Coro, Venezuela

Quick Facts: Who was Coro, Venezuela?

Subject:

Coro, Venezuela

Known for:

Historic Venezuelan city, capital of Falcón State, known for its colonial architecture.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

Coro is the capital of Falcón State and the second oldest city in Venezuela (after Cumaná). It was founded on July 26, 1527, by Juan de Ampíes as Santa Ana de Coro. It was historically known as Neu-Augsburg (from 1528 to 1546) by the German Welsers, and Coro by the Spanish colonizers and Venezuelans, the city and buildings were built during the Spanish Empire. It is established at the south of the Paraguaná Peninsula in a coastal plain, flanked by the Médanos de Coro National Park to the north and the Sierra de Coro to the south, at a few kilometers from its port (La Vela de Coro) in the Caribbean Sea at a point equidistant between the Ensenada de La Vela and Golfete de Coro. It has a wide cultural tradition that comes from being the urban settlement founded by the Spanish conquerors who colonized the interior of the continent.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

As Neu-Augsburg, it was the first German colony in the Americas under the Welser family of Augsburg (from 1528 to 1546). It was then the first capital of the Spanish Captaincy General of Venezuela (1546–1578) and head of the first bishop founded in South America in 1531. The precursor movement of the independence and of vindication of the dominated classes in Venezuela originated in this region; it is also considered to be the cradle of the Venezuelan federalist movement in the republican era. Thanks to the city's history, culture and its well-preserved Colonial architecture, "Coro and its port La Vela" was designated in 1993 as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Since 2005 it is on the UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

At its founding the town was called Santa Ana de Coro (there is now an unsuccessful campaign to reinstate the colonial name of the city) in the Spanish style that named new cities in America according to the Catholic calendar, accompanied by a name of Indian origin. According to the tradition the word coro derives from the Caquetio word curiana, meaning "place of winds". However, according to the authoritative DRAE Spanish dictionary, the word coro in its second meaning means "wind of the northwest", and comes from the Latin caurus. The city was founded on July 26, 1527, by Juan Martín de Ampués, with the name of Santa Ana de Coro. Ampíes covenanted to respect the authority of the Native chief Manaure highest authority of the natives of the region, the Caquetio people, This covenant is broken abruptly in 1529 with the landing at the city's first Governor and Captain General Ambrosius Ehinger representing the Welser, an Augsburg banking and trading family.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1527: 1527 Milestone — It was founded on July 26, 1527, by Juan de Ampíes as Santa Ana de Coro.
2. 1528: 1528 Milestone — It was historically known as Neu-Augsburg (from 1528 to 1546) by the German Welsers, and Coro by the Spanish colonizers and Venezuelans, the city and buildings were built during the Spanish Empire.
3. 1529: 1529 Milestone — Ampíes covenanted to respect the authority of the Native chief Manaure highest authority of the natives of the region, the Caquetio people, This covenant is broken abruptly in 1529 with the landing at the city's first Governor and Captain General Ambrosius Ehinger representing the Welser, an Augsburg banking and trading family.
4. 1546: 1546 Milestone — It was then the first capital of the Spanish Captaincy General of Venezuela (1546–1578) and head of the first bishop founded in South America in 1531.
5. 1993: 1993 Milestone — Thanks to the city's history, culture and its well-preserved Colonial architecture, "Coro and its port La Vela" was designated in 1993 as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
6. 2005: 2005 Milestone — Since 2005 it is on the UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Coro, Venezuela

True or False: “The initial German settlement in the Americas established by the Welser family was located in Coro.”

Answer (TRUE ⭕): Coro served as Neu-Augsburg, making it the first German colony in the Americas under the Welser family between 1528 and 1546.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Abraham Ortelius — Historical peer (Born in 1527) (1527): Pioneering cartographer, creator of the first modern atlas, Theatrum Orbis Terrarum.
• Akiyama Nobutomo — Historical peer (Born in 1527) (1527): A prominent samurai of the Sengoku period, known for his service to the Takeda clan.
• Albrecht Dürer — Historical peer (Died in 1528) (1528): Master of the German Renaissance, renowned painter, printmaker, and theorist.
• Giovanni da Verrazzano — Historical peer (Died in 1528) (1528): Florentine explorer famed for charting the Atlantic coast of North America for France.
• Francisco de Orellana — Historical peer (Died in 1546) (1546): Spanish explorer famed for sailing the entire length of the Amazon River.
• Francisco de Vitoria — Historical peer (Died in 1546) (1546): Founder of the School of Salamanca, pivotal in natural law and international jurisprudence.
• Benedetto Castelli — Historical peer (Born in 1578) (1578): Italian mathematician known for his association with Galileo and his work in hydraulics.
• Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor — Historical peer (Born in 1578) (1578): Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, and key figure in the Counter-Reformation.
• Endō Naotsune — Historical peer (Born in 1531) (1531): Fierce warrior and officer under the Azai clan during Japan's Sengoku period.
• Huldrych Zwingli — Historical peer (Died in 1531) (1531): Swiss Reformation leader and theologian who championed scriptural reform in Zurich.

Frequently Asked Questions about Coro, Venezuela