Venezuelan Colonial History: 16th-18th Centuries
The Foundation of Cities
Founded in 1545, El Tocuyo served as a foundational point from which settlements expanded into central and western Venezuela. Key settlements towards the center included Borburata (1549), Valencia (1553), Nirgua (1554), Caracas (1567), and Victoria (1595).
Ethnic Groups
- Miscegenation Examples:
- White with Indian: Mestizo
- Black with White: Mulatto
- Indian with Black: Zambo
- Company Privileges Example: The prohibition of marriage between whites and people of color (browns, blacks, and indigenous people).
- Features of the Company Example: Heterogeneous, Stratified, Static, Conflictive.
- Location of the Population Example: Rural environment, Urban environment.
Social Groups
- Spanish: Held high positions in government and the military.
- Creole: Landowners, large merchants, and held junior political and military positions.
- Browns: Craftsmen, traders.
- Indigenous: Agricultural laborers.
- Black: Slaves on farms and plantations.
Exploration Process
Between 1536 and 1568, there were several failed attempts at colonizing the eastern region.
Provinces and Dates
- Margarita Province (1525): Ruled by Marcelo Villalobos in 1525, and after his death, it was passed to his daughter, Doña Aldonza.
- Province of Venezuela (1528): Ruled by Ambrose Alfinger in 1528, extending from Cape Sailing and the Gulf of Venezuela to Maracapana.
- Region of Trinidad (1530): Ruled by Anthony Sedeño and formed part of Venezuela until 1797.
- Province of Guiana (1568): Ruled by Jiménez de Quesada.
- Province of Nueva Andalucía (1568): Ruled by Fernández de Serpa, located between the Orinoco River and Cape Unare.
The Shaping of Agriculture
During the process of settlement and the founding of new cities, Spanish colonizers began to develop agricultural production in America. Products like tobacco, cocoa, and cotton were in great demand in Europe and other American colonies.
The Naming of New Cadiz
Before 1512, it was named Cubagua. Later, it was renamed New Cadiz.
Labor
Labor initially relied on Indigenous people under two different operating systems: slavery and the encomienda.
Trade
The origins of trade date back to the late Neolithic period, when agriculture was discovered.
Land Tenure
From the outset, the colonial economy was oriented toward agricultural production, setting the tone for the development of human settlements across the geography. Thus, land became a symbol of wealth and the base of economic power.
Provinces and Dates
- Margarita Province (1525): Ruled by Marcelo Villalobos in 1525, and after his death, it was passed to his daughter, Doña Aldonza.
- Province of Venezuela (1528): Ruled by Ambrose Alfinger in 1528, extending from Cape Sailing and the Gulf of Venezuela to Maracapana.
- Region of Trinidad (1530): Ruled by Anthony Sedeño and formed part of Venezuela until 1797.
- Province of Guiana (1568): Ruled by Jiménez de Quesada.
- Province of Nueva Andalucía (1568): Ruled by Fernández de Serpa, located between the Orinoco River and Cape Unare.
The Shaping of Agriculture
During the process of settlement and the founding of new cities, Spanish colonizers began to develop agricultural production in America. Products like tobacco, cocoa, and cotton were in great demand in Europe and other American colonies.
The Naming of New Cadiz
Before 1512, it was named Cubagua. Later, it was renamed New Cadiz.
Labor
Labor initially relied on Indigenous people under two different operating systems: slavery and the encomienda.
Trade
The origins of trade date back to the late Neolithic period, when agriculture was discovered.
Land Tenure
From the outset, the colonial economy was oriented toward agricultural production, setting the tone for the development of human settlements across the geography. Thus, land became a symbol of wealth and the base of economic power.