The elite in El Salvador live spatially segregated from the majority in this way. The walled compound of the U.S. Embassy in El Salvador is pictured. In part because of the U.S. role in the civil war there are some 750,000 Salvadorans resident in the United States, with many more living and working illegally in order to send money back home. The civil war encouraged a culture of guns. They guard car washes, supermarkets, shopping malls, and even convenience stores.
Guns are everywhere.
Perception of urban risk is focused narrowly on crime, while other glaring risks are overlooked. For example, a large indoor amusement park for children, called Mundo Feliz, has all of its emergency exits padlocked. It is also situated 50m from a gasoline station with large underground fuel tanks. One Sunday afternoon in March when I visited the amusement park, there were probably 1,000 children and parents inside, blissfully unaware of the potential for a tragic disaster in the event of a fire or earthquake. One percent of the farms control 77 percent of the farm land.