The National Archives of El Salvador

404 American Archivist / Vol. 54 / Summer 1991

International Scene MARJORIE BARRITT AND NANCY BARTLETT, editors Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/american-archivist/article-pdf/54/3/404/2748260/aarc_54_3_48715464xv31486r.pdf by guest on 03 October 2021

Confronting Man and Nature: The National Archives of El Salvador

ALFRED E. LEMMON

Abstract: El Salvador's archives have been continually plagued by environmental, eco- nomic, and political hardships. The author describes the challenges that he observed firsthand during his visit to the Salyadoran archives during the week of 19-25 February 1989. He outlines the basic needs of these archives and relates examples of solutions improvised by dedicated archivists who must work with few resources.

About the author: Alfred Lemmon is curator of manuscripts of the Historic New Orleans Collection. Holding a doctorate in Latin American Studies, he has pursued research interests and lectured in Latin America and Spain. In 1989, through Partners of the Americas and the U. S. Information Agency, he served as an invited consultant to the National Archives of El Salvador. The National Archives of El Salvador 405

EL SALVADOR, A CITY-STATE developed vador was subject to the Kingdom of Gua- around the capital city of San Salvador, is temala, a dependency of the Viceroyalty of Central America's smallest country, but with New Spain (Mexico). Therefore, records a population of more than six million it is for the colonial period are preserved in the also the most densely populated of the Archivo General de Indias (Seville), the Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/american-archivist/article-pdf/54/3/404/2748260/aarc_54_3_48715464xv31486r.pdf by guest on 03 October 2021 American mainland. As a microcosm, it Archivo General de Centro-America (Gua- presents valuable opportunities for scholars temala City), and the Archivo General de to examine the familiar phenomena of Latin la Nation de Mexico. The present Archivo American countries such as monoculture, General de la Nation of El Salvador dates land tenure, oligarchic power, and milita- from 1948. It holds very few colonial and rism. Yet scholars are hindered because nineteenth-century records, but the twen- historical materials in El Salvador have been tieth-century holdings are stronger and rel- less carefully preserved than those of most atively well organized. The archives also other Central American countries.1 The most has a small library and a newspaper collec- serious losses occurred as a result of the tion. Other archives include those of the earthquake and accompanying fires of 1899 various government bodies, notably the which destroyed most of the government's Foreign Ministry and the National Assem- records, including those of the Archivo bly. The archives of the National Assembly General de la Federation Centroamericana is in the best condition. It contains the well- (1821-40) and the Archivo de los Proto- organized records of El Salvador's legis- colos (notarial archives). Some ninety years lative bodies, including committee papers. later, plagued by civil war, poverty, and a Published and manuscript collections date devastating earthquake, Salvadoran ar- to the founding of the legislature in 1875. chives are an endangered species. The single most important library in El Salvador is the National Library, founded In late January 1989, I received a tele- in 1870.2 According to law, copies of all phone call from the Louisiana representa- works published in the country are to be tive of Partners of the Americas who deposited there. While the practice has explained their immediate need of an ar- sometimes been ignored, the library re- chivist who spoke Spanish. I was asked to mains the major source for late nineteenth- go to El Salvador to assess the situation of and twentieth-century printed materials. Four the National Archives, which had sustained other important collections are the library serious damage in the 1987 earthquake. of the Museo Nacional David J. Guzman,3 After a series of telephone calls with var- the Biblioteca Manuel Gallardo in the ious cultural affairs officers of the United neighboring town of Santa Tecla, the man- States Embassy and with representatives of uscript holdings of the Universidad Cen- Partners of the Americas in El Salvador and troamericana,4 and the ecclesiastical archives the United States, details of the trip were finalized. Within two weeks, I departed for El Salvador. 2 As part of the Spanish empire, El Sal- For additional information on the National Li- brary, readers should consult Anaqueles, Revista de la Biblioteca Nacional. Since 1937 the National Li- brary has also occasionally published a Boletin de la 'For a review of historical literature and a guide to Biblioteca Nacional. research collections in El Salvador, consult Research Published since 1903, Anales del Museo Nacional Guide to Cental America and the Caribbean, ed. Ken- David J. Guzman frequently describes sections of the neth Grieb (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, library and manuscripts division. 1985) containing articles by Kenneth Grieb, Derek 4The holdings are described in CIDAI. Coleccion Kerr, Italo Lopez Vallecillos, Neill Macaulay, Murdo indices: documentos (San Salvador: Centra de Infor- MacLeod, Mario Rodriguez, Thomas Schoonover, mation, Documentaci6n y Apoyo a la Investigation, Ralph Lee Woodward, Jr., and Miles Wortman. 1982). 406 American Archivist / Summer 1991

