Western Hemisphere 79
peace on April 25. Guatemala replaced Salvadoran president Andres del Valle with
Rafael Zaldivar, a crony of Guatemalan president Justo Rufino Barrios. With Guate-
mala having established a regime to its liking in El Salvador, both states concluded
the conflict with a friendship treaty.
Coding changes: Start Date changed from February 1876. End Date changed from
April 25.
MID#1535
Dispute Number: 1535
Date(s): February 28, 1885 to April 15, 1885
Participants: 90 Guatemala/2 United States of America, 70 Mexico, 92 El Salvador
Outcome (and Settlement): Victory for side B (Imposed)
Fatalities: >999 deaths
Narrative: Guatemala was one of the stronger Central American states by the time of
the second Central American War, and its leader, Justo Rufino Barrios, was a strong pro-
ponent for unification of Central America. After a European trip, he saw the unification
successes of Italy and Germany as signs to move forward with unification once more. On
February 28, 1885, Barrios declared the Union of Central America and offered himself to
lead this new union. Honduras ratified the decree on March 7 of that same year. However,
El Salvador, which was a participant at the previous conference for union (convened on
September 15, 1884) was reticent to move forward with ratifications. Public opinion was
against the idea, and the Salvadoran Congress eventually killed ratification for El Salvador.
Salvadoran head of state Rafael Zaldivar became vocal in opposing Barrios. In
response, Barrios threatened to attack El Salvador and then Mexico.
Honduras, which supported Barrios, would neutralize Nicaragua and Costa Rica,
as both were vocal in opposing Barrios as well. Barrios followed through with his
threats and marched into conflict with El Salvador, winning the first battle on March
- Three days later, he was killed in battle. Guatemala’s troops could not press on in
his absence and the conflict ended abruptly.
Barrios’s death prevented a broader Central American conflict from forming, as it
seemed likely to embroil the entire region in war, Mexico included. The dream for a
unified Central America died with Barrios as well since the idea never gained serious
traction ever again.
MID#1534
Dispute Number: 1534
Date(s): July 14, 1890 to August 26, 1890
Participants: 90 Guatemala/92 El Salvador
Outcome (and Settlement): Unclear (Negotiated)
Fatalities: 26–100 deaths
Narrative: There was a brief clash between troops from both El Salvador and Gua-
temala following a coup in El Salvador. Carlos Ezeta, a Salvadoran general, attacked
the national palace, resulting in the death of President Francisco Menendez (by
heart attack). Guatemala and Honduras refused to recognize the new government.