In El Salvador, tattoos once served as a violent badge of honor, closely associated with the notorious street gangs MS-13 and 18th Street. Just a few years ago, when the country bore the grim title of the “murder capital of the world,” these inked designs functioned as identifiers of gang affiliation, memorials for slain comrades, and warnings to rivals and the public alike.
Today, under the administration of President Nayib Bukele, the meaning and consequences of tattoos have dramatically shifted. Gang-related tattoos are now treated as evidence of criminal involvement, and in many cases, can result in arrest or imprisonment. The government has also shared intelligence on these markings with U.S. and European authorities, further tightening the global net on suspected gang members. Bukele is scheduled to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday in Washington, where security cooperation is expected to be a key topic.
Salvadoran officials, such as Security and Justice Minister Gustavo Villatoro, assert they can decode the hidden language of gang tattoos. “We learn how to understand, how to give interpretation to each tattoo,” Villatoro told CNN. He has studied gang symbolism for two decades and compiled a photographic record of hundreds of unique designs. “If you are not a member, you are not able to use any tattoo,” he added, emphasizing their specificity and significance.
Inside the sprawling Cecot supermax prison — officially known as the Terrorism Confinement Center — Director Belarmino García explained how tattoos now serve as sufficient evidence to detain suspected gang members. “In the past, they had to kill, kidnap, or extort to face trial. Now, having tattoos from these organizations is a crime,” García said.
Cecot, built following Bukele’s suspension of certain constitutional rights during a declared state of emergency, houses thousands of alleged gang members in stark communal cells. The government’s crackdown has drawn criticism from human rights organizations for sweeping up innocent civilians, but many Salvadorans credit the campaign with restoring public safety.
Behind the prison’s bars, CNN witnessed former enemies from MS-13 and 18th Street — groups once locked in a deadly rivalry — now sharing cells. “We’re mixed up, and that’s the hardest thing,” said Hector Hernandez, an inmate who identified himself as an active MS-13 member. He claimed his tattoos, earned through acts of violence, were still meaningful. “The main thing is to kill and deserve to be a gang member,” he said.
Authorities are careful to distinguish between gang tattoos and innocuous body art. García demonstrated how specific symbols — such as MS with the number 13, or Roman numerals like XVIII — can indicate gang affiliation. He identified one inmate as an MS-13 clique leader convicted of aggravated homicide, bearing a large back tattoo of Santa Muerte, a figure often associated with Mexican and Salvadoran gangs.
Another inmate, allegedly a hitman for 18th Street, had numerals X, V, III tattooed along his torso. Both men confirmed their affiliations and territories of operation. According to García, other symbols pay tribute to fallen comrades, mark romantic ties, or serve as coded warnings: “See nothing, hear nothing, say nothing.”
As gang tattoos fall out of favor due to intensified government scrutiny, some former members are opting for cleaner skin, and fewer new recruits are getting inked. However, in other regions — including the United States — tattoos continue to serve as contentious indicators of gang ties.
One case involves Jerce Reyes, a former professional soccer player from Venezuela, who was deported from the U.S. to El Salvador amid accusations of affiliation with the Tren de Aragua gang. According to his attorney, Reyes’ tattoo — a crown over a soccer ball symbolizing his support for Real Madrid — raised suspicion. U.S. officials consider crown tattoos a possible sign of Tren de Aragua membership, though the Department of Homeland Security declined to specify which markings implicated him.
“Reyes was not only in the United States illegally, but he also has tattoos consistent with TdA gang membership,” a senior DHS official told CNN via email, adding that the decision to deport him was based on a broader intelligence assessment. CNN was unable to independently verify any social media posts allegedly linking Reyes to the gang.
Other deportees held at Cecot have similarly been identified by their tattoos. Families, however, contest these accusations. Nelson Suarez told CNN that his brother Arturo — a Venezuelan singer — bears a neck tattoo of a hummingbird, not a gang symbol. “He’s an artist. That doesn’t make him a criminal,” Suarez said.
A Shift from Stigma to Self-Expression
Despite the crackdown, the tattoo industry in El Salvador is seeing a resurgence — this time as a form of personal and artistic expression rather than gang allegiance.
“In the past, you would never see someone with tattoos working at a restaurant or Walmart,” said Alejandra Angel, a tattoo artist in San Salvador. “After they ‘cleaned up’ the country, everything changed with the visibility of tattoos.”
Angel admitted she was initially anxious when the government’s state of emergency began in March 2022, especially with one arm entirely blacked out to conceal previous designs. But she has faced no issues.
Camilo Rodriguez, another artist, said he was stopped twice by police early in the crackdown but was allowed to go after explaining the meaning behind his tattoos. He recalled how gangs once forced individuals to ink specific designs, or used in-house artists to maintain their iconography. Now, people are choosing their own imagery — and doing so freely.
“Tattoos are for everyone,” Rodriguez said. “It’s a very personal language, and you can do whatever you want with it.” Today, his clientele includes professionals such as doctors and lawyers, signaling a cultural transformation once thought unimaginable.
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