A Brief History of Venezuela

The history of Venezuela is one of the most mesmerizing histories of the world. In ancient history, the country of Venezuela was occupied by the Indians who lived on its beaches, in its tropical forests, and on the gentle grasslands of Ilanos. The Carib, Arawak, and the Chibcha are the three main groups of the Indians living in the country. The most advanced tribes of the three are the Chibcha.

The first explorer to come in Venezuela was Christopher Columbus. He came in 1498 during his third voyage to the New World, and landed on the Peninsula de Paria. Years have passed when Alonso de Ojeda came and gave the country its name. He admired the stilted houses of the Indians which were built above the lake calling the place Venezuela-“Little Venice.” Caracas was founded in 1567.

Simon Bolivar, who was born on Caracas, led the liberation from Spain of much of the continent. Bolivar and his men marched across the Andes and liberate Colombia in 1819, Venezuela in 1821, and Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia in 1825. After gaining independence for the new nation, civil strifes, wars, and dictatorships raged in the country well into the next country. Some dictators sought real reform but most milked their positions for personal gain.

In the early 1900’s, the conflict-ridden nation finally began to get on its economic feet with the discovery of oil, and by the 20’s Venezuela was beginning to reap the benefits. Leftist Dr. Romulo Betancourt and the Democratic Action Party won a majority of seats in a constituent assembly to draft a new constitution. Venezuela benefited from the oil boom of the early 1970’s. When oil prices dropped in the late 80s and once again the country was thrown into crisis. Riots swept through Caracas and were violently repressed, and two coup attempts took place in 1992.