Place:Anzoátegui, Venezuela

source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names

source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Anzoátegui State is one of the 23 component states of Venezuela, located in the northeastern region of the country. Anzoátegui is well known for its beaches that attract many visitors. Its coast consists of a single beach approximately long. Its capital is the city of Barcelona, and significant cities include Puerto la Cruz and El Tigre.

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Spanish Colonization

Until 1535, the lands of Anzoátegui State had not been explored. In this one inhabited various indigenous tribes: in the northeast, occupying part of the coast and even The interior and margins of the Guatapanare River (today the Neverí River) were cumanagotes. Towards the mouth of the Uchire River, theTumuzas and towards the center Between the Unare river and the islets of Píritu, the tribes of the píritus and chacopatas were located. The Palenques had formed a village in Aripata, on the right bank of the Unare, where the population of Clarines is located, but its domains encompassed theTramojo, Chocopire and Güere River lagoons to the south. The tribe of the cochismas was located on the banks of the Guanare River and the Guaribes occupied the area that irrigated the river of the same name. Inland, other tribes like the Quacos and Cores occupied territories up to the banks of the Orinoco River.

Since 1499 the first Spanish incursions to the beaches of Anzoátegui began through the Maracapana (Dairy) hill in search of pearls sources. With the appearance of Cubagua and its pearly potential, the stretch of land included between Cumana and the Unare River became a key supply site. However, The first Spanish settlement in the land of the Cumanagotos occurred in 1586 under the command of the Captain of Conquest Cristobal Cobos, who confronted the Cayaurima chieftain, and whose defeat was decisive for the foundation of the first city, San Cristóbal de la New Ecija. The first foundation, was followed by more than sixty years of war, until the arrival of Juan de Orpí, to whom the audience of Santo Domingo assigns the conquest of the province of the cumanagotos. He achieved his goal and in 1636 he founded Nueva Barcelona, near San Cristóbal, which coexisted between 1638 and 1670 as towns rivals because of the government dependency they had.

Today's Barcelona emerged on January 1, 1671, through the action of Father Manuel Yanques, who orders the eviction of previously founded villages with the proposal of strengthen the defence against threats from indigenous tribes, and then establish the New Barcelona of San Cristóbal de Cumanagotos. In its surroundings were formed villages of missions and doctrines, highlighting among them Our Lady of Clarines, founded in 1594; Nuestra Señora de la Concepción de Píritu, founded in 1656, which was incorporated into the province of Cumaná; San Miguel Jesús María and José de Caigua and Nuestra Señora del Pilar, among others. Until the decade of the In the 1930s, agriculture, fishing and livestock were the main activities of the state. Cotton and sugar cane, together with livestock and fishing, allowed since colonial times the structuring of small towns (Barcelona, Boca de Uchire, Clarines and Píritu).

Modern era

Named in honor of the great hero of Venezuelan independence, José Antonio Anzoátegui (1789-1819), this state was originally called the Province of Barcelona, receiving that name from the province of Barcelona in present-day Spain and maintained that name from the beginning of the 18th century until 1821 and then between 1830 and 1864, when its name was replaced by "Estado Barcelona", a name it kept until 1909. The city of Barcelona, which is the capital of the state, was founded by the Spanish colonists in 1677 as "New Barcelona of the Holy Hill" (Nueva Barcelona del Cerro Santo) later shortened simply to Barcelona.

The present day Anzoátegui State was also included in the Province of Cumaná, which in turn was part of the Captaincy General of Venezuela, along with other provinces (Guayana, Maracaibo, Caracas, Margarita and Trinidad). In 1810 it was separated from the province. It was in 1909 when it acquired the current political distribution.

Research Tips