Isla de Margarita: History

Pre-20th-Century History

Christopher Columbus was the first European to set foot on Venezuelan soil. On his third trip to the New World in 1498, he anchored at the eastern tip of the Península de Paria, just opposite Trinidad, and spotted Isla de Margarita for the first time. Columbus named the island 'Margarita', the Greek word for pearl, as the coast was laden with pearls.

The first Spanish settlement in Venezuela, Nueva Cádiz, was established around 1500 on the small island of Cubagua, just south of Isla de Margarita. In 1561, the island was used by Lope de Aguirre as a base. A notoriously violent conquistador, Lope de Aguirre held the island until he returned to the mainland in an attempt to take Panama from the Spanish crown.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Venezuela gave Latin America one of its greatest heroes, Simón Bolívar. A native of Caracas, Bolívar led the forces that put the nail in the coffin of Spanish rule over South America. In 1814, Isla de Margarita became the first free territory in Venezuela, after the islanders fought successfully for independence from the Spanish.

Modern History

Margarita was made a duty-free state in 1970 and a free port in 1975, which meant that consumers had no taxation payments or customs duty on imported goods. As a result, visitors were given the opportunity to buy at very good prices, thus adding to the wealth of the island.

Recent History

In recent years, growth in services and hotel infrastructure has enabled Margarita to become an even greater tourist and commercial center. It is an urbanized and highly developed beach vacation experience replete with fancy restaurants, high-rise international hotel chains and plenty of shopping.

Back to top ^