The town's name is based in Arabic شارقة (šāriqa), meaning the eastern slope of a mountain.

[4] In Arabian documents the settlement has also been referred to as قلعة الاشراق (qalʿa aš-širāq), "Castle of the Sheriffs".

[4] Jérica lies on the natural pathway between Aragón and the Comunidad Valenciana in the southern part of the provincia de Castellón.

The precipice is very difficult to access and therefore, the population has settled in the opposite direction, staggered along the slope of the hill.

A station (Jérica-Viver) in the northern part of the town serves the C-5 Line, which connects with Valencia and Castellón de la Plana.

On 5 February 1235, the area was captured by the Christian army in order to control the sacristan of Girona, Gillém de Montgriu, although the Muslim population were not expelled.

In 1249 the Carta Puebla was issued, which authorized the occupation of Jérica, since it was evident by then that the local population were moving into the area.

James III received permission of King Alfonso IV to strengthen and fortify the existing walls.

During this period, intermittent war occurred between the kings of Aragón and Castilla, and in 1363 the Castilian army entered the villa utilising the castle and the church that was being erected.

The villa's direct attachment to the Royal Crown did not last long; in 1417 King Alfonso V of Aragon ceded the señorío (noble estate) to his brother, the Infante Don Juan.

This caused years of misery for the people of Jérica, who suffered with the tyrannous government of a family who cared nothing for them.

This continued until 1479 when negotiations between the town's leaders and King Ferdinand el Católico resulted in the villa's being returned to control of The Crown.

The villa suffered such destruction and damage during the Spanish Civil War that its leaders petitioned the Federal government for inclusion on the list of Devastated Regions, which meant the state was in charge of reconstructing numerous buildings.

The religious monument Torre de las Campanas (Tower of the Bells) was constructed in 1634 in style of Mudéjar on the site of a previous works.

These Muslim watchtowers, Torres de los Ordaces y la Muela, overlook the castle.

The larger is called del Olmo, an ample, irregular polygon, where the weekly market and the annual fair are held.

There are three smaller plazas called del Loreto, Tiendas (shops), and Carnicerías (meat markets).