The traditional "landowning" power of these families began to shift during the (1979–1992). Land reforms and the nationalization of banks temporarily weakened the old guard, leading many members to flee into exile in places like Miami or Guatemala City.
The legend of the 14 families endures because economic inequality in El Salvador remains staggering. According to World Bank data, the richest 10% of Salvadorans earn nearly 40% of the country’s income, while the poorest 40% earn less than 12%. 14 families of el salvador
The power of the 14 families reached its most brutal expression in January 1932. After a peasant uprising led by Farabundo Martí, the government—acting in concert with the coffee oligarchy—responded with a genocidal campaign known as La Matanza (The Massacre). An estimated 10,000 to 40,000 indigenous and peasant Salvadorans were killed in a matter of weeks. The traditional "landowning" power of these families began
