The People of El Salvador The people of El Salvador are first documented around 2000 BC. These people were called the Olmec. Perhaps a more prevalent group in El Salvador were the Maya who existed after the Olmecs and existed for nearly 1000 years. in the 16th century the Spanish arrived in El Salvador. This occurred a little after the fall of the Mayan empire. Spain used El Salvador as an agricultural base for growing cotton, balsam and indigo with slaves from Africa. There was a minor revolt against the Spanish government in 1821 but that ended in failure. However as new changes gripped Europe (the