El Salvador

Country Country BackgroundBackground

In 1980, the widely respected Archbishop Oscar

Arnulfo Romero had been assassinated. Finally,

after twelve years of fighting, a peace accord was

signed between the government and the major

leftist guerrillas (the FMLN, or Farabundo Martí

National Liberation Front). Some 80,000 lives had

been lost.

History

The official language is Spanish.

The population of 5.5 million (1993 estimate) is composed of three ethnic groups: Mestizo (a mixture of European and Indian) 89 percent, Amerindian 10 percent, and European 1 percent.

Language

Demographics

El Salvador has no official religion.

Although the Salvadorans have traditionally

been Roman Catholic.

Hence the poor are being punished by

God for their lack of faith.

Religion

Business Practices

Business is done only after a relationship has

been established. Spend time forming a

friendship before jumping into business

discussions.

Be calm and patient with any delays. Several

trips may be necessary to complete a

transaction.

Negotiating

Salvadorans tend to speak softly. Match your

volume to that of your Salvadoran counterpart.

Personal honor and saving face are very

important to people in El Salvador.

Although the situation is changing, it is still rare

to find women in upper levels of business in El

Salvador.

If you are invited to a Salvadoran home, this a

purely social function.

Negotiating

The main meal of the day is at noon. This will

probably include black beans, tortillas or meat,

and fruits and vegetables.

In a home, each person serves himself or

herself. It is rude to take food and leave it on

your plate uneaten.

Business Entertaining

Local time is six hours behind

Greenwich Mean Time (G. M. T. -6 ).

Time

Protocol

Men shake hands with each other in

greetings. Sometimes only a nod of the head

is given.

Keep the vocal component of your greeting

soft. Many Salvadorans dislike loud persons.

Greetings

Do not point your fingers at anyone.

If you are invited to a Salvadoran home, it is appropriate to bring a gift of candy or flowers.

Avoid giving white flowers, they associated with funerals.

Gestures

gifts

For business, men should wear

conservative, lightweight suit. Women

should wear a blouse and skirt or dress.

Short pants and jeans are not appropriate;

women in pants or revealing clothing are

very uncommon and may offend some

people.

Dress