History of Caracas, Venezuela

p>Caracas had experienced several exchanges ofdevelopments. The trading company of 700 captains
destruction and restorations before it had reached itsand merchants, the Real Compania Guipuzcoana was
present state as a modern city. Let's turn back theborn. This company dominated the trade in the
time and see what started it all.colonies of Spain and uplifted the economy of
The valley where Caracas now stands was originallyCaracas. The people of Caracas complained of
a place of the Toromaima Indian tribes. In 1560corruption and several protests against the company
Francisco Fajardo discovered the land where hewere carried out. In 1810, the Caraqueños staged
founded a settlement called San Francisco. He tried toa coup against the government until Venezuela was
drive out the Indians but he failed and the nativesgiven its independence from Spain in July 5, 1811.
destroyed his settlements. A year after, JuanThe city again lost 10,000 people to an earthquake that
Rodrigues Suarez, who founded the Venezuelan citystruck and destroyed the city in 1812. Spain finally
revived the destroyed settlements and called it Villa derecognized the independence of Venezuela in 1845.
San Francisco. The valley was completely acquiredThe modest growth of Caracas in the first part of the
from the tribe through the complete conquest order of20th century made the city very silent. The discovery
the governor of Venezuela, then a province.of oil in 1914 at the Maracaibo basin had ignited the
Captain Diego de Losada re-established the settlementboom of the city's economy especially in 1970s. The
named Santiago de Leon de Caracas on July 25, 1567.economy and population of Caracas then suddenly
Caracas became a capital of Venezuela in 1577 afterboomed. The oil money was mainly credited for the
the nomination of governor Juan de Pimentel. In 1578booming of Caracas which is now a modernized and
Caracas was known as a small city with only 60highly industrialized capital city. The earthquakes and
families. The city became prone to pirate attacks andmodernization destroyed most of the remnants of the
plagues. Pirates burned the entire city in 1595 and theold town.
1641 earthquake again destroyed the city before itThe history of Caracas is very interesting to know. But
was completely reconstructed. Almost 500 residentsdue to the destruction of the ancient structures, the
died during that natural disaster.evidence of the early struggles of Caracas is very
In 18th century, the city has experienced somelimited.