Cutumay Camones

Cutumay Camones was a band from El Salvador, formed in 1982. Its stated objective was to recover Salvadorean cultural roots and to provide popular music for the national liberation movement.

In May 1982, Cutumay Camones was formed by a directive from the People's Revolutionary Army of El Salvador, a part of the FMLN, as cultural ambassadors for the national liberation movement. The name comes from the Nahuatl for a town in Santa Ana in western El Salvador, where the FMLN had an uprising in January 1981.

The group originally had three members: Eduardo, Gabino, and Ricardo, and two months later Paco and Israel joined. By 1984, Lolo had joined, and eventually the group consisted of five permanent members: Lolo, Paco, Ricardo, Eduardo, and Teresa. The members used pseudonyms for security. Except for Eduardo, none of the members were musicians prior to joining. Cutumay Camones used traditional rhythms such as cumbia and ranchera, and instruments such as marimba, accordion, and guitarrón.

In 1988, the group officially disbanded. Lolo left El Salvador in 1990 and later played in the band Los Jornaleros del Norte. Paco was assassinated in 1993 by the National Civil Police, and Eduardo died in 2007 from cancer.