[9] After the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, Tlazintla served as a port for one of New Spain's first sugarcane mills built by Hernán Cortés near San Andrés Tuxtla, which remained in operation for over fifty years.

On 23 January 1923, San Francisco Naranjal was separated from the rest of Saltabarranca and became its own municipality, which on 11 August 1923 was renamed Lerdo de Tejada.

[13] The municipal government comprises a president, a councillor (Spanish: síndico), and two trustees (regidores), one elected by relative majority and one by proportional representation.

[16] Declining sugar prices since 2011 have caused a crisis in the local economy and forced the closure of the San Francisco Naranjal mill.

[11][12] The remaining San Pedro mill, located southwest of the municipal seat at 18°36′39.7″N 95°31′47.8″W / 18.611028°N 95.529944°W / 18.611028; -95.529944, produced 119,150 tonnes of sugar in the 2014–2015 season.