Timeline of Caracas

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Caracas, Venezuela.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Prior to 18th century

• 1567 – 25 July: Santiago de León de Caracas established by Spaniard Diego de Losada.[1][2][3]
• 1577 – Town becomes capital of Venezuela Province, Spanish Empire.[4]
• 1584 – St. George's Cathedral, Caracas built.[5]
• 1591 – Caracas coat of arms [es] granted.
• 1593 – Iglesia de San Francisco (church) built.
• 1595 – Town captured by English troops led by George Somers and Amyas Preston[6]
• 1638 – Roman Catholic Diocese of Caracas founded.[7]
• 1641 – 11 June: Earthquake.
• 1674 – Caracas Cathedral built.
• 1679 – Town "pillaged by the French."[8]
• 1700 – Population: 6,000.[9]

18th century

• 1721 – University of Caracas founded.[10]
• 1749 – 20 April: Economic demonstration led by Juan Francisco de León [es].[5]
• 1763 – Measles outbreaks begin.[9]
• 1765 – Population: 12,500.[9]
• 1770 – Population: 20,000.[9]
• 1777
  • City becomes capital of Captaincy General of Venezuela.[11]
  • Santa Rosalia parish established.[9]
• 1779 – City divided into eight administrative wards (barrios).[9]
• 1781 – Church of the Holy Trinity (Caracas) [es] built.
• 1782 – Theatre built.[12]
• 1787 – Real Audiencia of Caracas installed.
• 1793 – Consulado (merchant guild) established.[13][5]

19th century

• 1802 – Population: 24,000–42,000.[14][15]
• 1808 – Gazeta de Caracas newspaper begins publication.[5][16]
• 1810 – Revolt from Spanish control.[1]
• 1811
  • City becomes capital of First Republic of Venezuela.
  • Divina Pastora parish established.[9]
• 1812 – 26 March: Earthquake.[14][3]
• 1813
  • August: City taken by forces of Bolivar.[4]
  • City becomes capital of Second Republic of Venezuela.
• 1814 – July: 1814 Caracas Exodus.
• 1818 – Academy of music founded.[17]
• 1820 – City becomes capital of Venezuela Department of Gran Colombia.
• 1821 – 29 June: Bolívar takes city.[1]
• 1835 – Academia de Dibujo y Pintura (art academy) founded (approximate date).[18]
• 1861 – Colegio de Ingenieros de Venezuela [es] established.[19]
• 1870 – 27 April: April Revolution (Venezuela).[20]
• 1874
  • National Pantheon of Venezuela established.
  • Bolívar statue erected in Bolívar Square.
• 1881
  • Teatro Municipal de Caracas opens.
  • City becomes part of the Distrito Federal de Venezuela [es].
  • Population: 55,638.[3]
• 1882 – Horse-drawn streetcar begins operating.[21]
• 1883
  • La Guaira-Caracas railway begins operating.[3]
  • Basilica of Santa Capilla (church) built.
  • Academia Venezolana Correspondiente de la Real Española established.[19]
• 1887 – Academia de Musica y Declamacion (music school) and Academia de Bellas Artes (art school) active.[22]
• 1889 – Academia Nacional de la Historia de Venezuela inaugurated.[19]
• 1891 – Population: 72,429.[3]
• 1894 – Valencia-Caracas railway begins operating.[23]
• 1895 – Electricidad de Caracas in business.
• 1897 – Miraflores Palace built.

