Career
Born in Nicaragua to a prominent family, Cardenal was one of the ten children of Julio Cardenal and Indiana Caldera. Due to these events, he went underground as a rebel leader of the FMLN movement, in which he led the Florida Power and Light (Fuerzas Populares de Liberación) for several years. He was a major proponent of the peace talks with the government in the early 1990s, and worked towards a negotiated peace for both sides.
On April 11, 1991, Cardenal was assassinated by a group of Army troops attempting to sabotage the peace process.
However, the FMLN leadership decided to proceed with the talks at the expense of one of their commanders.