While the most accepted interpretation of Iztacalco (from Nahuatl) is “house of salt,” others have been proposed such as “place of white houses.”
Originally, the name was written “Ixtacalco” but its current spelling was adopted in the second half of the 20th century.
The crest or seal of the borough is the Aztec glyph which has been used to designate the place since at least the time of the Mendocino Codex, which depicts the “house” and “salt” interpretations of the name.
It contains a sun shining over a house.
Inside the house, there is a grain of salt and two markings that represent raindrops’ tracks.

Because it was originally an island well within Lake Texcoco, Iztacalco was settled by humans later than the rest of the Valley of Mexico .
 The history of Iztacalco begins in 1309.
The Xolotl Codex states that Iztacalco was one of the people's last stops before they finally settled Tenochtitlan.
The island was conquered and subject to the dominion of Texcoco as part of the territory of the Triple Alliance.
From the beginning, inhabitants made a living by extracting salt from the brackish waters of the surrounding lake.
This salt was consumed until the very early 20th century.

Just after the Conquest, the area belonged to a territory called San Juan de Dios ruled directly from Mexico City.
A small monastery dedicated to Saint Matthew was constructed in which lived no more than two monks, with no more than 300 indigenous.
 As the area was very sparsely populated, these monks did not establish satellite parishes, except for the San Antonio hermitage, built for the feast day of this saint.
In the middle of the 17th century, baptisms began to be recorded in the area, which then consisted of the main community and eight surrounding neighborhoods called barrios.
Through the colonial period, Iztacalco was on an island, which impeded its growth.
It had only 296 residents in its barrios of Asunción, Santa Cruz, Santiago, San Miguel and Los Reyes.

From the colonial period to the 19th century, various drainage projects in the Valley of Mexico eventually dried Lake Texcoco, creating firm land that would connect the former island of Iztacalco to the rest of the area.
The dry land from the lake was formed mostly through the creation of chinampas on which were grown flowers and vegetables.
However, from the 19th century to the first decades of the 20th, Iztacalco had a number of canals crisscrossing it, the main one being Canal de la Viga, earlier known as the Acequia Real.
The canal extended for 1,560 meters and was thirty meters wide.
This made Iztacalco an important strategic transit point between what is now the historic center of Mexico City and the agricultural areas to the south and east such as Chalco and Xochimilco .
 One of the main docks here was at Zacatlalmanco, which had an important market attached to it.
The first steamship passed by here in 1850 which connected Mexico City and Chalco.
The canal had a number of pedestrian bridges over it, such as the La Garita.
These bridges also doubled as regulators for the canal's waters due to the floodgates on their supporting arches.
The canal also functioned as rural getaway for Mexico City dwellers, especially on Sundays.
Until, mid century, the borough area remained rural with small houses of adobe and/or reeds/small branches.
Small canoes called trajineras carried cargo and passengers among the various docks on this canal.
The canals were filled with aquatic birds such as herons and a local species called chichicuilotes.
It was also the scene of one of the most popular festivals of the 19th century, the Viernes de Dolores (Friday of the Virgin of Sorrows), also known as the Fiesta de las Flores (Festival of the Flowers).
Starting in 1915, due to health concerns, the canal was closed to traffic and filled into become current major road, with the process completed in the 1930s.
 
Through the 19th century, the community of Iztacalco and Mexico City would remain entities mostly separated by farmland and chinampas.
This was also true of a number of communities which are now part of
While the most accepted interpretation of Iztacalco (from Nahuatl) is “house of salt,” others have been proposed such as “place of white houses.” Originally, the name was written “Ixtacalco” but its current spelling was adopted in the second half of the 20th century. The crest or seal of the borough is the Aztec glyph which has been used to designate the place since at least the time of the Mendocino Codex, which depicts the “house” and “salt” interpretations of the name. It contains a sun shining over a house. Inside the house, there is a grain of salt and two markings that represent raindrops’ tracks.
Because it was originally an island well within Lake Texcoco, Iztacalco was settled by humans later than the rest of the Valley of Mexico .  The history of Iztacalco begins in 1309. The Xolotl Codex states that Iztacalco was one of the people's last stops before they finally settled Tenochtitlan. The island was conquered and subject to the dominion of Texcoco as part of the territory of the Triple Alliance. From the beginning, inhabitants made a living by extracting salt from the brackish waters of the surrounding lake. This salt was consumed until the very early 20th century.
Just after the Conquest, the area belonged to a territory called San Juan de Dios ruled directly from Mexico City. A small monastery dedicated to Saint Matthew was constructed in which lived no more than two monks, with no more than 300 indigenous.  As the area was very sparsely populated, these monks did not establish satellite parishes, except for the San Antonio hermitage, built for the feast day of this saint. In the middle of the 17th century, baptisms began to be recorded in the area, which then consisted of the main community and eight surrounding neighborhoods called barrios. Through the colonial period, Iztacalco was on an island, which impeded its growth. It had only 296 residents in its barrios of Asunción, Santa Cruz, Santiago, San Miguel and Los Reyes.
From the colonial period to the 19th century, various drainage projects in the Valley of Mexico eventually dried Lake Texcoco, creating firm land that would connect the former island of Iztacalco to the rest of the area. The dry land from the lake was formed mostly through the creation of chinampas on which were grown flowers and vegetables. However, from the 19th century to the first decades of the 20th, Iztacalco had a number of canals crisscrossing it, the main one being Canal de la Viga, earlier known as the Acequia Real. The canal extended for 1,560 meters and was thirty meters wide. This made Iztacalco an important strategic transit point between what is now the historic center of Mexico City and the agricultural areas to the south and east such as Chalco and Xochimilco .  One of the main docks here was at Zacatlalmanco, which had an important market attached to it. The first steamship passed by here in 1850 which connected Mexico City and Chalco. The canal had a number of pedestrian bridges over it, such as the La Garita. These bridges also doubled as regulators for the canal's waters due to the floodgates on their supporting arches. The canal also functioned as rural getaway for Mexico City dwellers, especially on Sundays. Until, mid century, the borough area remained rural with small houses of adobe and/or reeds/small branches. Small canoes called trajineras carried cargo and passengers among the various docks on this canal. The canals were filled with aquatic birds such as herons and a local species called chichicuilotes. It was also the scene of one of the most popular festivals of the 19th century, the Viernes de Dolores (Friday of the Virgin of Sorrows), also known as the Fiesta de las Flores (Festival of the Flowers). Starting in 1915, due to health concerns, the canal was closed to traffic and filled into become current major road, with the process completed in the 1930s.  
Through the 19th century, the community of Iztacalco and Mexico City would remain entities mostly separated by farmland and chinampas. This was also true of a number of communities which are now part of 
Iztacalco