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The Pledge of allegiance to the flag of El Salvador ("Oración a la Bandera Salvoreña") was written in 1924 by Dr. David Joaquín Guzmán after the formerly known Ministry of Public Instruction (now known as The Ministry of Education) organised a poetic contest. This was won by Dr. David Joaquín Guzmán, with his poem "Oración a la Bandera Salvadoreña".

Known for its prose and fervour feeling to the country, this poem was adopted as a patriotic symbol of the country, through the legislative decree of the 22nd of February 2001 and it is to be respected as such.

David Joaquín Guzmán was born in the city of San Miguel, in El Salvador on the 15th of August of 1843 and died in the city of San Salvador, El Salvador on January 20, 1927)

Dr. Guzmán was a politician, a doctor a writer and poet. Also and aficionado to the studies of botanics, zoology and arqueology, he founded the National Museum of El Salvador (Museo Nacional de El Salvador).

He was the son of a former president of El Salvador, General Joaquín Eufrasio Guzmán. Dr. David Joaquin Guzman, studied Philosophy at the University of San Carlos in Guatemala. Throughout his university career he adopted a very liberal European point of view. He travel to Europe in 1862 and in studied in Paris, France, graduating as a Doctor in Medicine in the year of 1869. He returned to El Salvador one year later.

In 1871 he was elected deputy for the ¨Asamblea Nacional Constituyente¨, convened by the then President Santiago González. After finalising his work with this assembly he returned to San Miguel and began geological investigations in conjunction with classifications of flora and fauna of the North of San Miguel and the city of Chalatenango.

The following year he served in the cabinet of President González as Sub-secretary of Public Instruction and Foreigner Affairs.

In 1874 he was appointed organiser of the ¨Escuela de Artes y Oficios¨ of San Salvador (The School of Arts and Trades in San Salvador). That same year he fronted a campaign of vaccination promoted by the country, after a national epidemic of smallpox.

In 1875 Dr. Guzmán and former President Darío González organised an expedition of geological investigation in the river El Fraile allocated South-West of Ilobasco. Throughout this journey they find the remains of a mastodon.

Between 1881 and 1887 Dr. Guzmán works as a professor of medicine and botanics in the University of El Salvador.

On the 9th of October, 1883 by initiative of Dr. Guzmán the then President of the Republic Rafael Zaldívar, appointed the National Museum of El Salvador to host the national collections or archeology, history, and arts and naming Dr. Guzmán as his first director.

In 1886 he was elected deputy for the ¨Asamblea Nacional Constituyente¨, convened by the then President Francisco Menéndez. Throughout his time here he promoted the legislation of principal liberties.

In 1891 he travelled to Costa Rica on a scientific expedition. Between 1896 and 1898 he lived in Nicaragua where he worked on teh foundation of the museum of anthropology.

In 1902, then President Tomás Regalado, appoints him, for the second time, as director of the National Museum. His tenure at the museum lasted until 1907.

In 1924 Dr. Guzman won a literary contest, convoked by the State in which he created the "Oración a la Bandera Salvadoreña."

Dr. Guzmán died in San Salvador in 1927.

Throughout his life, Dr. Guzmán wrote poetry and journalistic articles. These were collected on a volume called "Obras Escogidas" ("Selected Plays" published after his death.)

The museum that he founded was renamed postume his death and is now called Museo Nacional de Antropología "Dr. David Joaquín Guzmán" (National Museum of Anthropology "Dr. David Joaquín Guzmán").