It was founded in 1775 by Bernardo de Urrea [es].

The main economic activities are cattle raising (21,000 head in 2000) and subsistence farming.

Trincheras was named for El Cerro de Trincheras, a nearby archaeological site.

This site is also the namesake of a distinctive type of archaeological site found in the desert basins of the southwest United States and northwest Mexico.

Remains of hillside terraces and walls reminded early explorers of trincheras, the Spanish term for entrenchments or fortifications.