of the Cathedral. The Guzman Library is With little possibility of obtaining acid-free noted for its collection of personal corre- containers, staff members have adapted to spondence (1860-63) of nineteenth-century the situation and cheerfully say that they political leader Gerardo Barrios; the Gal- will rehouse materials on a regular basis. lardo contains an impressive collection of

Because the National Library's building Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/american-archivist/article-pdf/54/3/404/2748260/aarc_54_3_48715464xv31486r.pdf by guest on 03 October 2021 personal papers from the nineteenth cen- was virtually destroyed, it is amazing that tury; the Universidad Centroamericana col- the rare book collection survived. Brought lection contains papers of various leaders; to the National Palace and stored near the and the ecclesiastical archives contains not National Archives, the archives staff as- only the correspondence of the bishops, but sumed responsibility for the collection. The accounts of their visits throughout the books probably suffered less damage dur- country. ing the earthquake than afterward; upon ar- rival at the National Palace, the books were exposed to the dust and dirt of the street Effects of Civil War and Earthquake because many windows had been blown out. However, the toll of an eleven-year civil Window shutters were nonexistent or in- war, punctuated by a major earthquake in operable. Workmen restoring the National 1987, threatens the existence of El Salva- Palace, needing storage space for construc- dor's archives just as the earthquake and tion materials, placed paint cans and sup- fires of 1899 did. The National Archives, plies on the books. Although the rare books housed in the National Palace, was shaken did eventually receive the best care possi- to the core during the earthquake. It has ble under the circumstances, a tragic amount been, and remains, the most threatened of of time elapsed before appropriate attention all archives. With the building left practi- was given to the rare books and archives. cally uninhabitable, documents were moved The National Library is now housed in sev- into the central patio. Eventually, rooms eral converted residences, and some major were secured for the archives, but the en- government agencies (along with their ar- vironment remains far from ideal. Resto- chives) operate in temporary tin buildings. ration of the National Palace proceeds at a Along with other space-starved archives frighteningly slow pace. Areas specifically of various government agencies and librar- designated for storage, processing, re- ies in El Salvador, the National Archives searchers, and administration are needed. saves more than a hundred years of the At one point, researchers worked in the Gaceta Oficial, later known as the Boletin central patio alongside construction crews Oficial and Diario Oficial. While it is nec- who were reproducing elaborately carved essary for these diverse agencies to retain doors destroyed in the earthquake. Space such volumes to fulfill their official man- is so short that incoming documents are dates, an alternative solution must be found. housed in the basement, where fumes from The most obvious solution is microfilm passing vehicles enter through street-level copies. Fortunately, the United States Li- ventilation ducts. Security has been a major brary of Congress has a microfilm of this problem under such conditions. official state organ (Film number 0227'4). The staff of the National Archives has For those institutions in El Salvador that continued to work under conditions that hold multiple copies of the Boletin Oficial, demonstrate their unfaltering dedication. In the availability of microfilm copies would order to make the most of extemely limited save valuable space. The National Ar- resources, it was necessary to construct new chives and other institutions are saving shelving and find a company willing to copies of the same current newspapers at manufacture containers for the documents. great expense of space and manpower. While The National Archives of El Salvador 407 Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/american-archivist/article-pdf/54/3/404/2748260/aarc_54_3_48715464xv31486r.pdf by guest on 03 October 2021

