Myths and words: The trial record military against the rebels April 2, 1944. Memory historical and history as dramatic representation

Abstract

This article aims at contributing to the Salvadoran historiography related to the fall of General Maximiliano Hernández Martinez in May 1944, due to a noted non violent civil strike and the attempted military coup of April 2-3 of the same year. None of the many studies dealing with this matters make a detailed reference to the military trial set up against those implicated in that attempted coup. By using a certified copy of the dossier of that trial as well as former studies, we explore several key aspects of that event, including the trial itself as a type of “historical memory” and also the personal drama of those who faced death in that tragic moment. The article suggest several reading clues for that document, and focuses on the recorded testimonies of a group of defendants and the different strategies they employed in that critical conjuncture.

Realidad: Revista de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades No. 154, 2019: 5-52