The capital town of the province was founded in 1844 by Santiago Rodríguez, who was an officer of the Dominican army in the Dominican War of Independence. He was one of the founders of the city of Sabaneta and an important military leader during the initial stages of the "Restoration War" (1863–1865). Sabaneta was the centre of the fight against the Spanish soldiers during this war. In 1854, the town was elevated to the category of Military Post and in 1858 it was incorporated into a municipality of the Santiago province.