was a believer in fringe occultism. He was abstemious, a habit that was strictly instilled in him by his father. When a smallpox epidemic broke out in San Salvador he had colored lights hung around the city, in the belief that this would cure the disease. He also believed in reincarnation and once stated, "it is a greater crime to kill an ant than a man, for when a man dies he becomes reincarnated, while an ant dies forever". Legacy Much of El Salvador is still divided over the legacy of Hernández Martínez's tenure. While El Salvador had seen economic growth during his leadership and he was admired by the wealthy elite, the country experienced widespread social unrest, most significantly the 1932 Salvadoran peasant massacre, where 25,000 people were sentenced to death, many just for having an indigenous appearance. Those who were captured alive were sent to trial and inevitably sentenced to death. In terms of civil rights, his record was mixed. He expanded voting rights to women for the first time, enacted some social security programs, and attempted to manage the economy, in contrast to the economic policies of Liberal regimes that had ruled El Salvador since the 1870s. But his regime censored the media, banned political opposition, abolished local elections, rigged national elections, and brutally killed thousands of dissidents and innocents. During the country's civil war from 1979 to 1992, an extreme right-wing death squad named after him, called the "Maximiliano Hernández Martínez Anti-Communist Brigade," operated in the country and claimed responsibility for the assassination of many Christian Democrat and Marxist politicians as well as innocent civilians in El Salvador in 1980. Awards and decorations Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold Grand Cross of the Order of the Quetzal Grand Cordon of the Order of the Illustrious Dragon Grand Cordon of the Order of the Pillars of State Spain Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Cruz de Guerra for officials and subofficials See also Military dictatorship in El Salvador References Citations Bibliography External links Maximiliano Hernández Martínez. Presidente 1931–1944 (2003), University of Central America 1882 births 1966 deaths People from La Libertad Department (El Salvador) Salvadoran people of Spanish descent Presidents of El Salvador Vice presidents of El Salvador Defence ministers of El Salvador Salvadoran anti-communists Salvadoran Theosophists Leaders who took power by coup World War II political leaders Assassinated Salvadoran politicians Salvadoran people murdered