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At the same time that the process of conquest of the Archipelago by the Castilians was completed, an agricultural model based on two types of production was established in Hermigua. Subsistence crops, characterized by family, smallholder agriculture, with low productivity and based on dryland and irrigated polycultures (cereals, potatoes, legumes and vegetables). And another of a commercial, export nature, which revolved around monocultures: sugar (XV-XVI), vineyards (XVII-XIX), cochineal or potatoes (XIX), being tomatoes and bananas (late 19th and early 19th centuries). XX) those that were most important.
Contemplating the terraces of Hermigua climbing towards the mountain, dotted with clusters of palm trees and colorful houses, brightens the spirit, but also shows that the only flat surfaces in Hermigua are those that have been created by the efforts of peasants. The elements of the cultural and natural heritage coexist in the rural space, the terraced slopes make up landscapes highly valued for their aesthetic and ethnographic richness.
On the other hand, this agriculture would not have been possible without the hundreds of springs on the island, more than half of those that flow in the Canary Islands. The water infiltrates through the basalts that crown the central plateau but does not cross the oldest strata of the base, thus forming an aquifer that oozes through numerous springs in the contact zone between these two layers.
The development of agricultural activity has undoubtedly been the common thread of the development of the Hermigua valley, which has been able to adapt to changing situations throughout the centuries, which has marked its idiosyncrasy, its economy, its demographics, its society and, through its transformation for use, its landscape.
The planting of sugar cane and the installation of two sugar mills led to a huge economic boom for the municipality of Hermigua due to the export of sugar to European markets during the 16th century.
The heyday of sugar production lasted until the mid-16th century. From the 17th century onward, these mills were no longer profitable; Canary Island sugar could not compete on price with that from the New World, and gradually the mills ceased operations and sugarcane cultivation was abandoned. Today, only remnants of both remain.
In 1531 Hermigua represented the largest wine production center of La Gomera (46% of the entire island), the nearby Santa Catalina beach was known for the presence of no less than eleven wineries.
Around the middle of the 17th century, after the collapse of sugar cane cultivation, viticulture became very important to the island's economy.
The planting of mulberry trees spread throughout Hermigua mainly during the second half of the 17th century for the breeding of silkworms.
Hermigua, especially in the Upper Valley, due to its climatic conditions and abundance of water, offered unbeatable conditions for both breeding and artisanal silk processing.
Cochineal farming came to replace grape cultivation, which had fallen into crisis. The cochineal insect (Coccus cacti) parasitizes the leaves of prickly pear cacti. It has the form of a reddish-black grain covered in a white powder.
For cultivation, they are placed on the pads in cloths that are attached to the tips of the prickly pear leaves. When they have reached their development, they are collected and placed in the sun to dry.
The final product is used to dye scarlet and carmine fabrics. The appearance of synthetic dyes made it gradually become a marginal crop and, finally, it stopped being produced.
At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, Hermigua became an important center for tomato production, taking advantage of the interest of foreign companies in the marketing of this crop.
Despite its boom, exports faced significant difficulties, as tomatoes had to be transported on foot to the Lorenzo Wharf. Agriculture once again became a determining factor in the town's development, and this led to the construction and operation of "El Pescante" for the marketing of all kinds of products.
Banana cultivation has been present in Hermigua since the 18th century, but it was not until the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with the impetus of the Elder and Fyffes Company, that it became established as the main crop destined for export.
To facilitate exports, technology arrived, and Santa Catalina Beach was chosen as the site for the initial construction of a small pier, insufficient for the demand. Later, in 1909, El Pescante was built, from which fruit, imported goods, and people would be shipped for several decades. This export crop also led to the town's greatest population growth, reaching 5,972 inhabitants in 1940.
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