History

According to the traditional account preserved by Juan de Torquemada, following the collapse of the Toltec civilization in the Anáhuac Valley, Topiltzín Acxitl Quetzalcóatl II—considered the last ruler of Tula—migrated southward to Central America. There, he is said to have founded several important settlements, including Escuintla, Tepcan-Izalco (also referred to as Tecupan Ishatcu), and later, the city of Cuscatlán. Although the precise timeline of these events remains uncertain, archaeological and historical research indicates that the Pipil people arrived in what is now El Salvador through a series of migrations spanning from approximately 900 AD to 1500 AD.

Among these Nahua-speaking migrants, the Izalcans were one of four main branches, alongside the Cuzcatlecos, Nonualcos, and Mazahuas. The Izalcans established a network of city-states that the Spanish later referred to collectively as Tecpán-Izalco, which encompassed 15 settlements. The most prominent of these were Izalco, Caluco, Nahulingo, and Tacuscalco..