Canaima & Angel Falls: History

Pre-20th-Century History

Although evidence of human settlement in this remote corner of Venezuela dates back as far as 7000 BC, the indigenous Pemón people are thought to have migrated into the region only 200 years ago. The Pemón traditionally lived in small communities using subsistence farming, hunting and fishing. Today there are some 20,000 Pemón in the region, with around 150 indigenous families living in Canaima village.

The Spanish made some inroads into the Gran Sabana as early as the 16th century. They came in search of 'El Dorado', the mythical city of gold, but it was the Catholic missionaries who made the most impact on the local culture around the start of the 20th century.

Modern History

The existence of the world's highest waterfall was known only to the Pemón until 1937, when American bush pilot Jimmy Angel crashed-landed his Flamingo plane on top of Auyantepui. Returning from a remote expedition some years earlier, Angel claimed to have seen a motherlode of gold capping a gargantuan jungle waterfall. Few believed his story, so a determined Angel loaded his wife and two friends into a four-seater airplane and went back to look for the mythic falls (not to mention the gold). He managed to land on Auyantepui, but the plane became bogged in the marshy surface. Without food or supplies, the dazed party trekked through rough, virgin terrain to the edge of the plateau, then descended a steep cliff, returning to civilization after an 11-day odyssey. It wasn't until 1949 - when American journalist Ruth Robertson organized and led an overland expedition to measure the falls - that Angel's 'discovery' was verified and the falls were named after him. His plane was recovered by the airforce in 1970 and is now on display outside the airport in Ciudad Bolivar.

The three million hectare (7.4 million acre) Parque Nacional Canaima was established in 1962. In 1994, it was designated a Unesco World Heritage site due to the unique tepui (table mountain) formations.

Recent History

Because of its remote location, tourism to the world's highest falls started at a trickle. Over recent years, Angel Falls has become Venezuela's top single tourist attraction, and the number of flights and tours has increased dramatically. Canaima, while still an indigenous village, is also a thriving tourist center because of its position as the gateway to the falls.

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