Herminia de León Esparza was born in Villaldama, Nuevo León, Mexico, on 10 March 1908, to parents Cecilio de León and Zeferina Esparza. Even as an elderly woman, she recalled that in her youth, during the Mexican Revolution, the revolutionaries passed through her birthplace and sought out her father to guide them.

At the age of 19, she married Eusebio Rentería. The couple had seven children. She was widowed at the age of 80, around 1988. Around the same time, she moved to Sabinas Hidalgo.

In August 2017, at the age of 109, she received a visit and recognition from Adalina Dávalos de Rodriguez, the president of DIF Nuevo León (Integral Family Development System, a government agency dedicated to providing social assistance and development programs for families). Additionally, Nuria Aimee Ruiz de Gonzalez, the president of the Municipal DIF of Sabinas Hidalgo, was also present to honor her. On her 110th birthday, she was visited by Daniel Omar González Garza, the Constitutional Municipal President of Sabinas Hidalgo, along with members of the city council. She was presented with cakes and a floral arrangement as part of the celebration. At the time, she was living in the neighborhood of Josefa Zozaya in Sabinas Hidalgo. At the time, she had 36 grandchildren, 99 great-grandchildren, 83 great-great-grandchildren and 2 great-great-great-grandchildren (six generations, including her and her children).

Herminia de León Esparza passed away in Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo León, Mexico, on 16 March 2018, at the age of 110 years, 6 days.