The Lenca people lived in peace for thousands of years until the arrival of the thieving, murdering Spaniards in the mid-1500s. These European invaders claiming to bring the word of their christian god proceeded to enslave the indigenous inhabitants and to steal their land, gold, silver, jade and ultimately tried to stifle their humanity. The criminals were finally forcibly expelled after 300 years of physical and psychological abuse. Within that time they superimposed their vicious superstitious religious dogma onto a captive native people’s equally superstitious supernatural belief system and claimed justification because it was for their salvation from pagan evil. It remains to be seen which belief system is more evil. The Lenca remain very spiritual and survived the abuse, many having escaped into high mountain villages. One such village is Guajiquiro from where many of the Hogar San José’s children originate. Three of our Lenca adolescents here celebrating their First Communion, one of the church’s sacraments.