During the Salvadoran Civil War , the region was considered a stronghold for the rebel Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front . In August 1982 , the Salvadoran Army began a campaign in the area , moving in with ground troops after several days of bombing . On August 21 &ndash; 22 , the Atlacatl Battalion surprised a group of hundreds of refugees at El Calabozo beside the Amatitán river , opening fire at close range . More than two hundred are reported to have died , among them infants and elderly , leading the incident to be called El Calabozo massacre
El Calabozo massacre
El Calabozo massacre
San Vicente Department