Puerto Cabello

History

The foundation date of Puerto Cabello is not known although its name was documented for the first time on the map of the province of Caracas prepared in 1578 by Juan de Pimentel. Puerto Cabello's location made it an easy prey to buccaneers and was a popular trading post for Dutch smugglers during the 17th century. Most of the contraband trade consisted of cocoa with neighboring island Curaçao, colonized by the Dutch. Puerto Cabello was also at that time under Dutch control. It was not until 1730 that the Spanish took over the port, after the Real Compañía Guipuzcoana had moved in. This company built warehouses, wharves and an array of forts to protect the harbor. During the War of Jenkins' Ear, Puerto Cabello was the careening port of the company, whose ships had rendered great assistance to the Spanish navy in carrying troops, arms, stores and ammunition from Spain to her colonies, and its destruction was a severe blow to both the Company and the Spanish government. British Commodore Charles Knowles, in command of the 70-gun , received orders in 1743 to carry out attacks Puerto Cabello and La Guaira. Governor Gabriel de Zuluaga, well informed of the plans, recruited extra defenders and acquired gunpowder from the Dutch. Consequently, when Knowle's squadron attacked La Guaira on 18 February 1743, they were beaten off by the defenders. Knowles withdrew his squadron and refitted at Curaçao before attempting an assault on Puerto Cabello on April 15, and again on April 24, but both assaults were beaten off as well. Knowles called off the expedition and returned to Jamaica. By the 1770s, Puerto Cabello had come to be the most fortified town on the Venezuelan coast. The San Felipe castle and the Solano fortress remain from the period. The frigate Santa Cecilia (former ),…

Geography

Puerto Cabello is located in Carabobo State, about 210 km west of Caracas. Puerto Cabello has a borderline tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw), almost dry enough to be a hot semi-arid climate (BSh) as prevails further west on the Caribbean coast of Venezuela.

Most-observed species

• Black Vulture

  Coragyps atratus (Bechstein, 1793) · Aves
  152
• Great Kiskadee

  Pitangus sulphuratus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  128
• Carib Grackle

  Quiscalus lugubris Swainson, 1838 · Aves
  115
• Blue-gray Tanager

  Thraupis episcopus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  115
• Tropical Kingbird

  Tyrannus melancholicus Vieillot, 1819 · Aves
  105
• Magnificent Frigatebird

  Fregata magnificens Mathews, 1914 · Aves
  98
• Scarlet Ibis

  Eudocimus ruber (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  90
• Southern House-Wren

  Troglodytes musculus J.F.Naumann, 1823 · Aves
  87

Most recent

• M 4.3 — 2026-06-28
  19 km WSW of Morón, Venezuela
• M 4.5 — 2026-06-28
  20 km W of Boca de Aroa, Venezuela
• M 4.8 — 2026-06-27
  35 km NNE of El Limón, Venezuela
• M 4.7 — 2026-06-26
  54 km N of El Limón, Venezuela
• M 4.4 — 2026-06-26
  17 km WSW of Morón, Venezuela
• M 7.5 — 2026-06-24
  28 km SE of Yumare, Venezuela