Ahuachapán (Spanish pronunciation: [awatʃaˈpan]) is a department of El Salvador in the west of the country. The capital is Ahuachapán. In the south, it has the Apaneca-Ilamatepec Range and the Cerro Grande de Apaneca (Apaneca Grand Hill). It has a population of over 360,000 people. The Ahuachapán Department was created by the Legislative Decree of February 9, 1869, under the administration of Francisco Dueñas.
The Poqomam are a Maya people in Guatemala and El Salvador. Their indigenous language is also called Poqomam and is closely related to Poqomchiʼ. Notable Poqomam settlements are located in Chinautla (Guatemala (department)), Palín (Escuintla), and in San Luis Jilotepeque (Jalapa). Before the Spanish Conquest, the Poqomam had their capital at Chinautla Viejo. The Poqomam that advanced further east, to the territories of present-day El Salvador, were largely displaced by the migration of the Pipil people in the 11th century. The few Poqomam that remained in El Salvador live near the Guatemala border, in the departments of Santa Ana and Ahuachapan.