Morazan Department

Morazán Department bears the civil war's deepest scars, the December 1981 El Mozote massacre representing the conflict's worst single atrocity when army forces killed approximately 1,000 civilians. The massacre's subsequent cover-up and eventual exposure (through exhumation and testimony) created memorial tourism and truth-seeking that continue today. The Perquín Museum of the Revolution preserves FMLN guerrilla history, attracting visitors interested in conflict heritage.

The department ranks among El Salvador's poorest, its mountainous terrain limiting agricultural productivity while civil war destruction eliminated infrastructure that was never fully rebuilt. Emigration has accelerated, with young people seeking opportunity elsewhere; remittances sustain households that local economy cannot support. The Honduran border creates cross-border dynamics similar to Chalatenango—migration, trade, and family connections that political boundaries fail to capture.

Post-conflict development attempted to transform Morazán from war zone to ecotourism destination. Pine forests, cloud forest remnants, and river systems provide natural assets; community-based tourism initiatives train local guides. Whether this model can generate sufficient income to retain population—or whether Morazán continues depopulating toward abandonment—tests whether conflict heritage and natural beauty can anchor viable economy.