20th century

• 1900 – Earthquake[24]
• 1904 - Population: 90,000.(estimate).[3]
• 1905 – National Theatre opens.
• 1908 – Electric streetcar begins operating.[21]
• 1909 – El Universal newspaper in publication.[25][26]
• 1918 – Spanish flu reaches Caracas
• 1922 – Population: 92,212.[27]
• 1928 – Generation of 1928 anti-Gómez protest.
• 1929 – Cine El Dorado (cinema) opens in San Agustín Parish[28]
• 1931
  • Caracas Athenaeum founded.[29]
  • Teatro Principal (Caracas) [es] opens.
• 1937 – Municipal Commission of Town Planning established.[30]
• 1941 – Population: 269,030 city; 380,099 federal district.[4]
• 1945
  • Simón Bolívar International Airport, Altamira Square, and Jardin Botanico de Caracas [es].[31] inaugurated.
  • Caracas Journal newspaper begins publication.[25]
• 1947 – Caracas Stock Exchange established.
• 1950
  • British School established.
  • Population: 495,064 city; 693,896 urban agglomeration.[32]
• 1951 – Estadio Olímpico opens.
• 1952
  • Aerial Tramway begins operating.
  • Estadio Universitario opens.
• 1953
  • Radio Caracas Televisión begins broadcasting.
  • Cine Radio City (cinema) opens.[28]
• 1954 – Centro Simón Bolívar Towers built
• 1958 – El Mundo newspaper begins publication.
• 1959 – La Rinconada Hippodrome opens in Coche Parish
• 1960 – University City built.
• 1961 – Population: 786,710 city;[33] 1,362,189 federal district.[5]
• 1963 – December: Christmas display of illuminated Cruz del Ávila [es] begins.
• 1966 – CorpBanca Tower built.
• 1967
  • 29 July: 1967 Caracas earthquake.
  • Simón Bolívar University and Caracas Football Club established.
  • Central Bank of Venezuela Building constructed.
• 1971 – Population: 1,662,627 city; 2,175,400 urban agglomeration (approximate).[34]
• 1973 – Previsora Tower and Bet-El Synagogue built.
• 1974
  • Poliedro de Caracas (arena) opens.
  • Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Caracas opens.
• 1975
  • 28 October: 1975 Copa América football tournament held.
  • Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar (youth orchestra) headquartered in city.
• 1977 – Parque Zoológico Caricuao opens.[35]
• 1978 – National Theatre Festival begins (approximate date).^[citation needed]
• 1979 – El Diario de Caracas newspaper begins publication.[25]
• 1982 – Children's Museum of Caracas established.
• 1983
  • Caracas Metro begins operating.
  • Teresa Carreño Theatre and Brígido Iriarte Stadium open.
  • Plaza Caracas [es] and Parque Central Complex built.
  • August: 1983 Pan American Games held.
• 1984 – Mercantil Tower and Provincial Tower built.
• 1987 – Parque Cristal built.
• 1989
  • February: Protests.[5]
  • National Library of Venezuela building opens.
• 1990
  • Tower of David construction begins.
  • Population: 1,824,892 city; 2,784,042 urban agglomeration.[36]
• 1993 – Mosque of Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Ibrahim built.
• 1995 – Polar Tower II built.
• 1998 – Centro San Ignacio (commercial building) opens.
• 1999
  • Capital District (Venezuela) established.
  • Movilnet Tower, and Centro Sambil (shopping mall) built.
• 2000
  • Metropolitan District of Caracas created, with jurisdiction over Baruta, Chacao, El Hatillo, Libertador, and Sucre.
  • Alfredo Peña becomes mayor.
  • Mormon temple dedicated.

21st century

See also: Timeline of the 2014 Venezuelan protests, Timeline of the 2015 Venezuelan protests, and Timeline of the 2017 Venezuelan protests

• 2002 – 11 April: Demonstration.
• 2004
  • Juan Barreto becomes mayor.
  • Estrella Roja Football Club formed.
  • 17 October: Fire in Parque Central Complex.
• 2005 – Venezuela International Book Fair begins.
• 2006
  • January: World Social Forum held.
  • Libertador Simón Bolívar Terminal opens.
• 2007
  • May: RCTV closure demonstration.[37]
  • Squatters occupy Centro Financiero Confinanzas.[38]
• 2008
  • Antonio Ledezma becomes mayor.[37]
  • Real Esppor football club formed.
• 2010 – Metrocable (gondola) begins operating.
• 2011 – Population: 2,104,423.[39]
• 2012 – 20 August: Yare prison riot.
• 2014 – February: 2014–2018 Venezuelan protests begin.
• 2015 - Population: 2,082,130.[40]
• 2017 - July: Strike in protest against president Maduro.[41][42]
• 2019 - January: Venezuelan Presidential crisis begins, leading to the 2019 Venezuelan protests

