[3] A Spanish expeditionary force sent from Vigan by the military officer and navigator, Captain Juan de Salcedo was shipwrecked along the town's coast in 1576.Salcedo befriended the small tribe of indigenous valley peoples that resided in the area while Spanish families established a township in 1576.Through Presidential Proclamation 684, October 23, 2024 was declared a special non-working day to commemorate the Aldaw Ti Wayawaya-lli A Narvacan.The Narvacan School of Fisheries, a branch of the Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College (ISPSC), has been located in Sulvec since 1964.[21] It is also the base of operations of the Philippine Army's 503rd Infantry Brigade which oversees the Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Units.