Place of refuge, battlefield, memorial site. Las Aradas, on the border between El Salvador and Honduras, has a turbulent history. Agwa designed a place to commemorate the civil war.

Las Aradas was once a place of refuge. The town, just inside El Salvador, lies on the Sumpul, the river that forms the border with Honduras. In the late 1970s, El Salvador was in the grip of a civil war. The Salvadoran army and paramilitary groups were hot on the heels of civilians they suspected of involvement in the resistance, including in Las Aradas. The refuge turned out not to be safe. On 13 and 14 May 1980, hundreds of civilians were murdered. They were caught between the El Salvador army, which was pursuing them, and the Honduran army, which prevented them from crossing the river. Most were mowed down, others drowned. In 1993, the first monument was erected in Las Aradas to commemorate what has come to be known as the Masacre del río Sumpul.