The territory of La Higuera was well known historically for its mineral resources, and was greatly developed between 1855 and 1880. This encouraged immigration to the area, though when it got exhausted, many of them left. Today the slag piles visible in the northern part of the town of La Higuera are a reminder of this bygone era. There exist projects to install in the commune territory a modern
thermal power station, with the idea of providing energy to the power grid that may be more reliable than
hydroelectric power in times of drought. Despite the economic stimulus this would provide the commune, there are sectors of the population that oppose such an initiative due to the eventual environmental damage that it would cause. Another problem that has affected the commune is the scarcity of
potable water, due to various factors, which has led to public complaints to the municipal as well as regional government. A
fog collection project installed on El Tofo mountain in the 1990s to supply the village of Chugungo had fallen into disrepair as of 2002, and water was delivered to the village by truck, despite requests for construction of a water pipeline. ==Demographics==