CIUDAD BARRIOS

Ciudad Barrios is a town in El Salvador's San Miguel department, most notably known as the birthplace of Archbishop Óscar Arnulfo Romero, now known as Saint Romero. His legend remains present in his town, his country, and beyond. Art is one way the diaspora choose to commemorate, most visibly in Los Angeles in areas like MacArthur Park where two statues honor his life. Los Angeles artist and member of La Piedra artist collective explain But before he became St. Romero, he was part of a small community of families in Cacahuatique, land of the Lenca people.  Ciudad Barrios is also the birthplace of David Humberto Portillo, who was born in 1915. In the summer of 1990, in the city of San Salvador, David gifted his granddaughters a vintage green memory box filled with photos, memorabilia, and newspaper clippings. The granddaughters brought his collection back to the United States, where they lived. They have since researched and preserved their grandfather's archives, creating this digital story to build on the scarce history of Ciudad Barrios.