El Salvador Colonial Records

Spanish Colonization (1528-1821)
The Spanish conquest of Cuscatlan, present-day El Salvador, began in 1524. After several years of resistance from the indigenous population, the Spanish were victorious in 1528. Under the Spanish colonial empire, El Salvador was part of the Kingdom of Guatemala, which governed most of Central America. Spain established the town of San Salvador as a separate political unit within the empire in 1786. In 1821 El Salvador gained its independence from Spain.