Archival storage in Sonsonate, El Salvador, November 1989 (photograph by Steven Hoza)

the availability of craftsmen to do binding for the present. Even some of the more basic is abundant, the need for space is so great preparations, such as duplication of finding that microfilming would again appear to be aids, become complicated due to the lack the logical alternative. However, such re- of funding and photocopy machines on the sponses by a North American archivist are premises. If an outside firm is used for du- readily tempered by the realization of the plication, the expense must frequently be general lack of microfilm equipment in El assumed personally by the archivist in Salvador and the difficulty in maintaining charge. In the absence of archival supplies, such equipment. El Salvador did partici- the archivists are fortunate to have avail- pate in the UNESCO microfilming proj- able an inexpensive work force highly skilled ect.5 However, the copies that survive in in manual trades. For example, maps and the National Archives have been so dam- plans containing valuable information rel- aged through lack of temperature and hu- evant to ongoing boundary disputes with midity control that they have been rendered neighboring countries underscore the po- virtually useless. tential of the archives as an aid in resolving Common North American practices, such present-day problems. Given the prohibi- as mylar encapsulation, remain out of reach tive cost of oversize storage cabinets, spe- cial storage facilities devised by archivists are the only possible solution to the problem of map storage. The clever adaptation 'Frank B. Evans, "Promoting Archives and Re- of bakers' racks to house oversize material search: A Study in International Cooperation," Amer- ica?! Archivist 50 (Winter 1987): 48-65. is a possibility. 408 American Archivist / Summer 1991

Not all problems are physical in nature. rivals are often unpredictable. Sometimes The National Archives has a small but po- documents will travel through combat zones, tentially valuable collection of photographs while at other times the records will be hur- documenting government ceremonies. The riedly sent to the archives because of fear photographs remain in need of proper iden- of military activity. Under such conditions Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/american-archivist/article-pdf/54/3/404/2748260/aarc_54_3_48715464xv31486r.pdf by guest on 03 October 2021 tification. Fortunately, the photographs date and because of the lack of space, proper primarily from the 1950s onward, and the registration procedures and preservation as- possibility of finding individuals to identify sessment often must take a back seat to the them still exists. Holding an "Archives reality of daily life. Day" on which targeted audiences would be invited to visit the archives and help Archival Staff identify photographs could address this problem and might also help develop com- Most of the staff have received their munity interest in the archives. Perhaps this training on the job. Four archivists from is an unrealistic public relations effort, given various Salvadoran ministries attended the Curso sobre Organization y Administra- the current political situation in El Salva- 6 dor. In addition to identification, the pho- tion de Archivos in Spain. A few of the tographic collection needs a proper archives staff members have traveled to the inventory, safe storage, and basic preser- privately funded Centro de Investigaciones vation. Regionales de Mesoame"rica in Antigua, Guatemala, to observe practices there. The The history of archival institutions in El rescue attempts on behalf of the National Salvador focuses attention on the necessity Archives and the Rare Book Collection of of disaster planning. When the earthquake the National Library during 1988 and 1989 destroyed the National Palace and the Na- were spearheaded by Joaquin Salavarria, tional Library, no plan had been made for director of the National Archives. Al- immediate rescue of the documents and though he has no formal training as an ar- books. No provisions existed for temporary chivist, he holds a degree in history and alternative housing. Yet archivists appear has conducted research in various Euro- wary of developing off-site storage facili- pean archives. The National Archives has ties for duplicate materials or for storage a small professional reference library con- immediately after a disaster. The reality of taining a variety of literature, from the out- civil war makes reliable access to off-site dated to the current. While the archives storage a questionable proposition. subscribes to various Spanish-language ar- Fire prevention, environmental consid- chival journals, they are slow to arrive. erations, and security reflect the needs of As one might expect, ongoing educa- the archives. Basics, such as fire extin- tional opportunities are limited. In general, quishers, are needed throughout the ar- librarians have fared better than archivists, chives. While the nineteenth-century for a university-level library science pro- National Palace has provided shelter for the gram exists in the country. The thirst for archives since the earthquake, associated problems such as its location in the center of town, an overabundance of windows and Tor a review of this program, consult Vicenta Cortes doors, and an extremely large construction Alonso, Diez Arios de Cooperacidn Archivistica Ib- crew working on the premises present en- eroamericana: Curso sobre Organizacidn y Admin- istration de Archivos de Madrid (Madrid: Ediciones vironmental and security problems. Cultura HispSnica, 1982). The four Salvadoran ar- Despite these problems, the archives chivists participating were Julio CSsar Durdn Arraa- zola (1973), Rodolfo Portillo Ayala (1974), Marina continue to receive incoming documents Consuelo Diaz Maravilla (1977), and Jose' Alfresdo from villages throughout the country. Ar- Cuardron Marroquin (1979). The National Archives of El Salvador 409 Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/american-archivist/article-pdf/54/3/404/2748260/aarc_54_3_48715464xv31486r.pdf by guest on 03 October 2021

