The town was originally a Phoenician colony known as Oba, a name maintained by the Romans following its conquest. During this time it appeared to have been developed as a commercial and strategic centre. Following the fall of the Empire it seems the town served as a defensive, monitoring point of the Strait for the Visigoths, who were later to lose it into Byzantine hands in the 6th Century.
The arrival of the Muslims in the 8th Century did not alter the situation. The conquerors undertook a series of operations designed to reinforce Jimena’s position as a strategic enclave, constructing new fortifications.
The 15th Century was a battleground for the town’s conquest. Following a brief occupation in the thirties, Jimena would definitively fall into Christian hands in 1456.
From 1510 it entered the jurisdiction of the nobles Medina Sidonia, sold by its previous owners the Dukes of Alburquerque. The conclusion of the warlike conflicts resulted in the town losing its eminently military nature in exchange for other more productive activities such as agriculture (crops and vegetables), cattle, woodland development all of which generated substantial income for the Casa de los Guzmán.
As a result of the economic development the population began to grow and settle outside the exterior walls of the fortified site. It was a time of dispute with the Duke of Medina Sidonia in attempts for freedom but without any notable result.
The loss of Gibraltar in the 18th Century transformed Jimena once again in an industrial and military enclave, this time in a battle against the English such that towards the end of the century the second Andalusian blast furnace was constructed on the banks of the Hozgarganta to supply the area’s military demands. The business was maintained while demand remained until the high costs and the changes in Gibraltar concluded its operations.
The War of Independence also used Jimena as a stage for its many battles with disastrous consequences including large scale loss of human life and local historical assets following the burning of many books and documents.
Following the war the 19th Century progressed in leaps and bounds, wi Riego’s coup d’état in 1820, Jimena standing out due to its "Príncipe" battalion, who had their headquarters in the city and were one of the first forces to initiate the uprising. At a later stage, two events determined the town’s development: the decree suppressing the power of the nobility in 1837 – which resulted in independence from ducal power – and the naming of the town in 1879.
In the future, Jimena’s development would see itself conditioned by the difficult Civil War and post-war years with the local Maquis phenomenon. Nowadays in addition to its traditional agriculture and cattle industries the town has begun to exploit its tourist potential.
It includes two districts: San Martín del Tesorillo and San Pablo de Buceite.