Delgado, José Matías, << dehl GAH doh, hoh SAY mah TEE ahs >> (1767-1832), a Salvadoran priest and patriot, is called the father of his country. He led the people of El Salvador in three revolutions for their freedom and became the nation’s hero.
Many Latin American countries revolted against Spain in 1810. Delgado directed the revolt in El Salvador in 1811. The Spaniards quickly put it down. The Central American countries finally won their independence from Spain in 1821. When Mexico tried to include them in its empire in 1822, Delgado headed the resistance movement in El Salvador. He was president of the congress that drew up a constitution for the United Provinces of Central America, a union of nations that existed from 1823 to the late 1830’s. Disappointed in the union, Delgado began a campaign against neighboring countries, but he died on Nov. 12, 1832, before the campaign ended. Delgado was born on Feb. 24, 1767, in San Salvador.
