In more recent times, the municipality has prospered even after the severe effects of civil war in El Salvador that lasted between 1980 - 1992 and saw the population of Suchitoto decrease from 34,101 people in 1971 to 13,850 by 1992.

This rise in tourism has attracted service sector businesses to open up in the small city including hostels, restaurants, and picturesque cafes.

[3] It was already a densely populated site upon the arrival of the Spanish conquerors, who reestablished the town of San Salvador about 12 km from the area by Diego de Alvarado.

Apart from the siege by the natives, the villagers faced the threat of Martín de Estete, an envoy of Pedrarias Dávila who wanted to be recognized as their lieutenant governor and captain general.

The project was advertised as the best resource for the country's energy problem, and was to be built 22 kilometres upstream from the Central dam on the Rio Lempa, between the municipality of Potonico, Chalatenango and Jutiapa, Cabanas.

As a result of this construction, 2,180 million cubic metres of water flooded an area of around 13,500 hectares of land and formed the 135 kilometres squared artificial lake called Lago Suchitlan.