Phase box workshop conducted by Steven Hoza at the National Archives of El Salvador, 7 November 1989 (photograph by Steven Hoza)

knowledge on the part of both librarians terized by ongoing adaptation and creativ- and archivists is clearly demonstrated when ity. some travel up to ten hours to attend an annual half-day workshop held on the Dia Reflections on International Consulting del Bibliotecario (Day of the Librarian) in San Salvador. As a North American archivist, I learned One cannot help but admire these archi- much about serving as a consultant to an vists working to preserve their country's archives in a foreign country. First and cultural patrimony. Striving to document foremost, the visiting archivist must realize and rescue a heritage reflecting the coun- that many tools considered basic may sim- try's geographical, political, and socioeco- ply be unavailable. Knowledge of the host nomic struggles, they work in an country's language (particularly archival environment dominated by the current ver- terminology) is of paramount importance sion of those same struggles. Indeed, dur- for most of the effective work occurs in an ing the week of my visit in February 1989, informal setting. Preparation time is an im- bombs went off within four blocks of the portant factor. Sufficient time must be al- National Archives and gunfire occurred lowed to create and bring a supply of within one block of a meeting of the coun- archival supplies and slides demonstrating try's archivists. The Salvadoran archivists various archival practices. A small, basic practice their profession in a spirit charac- library should be given to the host archive. 410 American Archivist / Summer 1991

Continued contact after the initial visit is holdings in the U.S. National Archives and vital. Fortunately, Martha McPhail, Latin the Library of Congress. With the assist- American studies cataloger of the San Diego ance of Martha McPhail, he received a grant State University Library was spending a year from the Council for International Ex- at the university library in Tegucigalpa, change of Scholars to attend the California Honduras, as a Fulbright scholar. She vis- Library Association meeting. The Califor- Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/american-archivist/article-pdf/54/3/404/2748260/aarc_54_3_48715464xv31486r.pdf by guest on 03 October 2021 ited and met Salvadoran archivists infor- nia visit permitted him to visit several re- mally on several occasions after my visit. positories such as the San Diego Historical In November 1989, after five months of Society, the Museum of Man, and the James preparing and translating lecture handouts, S. Copley Library. Arizona conservator Steven Hoza gave a While many of my recommendations were one-week seminar on preservation and then implemented, perhaps the most lasting ef- toured provincial archives.7 In 1990 Joa- fect of my visit was the Salvadoran staff's quin Salavarria, the director of the El Sal- excitement over meeting with an archivist vador National Archives, obtained a who had firsthand experience with the lat- Fulbright scholarship to survey Salvadoran est advances in the archival field. Martha McPhail and Steven Hoza also experienced the same excitement during their meetings ''Conservation News 9 (December 1989): 4-6. with the Salvadoran staff.