▁of ▁that ▁year , ▁in ▁the ▁western ▁depart ments ▁of ▁El ▁Salvador ▁when ▁a ▁brief ▁pe asant - led ▁re bell ion ▁was ▁suppress ed ▁by ▁the ▁government , ▁then ▁led ▁by ▁Maxim il iano ▁Hern ández ▁Martínez . ▁The ▁Salvador an ▁army , ▁being ▁vast ly ▁superior ▁in ▁terms ▁of ▁weapons ▁and ▁soldiers , ▁executed ▁those ▁who ▁stood ▁against ▁it . ▁The ▁re bell ion ▁was ▁a ▁mixture ▁of ▁protest ▁and ▁ins urre ction ▁and ▁ended ▁in ▁eth no cide , ▁claim ing ▁the ▁lives ▁of ▁anywhere ▁between ▁ 1 0 , 0 0 0 ▁and ▁ 4 0 , 0 0 0 ▁pe as ants ▁and ▁other ▁civ ili ans , ▁many ▁of ▁them ▁ind igen ous ▁people . ▁ ▁The ▁Salvador an ▁Civil ▁War ▁was ▁a ▁conflict ▁between ▁the ▁military - led ▁government ▁of ▁El ▁Salvador ▁and ▁the ▁Far ab undo ▁Martí ▁National ▁Liber ation ▁Front ▁( F ML N ), ▁a ▁coal ition ▁or ▁" um bre lla ▁organization " ▁of ▁five ▁left - wing ▁gu err illa ▁groups . ▁A ▁coup ▁on ▁October ▁ 1 5 , ▁ 1 9 7 9 , ▁led ▁to ▁the ▁kill ings ▁of ▁anti - c oup ▁protest ers ▁by ▁the ▁government ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁anti - dis order ▁protest ers ▁by ▁the ▁gu err illas , ▁and ▁is ▁widely ▁seen ▁as ▁the ▁t ipping ▁point ▁toward ▁civil ▁war . ▁The ▁full - f led ged ▁civil ▁war ▁last ed ▁for ▁more ▁than ▁ 1 2 ▁years ▁and ▁saw ▁extreme ▁violence ▁from