Adrian Esquino Lisco - Early Life

Early Life

Adrian Esquino Lisco was born in Comarca San Ramon, in western Sonsonate Department, El Salvador. He was of indigenous Nahua heritage. Lisco's older brother had been killed during the suppression of the 1932 Salvadoran peasant uprising (also called La matanza) by the Salvadoran dictatorship. Lisco was described as a short, soft spoken man who was less than 5 feet tall. He was a farmer and artisan by profession.

Lisco's father founded the Asociación Nacional de Indigenas de El Salvador (ANIS) in 1954. Thr main purpose of the ANIS was to preserve the culture, customs and language of El Salvador's indigenous groups, including the Lenca, Maya and Nahua. The organization generally worked behind the scenes to preserve El Salvador's indigenous heritage. Many indigenous Salvadorans considered it too dangerous to speak their native languages or even wear traditional clothing ever since the massacre that ended the 1932 Salvadoran peasant uprising.

Adrian Esquino Lisco inherited the title of spiritual chief in 1976 and became head of the Asociación Nacional de Indigenas de El Salvador. He attended a number of indigenous peoples conferences throughout the late 1970s throughout the world.

Through Lisco's work, the ANIS finally won legal recognition from the Salvadoran government of President José Napoleón Duarte in 1980.