Institution

Central American University

1965– · 20th century · Also known as José Simeón Cañas Central American University, UCA

The José Simeón Cañas Central American University is a Jesuit university in San Salvador founded in 1965. Under its rector Ignacio Ellacuría it became a leading voice for human rights and a negotiated end to the civil war. On 16 November 1989 soldiers of the Atlacatl Battalion murdered six Jesuit priests, including Ellacuría, with their housekeeper and her daughter on the campus.

Central American University
Image: PizzaKing13 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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Republic of El SalvadorMilitary

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Central American University. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/central-american-university
MLA
“Central American University.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/central-american-university. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Central American University.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/central-american-university.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Central American University’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/central-american-university (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