Shaped by more than six centuries of history since its Castilian occupation, the town of Hermigua began to make history when the sugar mills of Las Casas (Ingenio Viejo) and El Tabaibal were established there. Although Hermigua has always been an area known for its wealth of forests, its abundant water and its fertile fields, it is with the establishment of these mills that we can say that its development and evolution began to be linked to the development of its agriculture.

The introduction of sugar cane determined the establishment of populations and their corresponding articulation, setting the guidelines for the territorial organization of each of the islands and the communication nodes. The acceptance, dissemination and generalization of the use of sugar involved Hermigua in the circuits of international trade, which translated into the arrival of first-rate capital and techniques. Sugar was a motive of attraction, it served to market other products and for knowledge and contact with the Atlantic European markets.

En 1680 Hermigua contaba con 930 habitantes y 188 casas. Debido a la crisis vitivinícola en el siglo XVIII, la economía se ve afectada seriamente, aumentando la emigración, y por tanto, se produce un descenso del número de habitantes. En 1812 se constituye como ayuntamiento, acabado el régimen señorial. A comienzos del siglo xx se realizan una serie de obras en el valle para llevar el agua a todos los cultivos, caracterizados sobre todo por el plátano. El municipio llega a los 5824 habitantes en 1940, pero desciende la población a partir de ese año debido al fenómeno de la emigración.