See also

• Caracas history
• History of Caracas [es]
• Capital District (Venezuela)
• List of newspapers in Venezuela
• List of universities in Caracas
• History of Venezuela

References

1. Webster's Geographical Dictionary, USA: G. & C. Merriam Co., 1960, OL 5812502M
2. Semple 1812.
3. Britannica 1910.
4. Leon E. Seltzer, ed. (1952), Columbia Lippincott Gazetteer of the World, New York: Columbia University Press, p. 330, OL 6112221M
5. Marley 2005.
6. Shorto, Gavin (June 13, 2013). "George Somers, Amyas Preston and the Burning of Caracas". The Bermudian. Archived from the original on May 13, 2016.
7. "Chronology of Catholic Dioceses: Venezuela". Norway: Roman Catholic Diocese of Oslo. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
8. Hirst 1915.
9. Waldron 1981.
10. Leonard V. Dalton (1912), Venezuela, London: T.F. Unwin, OCLC 1720084, OL 6549000M
11. Ferry 1989.
12. McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama (2nd ed.). 1984.
13. Ralph Lee Woodward Jr. (2013) [2005], "Merchant Guilds", in Cynthia Clark Northrup (ed.), Encyclopedia of World Trade, Routledge, ISBN 9780765682680
14. Jedidiah Morse; Richard C. Morse (1823), "Caraccas", A New Universal Gazetteer (4th ed.), New Haven: S. Converse
15. John V. Lombardi (1976). People and Places in Colonial Venezuela. Bloomington.
16. "Venezuela". Union List of Newspapers. USA: Seminar on the Acquisition of Latin American Library Materials. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
17. Plaza 1943.
18. "South America, 1800–1900 A.D.: Key Events". Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
19. Carnegie Institution 1908.
20. Benjamin Vincent (1910), "Venezuela", Haydn's Dictionary of Dates (25th ed.), London: Ward, Lock & Co., hdl:2027/loc.ark:/13960/t89g6g776
21. Stann 1975.
22. José Peñín; Walter Guido (1998). Enciclopedia de la música en Venezuela (in Spanish). Caracas: Fundación Bigott.
23. Rivera 1897.
24. "M 7.7 - offshore Miranda, Venezuela". earthquake.usgs.gov. USGS. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
25. "WorldCat". USA: Online Computer Library Center. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
26. "Venezuela: Directory". Europa World Year Book. Taylor & Francis. 2004. ISBN 978-1-85743-255-8.
27. Ernst B. Filsinger (1922), Commercial Travelers' Guide to Latin America, Washington, DC: Govt. Print. Office, OL 7203280M
28. "Movie Theaters in Caracas, Venezuela". CinemaTreasures.org. Los Angeles: Cinema Treasures LLC. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
29. Encyclopedia of Latin American Theater. Greenwood. 2003.
30. Casas 2002.
31. "Garden Search: Venezuela". London: Botanic Gardens Conservation International. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
32. "Population of capital city and cities of 100,000 or more inhabitants". Demographic Yearbook 1955. New York: Statistical Office of the United Nations.
33. Martz 1973.
34. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Statistical Office (1976). "Population of capital city and cities of 100,000 and more inhabitants". Demographic Yearbook 1975. New York. pp. 253–279.
35. Vernon N. Kisling, ed. (2000). "Zoos and Aquariums of the World (chronological list)". Zoo and Aquarium History. USA: CRC Press. ISBN 978-1-4200-3924-5.
36. "Population of capital cities and cities of 100,000 and more inhabitants". 1995 Demographic Yearbook. United Nations Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis, Statistics Division. New York. 1997. pp. 262–321.
37. "Venezuela Profile: Timeline". BBC News. 19 September 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
38. Jorge Silva (April 2, 2014), "The Tower of David: Venezuela's 'vertical slum'", Photographer's Blog, Reuters, archived from the original on April 6, 2014
39. "Population of capital cities and cities of 100,000 or more inhabitants". Demographic Yearbook 2011. United Nations Statistics Division. 2012.
40. "Population of capital cities and cities of 100,000 or more inhabitants". Demographic Yearbook 2016. United Nations Statistics Division. 2017.
41. Anti-Maduro strike paralyzes swathes of Venezuela, Reuters, 20 July 2017
42. "Venezuela crisis: Deadly clashes as millions join strike", BBC News, 21 July 2017

This article incorporates information from the Spanish Wikipedia.

