The name of this municipality, located in the south of the state of Chihuahua, derives, on the one hand, from the father of the country Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla and, on the other, from the abundance of a species of endemic vines. It was founded in 1631, under the name of Real de Minas de San José or San José del Parral, after the discovery of metalliferous deposits. Their importance led to the establishment of foundries, which grew into a stable and permanent settlement, and very soon acquired a town hall and hospital; as well as an ordered layout.

This site had a defensive character as a result of the conditions that prevailed in the province of Nueva Vizcaya in the 17th century. It was a large territorial extension with few human settlements, where numerous indigenous groups, such as the Tepehuanes, Conchos, Tobos and Masames, rebelled against the Spaniards, who sought to consolidate the Conquista, waging a prolonged war to defend their way of life and possessions.

As an important metalliferous center during the viceregal era, San José del Parral became the capital of Nueva Vizcaya and the state of Chihuahua. In 1827 it received the title of Villa and in 1833, by Decree of the State Congress, it received the category of city of Hidalgo del Parral.

The city and its inhabitants have been involved in some of the most important stages of Mexican history: in 1864 it was the virtual capital of the Republic when the Government of President Benito Juárez set up his council in its Municipal Palace, during his journey to the north of the country to avoid falling prisoner to the French. On June 20, 1923, it was the scene of the assassination of Francisco Villa, one of the principal leaders of the Mexican Revolution.

The historical settlement of each of the neighborhoods was limited in its growth by the route of the river, which led to a rather free-form urban development in relation to the central square; this is evident in neighborhoods such as San José, El Centro, El Rayo, San Nicolás and Juárez, among others.

This polycentric urban scheme highlights the importance of two focal points: San José, the historical origin of the city, and Guillermo Baca, the current central square of the settlement. In the Porfiriato period, the city grew along four great axes that emerged from the open spaces of the neighborhoods Centenario, Independencia, Las Quintas and 20 de Noviembre, where very refined buildings were constructed that contrasted with the simplicity of the architecture that preceded them from the 17th centuries to the later 19th century.

The city is characterized by the constructions for the extraction and processing of minerals, such as the facilities of the La Prieta mine, which have been transformed since its establishment in the 18th century in accordance with technological changes. The Cerro de la Cruz, the hill where the mine is located, is a very important presence that defines the urban, historical and everyday image of the city.

Hidalgo del Parral was declared Zone of Historical Monuments in 2001, which covers an area of 8,353 m2, comprising 195 blocks; among the more than 500 buildings with historical value, of note are the following churches: San José, Nuestra Señora del Rayo, San Nicolás and San Juan de Dios. Other buildings were used for educational and welfare purposes, such as the San Juan de Dios hospital, the first in Chihuahua, attended by the Juanino friars. There are other constructions of great significance such as the Cal y Canto Bridge, built at the beginning of the 18th century, which has withstood the overflows of the Parral river.