Caracas – History

Caracas is officially titled Santiago de León de Caracas and was founded in 1567. Having been populated by indigenous people, the region was discovered by the Spanish with the help of Francisco Fajardo, who began developing settlements in the area between 1555 and 1560. The settlements were routinely destroyed by the native people. Eventually, the region’s first successful settlements were developed by those from nearby Coro, the German capital of their local colony, which was de-facto ruled by the Spanish. In 1567, Captain Diego de Losada founded Caracas, which would become the capital of the Spanish Empire’s Venezuela Province in 1577.

The mountainous region diving Caracas from the sea would prove useful in the coming centuries, as pirate attacks would ravage other coastal cities in the Caribbean and throughout Central and Latin America. The city would suffer an attack in 1595 but would successfully rebuild. In the 1600s, farmers learned about the value of cacao beans and would grow this industry to a significant portion of the city’s trade. Caracas was a key city in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and one of South America’s first colonies to enter the slave trade. The economy flourished because of this and increased production of cacao; however, the city would suffer a major setback in the earthquake of 1641 which destroyed a significant portion of the city.

Caracas was made one of three provinces of Nueva Granada in 1739. During the next several decades, the Viceroyalty would become fractioned and split off into independent provinces. It was during this split that Caracas province would become Venezuela province. In 1777, Luis de Unzaga launched the Captaincy General of Venezuela, in which Caracas would be the capital. Venezuela would attempt to gain its independence in 1797 but would fail during the Gual and España conspiracy. A second attempt at independence would be successful in 1811, resulting in the Venezuelan Declaration of Independence. The Venezuelan War of Independence would rage on until 1821, at which point Simón Bolívar successfully defeated royalists during the Battle of Carabobo.

The 20th century would see an oil boom for Venezuela and rapid urbanization as a result. Economic success would transform the city, beginning in the 1950s with the development of the Gran Caracas metropolitan district. The development of modernization would continue into the 1970s. It was during this period that many of the landmarks visible today were built, such as the University of Caracas, which would later be identified as a world heritage site by UNESCO. The 1980s saw the city’s economy fall considerably due to the global shift in oil purchasing. This led to some level of political instability, which can still be felt to this day. The city continues to work hard in the reshaping of its image and economic reliance, as well as work in the development of its growing tourism sector.

 

 

Historical Locations 

Centro Comercial Sambil

Address: Avenida Libertador, con C. Los Ángeles, Caracas 1071, Miranda
Phone: +58 212 2671112
Operating Hours:
– Monday 10:00am – 8:00pm
– Tuesday 10:00am – 8:00pm
– Wednesday 10:00am – 8:00pm
– Thursday 10:00am – 8:00pm
– Friday 10:00am – 8:00pm
– Saturday 10:00am – 8:00pm
– Sunday 12:00pm – 8:00pm
– Holidays 12:00pm – 8:00pm
Admission Cost: N/A
Website

 

 

Hacienda La Vega

Address: Hacienda La Vega, Av. O’Higgins, Caracas 1020
Phone: +58 212 4424818
Operating Hours:
– Monday 6:00am – 10:00pm
– Tuesday 6:00am – 10:00pm
– Wednesday 6:00am – 10:00pm
– Thursday 6:00am – 10:00pm
– Friday 6:00am – 10:00pm
– Saturday 6:00am – 10:00pm
– Sunday 6:00am – 10:00pm
Admission Cost: N/A
Website

 

 

Cuartel de la Montaña

Address: La Planicie, Calle Real de, Calle Museo Militar, Caracas 1030, Distrito Capital
Phone: N/A
Operating Hours:
– Monday closed
– Tuesday 9:00am – 4:00pm
– Wednesday 9:00am – 4:00pm
– Thursday 9:00am – 4:00pm
– Friday 9:00am – 4:00pm
– Saturday 9:00am – 4:00pm
– Sunday 7:30am – 8:30pm
Admission Cost:
– FREE
Website (unofficial)