Their leader and warlord was Caonabo (which in the aboriginal language means "great lord of the earth"), he this chief led one of the most notable battles against the Spanish colonizers.

Caonabo's town later became the site of San Juan de la Maguana, founded by Rodrigo Mejia Trillo.

[8] Starting in the late 17th century, the San Juan valley began to be inhabited again by colonists from other settlements in the colony and the Canary Islands.

In 1820, president Jean-Pierre Boyer of Haiti sent Dézir Dalmassi to San Juan and other cities to amass support for the incoming annexation.

a diverse range of fruits were grown in the town; the exploitation of sugarcane as a commercial item of importance, were the main line for the employment of labor.

The main economic activities in the province are livestock and agriculture; as it has been since the since colonial times thanks to the fertile soil and climate which is suitable for cultivation of cereals and legumes such as beans, rice, corn, peanuts, pigeon peas, and sorghum.

There is also the presence of Jehovah's Witnesses, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and other religious denominations related to Christianity.

Owing to its location in a sheltered basin, San Juan de la Maguana has a relatively dry tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw).