Mountain women
- Correspondence to: Professor M T Ruiz Universidad de Alicante, Departamento de Salud Publica, Edifico de Ciencias Sociales, Campus San Vicente, Apartado de Correos 99, E-03080 Alicante 03080, Spain; canteroua.es
Mountain women To Antonia Navas a midwife in Morocco
During El Salvador’s civil war (1981–1992), the guerrilla was able to survive entrenched in the mountains. The symbolic term Mountain Women was coined to refer to those women arising from the civil population who became cornerstones of the Salvadorian guerrilla, because of their caring role, deeply rooted in the feminine identity. The Women—in one of their traditional roles—were “the mountains” of the guerrilla.
Ten years later when the peace agreements (2002) occurred, this photograph was taken that shows two midwives in a village of the desolate border between El Salvador and Honduras, where thousands of men have migrated.
The hug in front of the camera was their answer to our question on their resources for living. They smiled and said: “we only have the mountains and ourselves”.
