The great earthquake of 1755 left its mark on Ubrique, as it did in most of Portugal and Andalucia. Most of the local churches and monuments needed to be reconstructed after the natural disaster.
During the 19th century the population remained at between the 5,000 and 6,000 inhabitants. This changed, however, with the arrival of emmigrants from the Southern Italy. With them came the leather trade, which would remain the central occupation of the town until our modern days.