The lyrics were written by Evaristo Fernández de San Miguel, while the music is typically attributed to José Melchor Gomis.

The "Himno de Riego" was written between 31 January and 6 February 1820 in the town of Algeciras by Evaristo Fernández de San Miguel, lieutenant colonel of the flying column headed by Rafael del Riego, who had previously rejected another text by Antonio Alcalá Galiano.

[1]: 67  However, the liberal government was overthrown and the constitution repealed by Fernando VII in October 1823, with the Marcha Real resuming its role as the national anthem.

However, by the time of the Second Republic of 1931 to 1939, the anthem had once again gained popularity to the point of becoming the primary institutional representative of the government during this period.

[1]: 104 Contrary to popular belief, the "Himno de Riego" was never declared the official anthem of the Second Republic.

[4] On October 1, 1967, during the qualifying stage for the European championship in Prague, the "Himno de Riego" was performed by mistake instead of the then official anthem of Spain "Marcha Real".

[5] At the 2003 Davis Cup finals held in Australia, James Morrison performed "Himno de Riego" instead of Spain's current national anthem, the "Marcha Real" (Royal March).