The earliest known culture of this region was that of the Chalchihuites, which existed  from the late Pre-classic to about 900 AD, and was mostly sedentary and agricultural.
It is not known why the settlements of this area were abandoned, but theories center on climate change, attacks from nomadic peoples and the fall of the large cities of the central valleys of Mesoamerica.
From then until the arrival of the Spanish, the nomadic Chichimecas dominated the area.

In 1555, nine years after discovering silver in what is now the city of Zacatecas, Juan de Tolosa and a small group of Spaniards and allied indigenous arrived to find more.
They settled near a small spring, calling the area Real y Minas de Sobrerete.
The name came from Frair Jerónimo de Mendoza, who notices that one of the mountains (Cerro de Sombreretillo) that surround the valley looked like the common three-corner hat of the time, when viewed from the side.

Soon after, the main became important producers of gold, silver, lead, tin and mercury and by 1570, the settlement had grown enough to be officially declared a town by the Audiencia de Guadalajara with the name of Villa de Llerena.
In 1567 the San Mateo monastery was established to be the main evangelical center of the region.

During the colonial period the town and region continued to grow economically, with the addition of agriculture and ranching as important economic activities.
However, mining still remained primary, with the two largest and most productive mines being Pabellón and Vetanegre, which made the Fagoaga family rich, giving it the title of the Marquesado del Apartado.
The importance of the town of Sombrerete grew in the 17th century, with the establishment of a Royal House to collect taxes from as far as Chihuahua and Sinaloa.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the town has a population of about 30,000 and a coin mint (casa de moneda) was established to create a coin called “Vargas.”
Outside the mines, the various agricultural and ranching haciendas dominated the area until the beginning of the 20th century.

During the Mexican War of Independence a number of the miners sent financial support to the insurgents, especially to Guadalupe Victoria.
In 1824, the town was declared a city by the state of Zacatecas and made a regional capital.
The area remained politically important during the 19th century, but suffered an attack by Apaches from the United States in 1845.
During the French Intervention and Reform War, it was the provisional capital of Zacatecas, with Benito Juárez passing through in 1866.
The first newspaper, La Campana, was published in 1867.
A major mining accident occurred in the San Amaro and San Francisico mines in 1897, with 116 dead.

When the Mexican Revolution broke out, the area’s agriculture was known for its production of cotton and grain.
The war brought attacks on both haciendas and mines, which deteriorated the economy even though the town was made a provisional capital of Zacatecas from 1913 and 1914, with a visit from Venustiano Carranza.

The end of the Revolution brought an end to the hacienda system and efforts by the new government to suppress the Catholic Church brought on the Cristero War, which mostly affected the rural communities of the area.

Since then the area remains an important mining and agricultural center for the state and a commercial center for the north of Zacatecas.
Notable events since the early 20th century include the establishment of the Colegio de Sagrado Corazón de Jesús in 1947, a forty-hour snowfall in 1987, the declaration of sister city status with Llerena, Spain in 1992 and the founding of the Instituto Tecnológico de Zacatecas-Occidente in 2000.
The earliest known culture of this region was that of the Chalchihuites, which existed  from the late Pre-classic to about 900 AD, and was mostly sedentary and agricultural. It is not known why the settlements of this area were abandoned, but theories center on climate change, attacks from nomadic peoples and the fall of the large cities of the central valleys of Mesoamerica. From then until the arrival of the Spanish, the nomadic Chichimecas dominated the area.
In 1555, nine years after discovering silver in what is now the city of Zacatecas, Juan de Tolosa and a small group of Spaniards and allied indigenous arrived to find more. They settled near a small spring, calling the area Real y Minas de Sobrerete. The name came from Frair Jerónimo de Mendoza, who notices that one of the mountains (Cerro de Sombreretillo) that surround the valley looked like the common three-corner hat of the time, when viewed from the side.
Soon after, the main became important producers of gold, silver, lead, tin and mercury and by 1570, the settlement had grown enough to be officially declared a town by the Audiencia de Guadalajara with the name of Villa de Llerena. In 1567 the San Mateo monastery was established to be the main evangelical center of the region.
During the colonial period the town and region continued to grow economically, with the addition of agriculture and ranching as important economic activities. However, mining still remained primary, with the two largest and most productive mines being Pabellón and Vetanegre, which made the Fagoaga family rich, giving it the title of the Marquesado del Apartado. The importance of the town of Sombrerete grew in the 17th century, with the establishment of a Royal House to collect taxes from as far as Chihuahua and Sinaloa. At the beginning of the 19th century, the town has a population of about 30,000 and a coin mint (casa de moneda) was established to create a coin called “Vargas.” Outside the mines, the various agricultural and ranching haciendas dominated the area until the beginning of the 20th century.
During the Mexican War of Independence a number of the miners sent financial support to the insurgents, especially to Guadalupe Victoria. In 1824, the town was declared a city by the state of Zacatecas and made a regional capital. The area remained politically important during the 19th century, but suffered an attack by Apaches from the United States in 1845. During the French Intervention and Reform War, it was the provisional capital of Zacatecas, with Benito Juárez passing through in 1866. The first newspaper, La Campana, was published in 1867. A major mining accident occurred in the San Amaro and San Francisico mines in 1897, with 116 dead.
When the Mexican Revolution broke out, the area’s agriculture was known for its production of cotton and grain. The war brought attacks on both haciendas and mines, which deteriorated the economy even though the town was made a provisional capital of Zacatecas from 1913 and 1914, with a visit from Venustiano Carranza.
The end of the Revolution brought an end to the hacienda system and efforts by the new government to suppress the Catholic Church brought on the Cristero War, which mostly affected the rural communities of the area.
Since then the area remains an important mining and agricultural center for the state and a commercial center for the north of Zacatecas. Notable events since the early 20th century include the establishment of the Colegio de Sagrado Corazón de Jesús in 1947, a forty-hour snowfall in 1987, the declaration of sister city status with Llerena, Spain in 1992 and the founding of the Instituto Tecnológico de Zacatecas-Occidente in 2000.
Sombrerete, Zacatecas