Bibliography

Published in the 19th century

• Robert Semple (1812), "(Santiago de Leon de Caracas)", Sketch of the present state of Caracas, Robert Baldwin, OCLC 4107713
• William Eleroy Curtis (1888), "Caracas", The Capitals of Spanish America, New York: Harper & Bros. – via Internet Archive
• Archibald Wilberforce, ed. (1893). "Caracas". The Capitals of the Globe. New York: Peter Fenelon Collier.
• Richard Harding Davis (1895). "Paris of South America". Harper's New Monthly Magazine.
• Arturo Rivera (1897). Illustrated Guide to Caracas.

Published in the 20th century

• "Venezuela: Caracas". Handbook of Learned Societies and Institutions: America. Publication ;no. 39. USA: Carnegie Institution of Washington. 1908. hdl:2027/uc2.ark:/13960/t5t72q98c – via Hathi Trust.
• "Caracas". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York. 1908. hdl:2027/mdp.39015024854435 – via Hathi Trust.
• "Carácas" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). 1910. p. 298.
• William Alfred Hirst (1915), "Caracas", Guide to South America, New York: Macmillan Company
• P.L. Bell (1922), "Caracas and Commercial District", Venezuela, a Commercial and Industrial Handbook, United States. Dept. of Commerce, Washington, DC: Government Printing Office
• Annie Smith Peck (1922), "Venezuela", Industrial and Commercial South America, New York: E. P. Dutton & Company
• "Caracas". Collier's Encyclopedia. New York: P.F. Collier & Son. 1928. hdl:2027/mdp.39015073302005.
• Juan Bautista Plaza; Conchita Rexach (1943). "Music in Caracas during the Colonial Period (1770–1811)". Musical Quarterly. 29 (2): 198–213. doi:10.1093/mq/xxix.2.198. JSTOR 739521.
• John D. Martz; Peter B. Harkins (1973). "Urban Electoral Behavior in Latin America: The Case of Metropolitan Caracas, 1958-1968". Comparative Politics. 5 (4): 523–549. doi:10.2307/421395. JSTOR 421395.
• E. Jeffrey Stann (1975). "Transportation and Urbanization in Caracas, 1891–1936". Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs. 17 (1): 82–100. doi:10.2307/174789. JSTOR 174789.
• Robert H. Lavenda (1979). "Social Urbanization and Caracas: A Historical Anthropological Analysis". Urban Anthropology. 8 (3/4): 365–381. JSTOR 40552889. PMID 12265085.
• Kathy Waldron (1981). "Public Land Policy and Use in Colonial Caracas". Hispanic American Historical Review. 61 (2): 258–277. doi:10.2307/2513831. JSTOR 2513831.
• Robert J. Ferry (1989). The Colonial Elite of Early Caracas: Formation and Crisis, 1567–1767. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-06399-0.
• "Caracas", Venezuela, Lonely Planet, 1998, p. 114+
• Lorenzo Gonzalez Casas (2002), "Caracas", in A. Almondoz (ed.), Planning Latin America's Capital Cities, 1850–1950, Routledge, ISBN 9780415272650
• David Marley (2005), "Caracas", Historic Cities of the Americas, USA: ABC-CLIO, ISBN 1576070271

External links

Media related to History of Caracas at Wikimedia Commons

• Items related to Caracas, various dates (via Digital Public Library of America)
• Items related to Caracas, various dates (via Europeana)

10.5°N 66.916667°W / 10.5; -66.916667