1867 Scott 4 4r bister "Volcano San Miguel" Quick History El Salvador ("The Savior") was part of the Spanish Empire (New Spain) until 1821, when it became autonomous as part of the Federal Republic of Central America. That union dissolved in 1841, and Salvador became a sovereign nation. Briefly, Salvador was part of the Greater Republic of Central America, along with Honduras and Nicaragua, from 1895 to 1898. (This is reflected in the inscriptions of some of the stamp issues of the time.) El Salvador and Central America The capital is San Salvador, and the population was 1,900,000 in 1943. The population currently is 87% Mestizo, 12% White, and 1% Native American (Pipils and Lencas). The small percentage of indigenous peoples is due, in part, to the tens of thousands of largely indigenous natives killed in the 1932 Salvadoran peasant massacre (La Matanza). "Map of Central America" 1932 Scott 525 10c orange Stamps of 1924-25 Issue Overprinted Initially indigo was the cash crop, but that was supplanted by coffee. An oligarchy of a few families eventually controlled the coffee trade. Stamps were introduced in 1867. Salvador was one of the Central American nations that gave a contract to Nicholas Seebeck for stamp issues between 1890-1899. One can still find most of the issues, and their reprints, in unused condition for close to minimum catalogue value. Economic inequality, civil unrest, coups, and revolts have been a large part of Salvadorian history. Oscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador, and a strong advocate for social justice, was assassinated in 1980. Economic reforms since the early 1990s have improved social conditions, and exports have diversified from the coffee monoculture. Crime continues to be a major problem. 1879 Scott 17 20c violet "Coat of Arms" Into the Deep Blue The 2014 Scott Classic Specialized 1840-1940 catalogue has, for El Salvador 1867-1940, 1166 major descriptive numbers. Of those, 671 are CV