El Salvador and Uruguay share a common history in the fact that both nations were once part of the Spanish Empire.

During the Spanish colonial period, El Salvador was governed from the Viceroyalty of New Spain in Mexico City while Uruguay was then part of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata and administered from Buenos Aires.

In 1841, El Salvador obtained its independence after the dissolution of the Federal Republic of Central America.

[1] Bilateral relations between both nations have taken place primarily in multilateral forums.

In 2006, Salvadoran President Antonio Saca traveled to Uruguay to attend the 16th Ibero-American Summit in Montevideo.