content, innovative programming, and collaborative initiatives, we explore the collective memory, cultural and political organizing, and creative place-making practices of Black Central American communities across the isthmus and its diasporas.
