Martyrs mural

National Catholic Reporter, July 4, 2003

A mural by Miguel Antonio Bonilla depicts the Jesuit priests and two women who were shot to death by an elite army unit Nov. 16, 1989, at the Jesuit-run Central American University in San Salvador. The priests, Juan Ramon Moreno, Amando Lopez, Segundo Montes, Ignacio Ellacuria, Ignacio Martin Baro, Joaquin Lopez Lopez, their housekeeper Elba Ramos and her daughter, Celina, are depicted in the upper portion of the painting, which appears inside a chapel dedicated to Archbishop Osca Romaro at the Salvadoran university.

Some observers believe their deaths were partly responsible for convincing rebels and government leaders to come to an agreement to end 12 years of civil war that claimed the lives of more than 75,000 in El Salvador. Peace accords were signed at the start of 1992.