If you’ve had the good fortune to be in one of the Latin American countries or in Spain during Holy Week, you may have seen the incredible, multi-colored street carpets that are an ancient tradition. People in small towns and in capital cities carry on this tradition with pride. So, you’ve seen one; but have you every helped to make one!
Good Friday, early morning we drove to the small town of San Pedro Perulupan in the Department of Cuscatlán. The moment we turned off the main road, we met people walking along the side of the road, all heading to San Pedro. In a few hours, the narrow street was filled with hundreds of people – many with umbrellas to protect them from the hot sun – all waiting to accompany Jesus on his “Way of the Cross”.
In the early afternoon, when these same people began their return journey to their homes, we agreed on the design of our “carpet”. The most artistically gifted member of our small group began laying out the outline and the rest of us began the tedious work of coloring the salt.
Over a period of five hours, the design slowly came to life. Teamwork was relaxed, but effective, and by 6 PM, passers-by who were walking the long street through San Pedro to enjoy and critique dozens of unique creations, stopped to admire our carpet. It was a reminder that just the week before Salvadorans, and many other people around the world, celebrated the 22nd anniversary of his assassination.
As darkness descended and we prepared to drive back to San Salvador, someone placed a light bulb on a stick and extended it from a tree branch above the street so that it would shine on our creation. We left for the city, tired, reflective, and pleased with our work.
Postscript: It is two weeks later. We made a trip to San Pedro to finalize our plans to receive the PeaceHealth medical brigade members who will be providing medical consultations and treatment to people living in the 17 small villages that look to San Pedro for health care. Of the dozens of alfombras created that day, only one remained – "another" Romero, his face painted on the street near the center of town.
© El Salvador Health Mission