The municipal seat was originally a cattle ranch called San Salvador Tesopaco.
In 1622 the Jesuit missionary Diego Vandersipe founded the settlements of Santa Ana de Movas and San Joaquín de Nuri, which were seats of their respective municipalities belonging to the larger municipality of Rosario.
In 1866 in the village of Movas there was a skirmish between the liberal troops of Coronel Asunción Correa and an Imperialist group commanded by Joaquín Monge; the liberals won.
A central gathering place for the community is the town square, a beautifully built area with stone floors and tall pillars.
A second major economic driver is mining which has brought financial improvements to the community.