▁began ▁to ▁search ▁El ▁Salvador ▁for ▁valuable ▁met als , ▁the ▁n atives ▁were ▁app alled ▁and ▁anger ed ▁by ▁the ▁destruction ▁of ▁their ▁tropical ▁home ▁and ▁felt ▁that ▁the ▁damage ▁done ▁by ▁Europe ans ▁in ▁the ▁purs uit ▁of ▁under ground ▁met als ▁was ▁nothing ▁more ▁than ▁sens eless ▁destruction ▁that ▁viol ated ▁the ▁basic ▁ten ets ▁of ▁their ▁belief s . ▁The ▁expansion ▁of ▁the ▁Spanish ▁min ing ▁col ony ▁and ▁small po x ▁threatened ▁the ▁continued ▁existence ▁of ▁the ▁ind igen ous ▁n atives ▁in ▁El ▁Salvador . ▁Despite ▁its ▁small ▁size , ▁El ▁Salvador ▁had ▁a ▁ple th ora ▁of ▁diverse ▁civil izations ▁with ▁many ▁languages ▁and ▁cult ures , ▁but ▁expansion ▁of ▁the ▁Spanish ▁col ony ▁threatened ▁the ▁continued ▁existence ▁of ▁the ▁Len ca , ▁May a ▁and ▁P ip il , ▁Native ▁American ▁people ▁ind igen ous ▁to ▁El ▁Salvador . ▁ ▁When ▁Pedro ▁de ▁Al var ado ▁arrived ▁in ▁the ▁C uz cat lan ▁kingdom , ▁he ▁saw ▁that ▁all ▁civ ili ans , ▁women , ▁children ▁and ▁el ders , ▁in ▁towns ▁and ▁large ▁urban ▁cent ers ▁had ▁been ▁mand ator ily ▁ev acu ated ▁to ▁a ▁safe ▁unknown ▁location . ▁The ▁war riors ▁of ▁C uz cat an ▁had ▁deployed ▁to ▁their ▁battle ▁stations ▁in ▁A ca j ut la ▁and ▁waited ▁for ▁Pedro ▁de ▁Al var ado ▁and ▁his ▁forces ▁in ▁that ▁coast al ▁city . ▁Pedro ▁de ▁Al var ado ▁approached ▁confident ▁trust ing ▁that ▁the ▁result ▁was ▁going ▁to ▁be ▁like