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80-470: Its average annual temperature is about 27 degrees Celsius. The area was sighted by Alonso de Ojeda on his voyage of 1499. The site, inhabited by Island Caribs , has been mentioned since 1515. Its name comes from the indigenous cacique Igoroto who led the indigenous tribes of the area. Also its name is derived from the Latin origin voice "La Higuera", that is the plant whose fruit is the fig; In addition, it

160-482: A cent to bury him, I think, for all the pearls, the gold he had … stolen from the Indians, for all the slaves he had made of them the times he hit the mainland. He willed himself to be buried (beneath) the door of the … monastery of St. Francis..." This was so that all the visitors to the monastery would walk over his grave as a penance for all the errors that he had committed during his life. His remains were moved to

240-529: A continuous series of lightnings that are almost continuous and silent. This makes Lake Maracaibo the place with the most frequent lightning on Earth. There are about 233 lightning strikes per square kilometer in a year on average. The nocturnal thunderstorms occur on average about 297 days per year. At its peak in September, the lake area can experience up to 280 lightning strikes per hour, approximately 28 lightning strikes per minute, lasting up to 9 hours, and

320-547: A dozen men and the pirate Talavera still surviving, he arrived in the district of Cueybá where the chief Cacicaná provided food and shelter. Ojeda was true to his word and he built a small hermitage to the Virgin in the village, which was venerated by the local people. The party was rescued by Pánfilo de Narváez and taken to Jamaica , where Talavera was imprisoned for piracy. From Jamaica Ojeda returned to Hispaniola where he learned that Fernández de Enciso had been able to relieve

400-447: A little more than 300 men, two brigs and two smaller ships. Among those who embarked on these four vessels was Francisco Pizarro , the future conqueror of Peru . Hernán Cortés , who was later to dominate Mexico , would have been among the soldiers of fortune engaged in this adventure, had a sudden illness not prevented him from sailing. Due to the disputes regarding the extent of each of the two governorates, Juan de la Cosa decided that

480-399: A second voyage with a much larger fleet was organized for Columbus by Juan Rodríguez de Fonseca . Medinaceli had been a patron of both Columbus and Ojeda, so perhaps it is not surprising that Ojeda was selected at a relatively young age to captain one of the ships on this new voyage. Fonseca was also impressed with Ojeda and would later become his most important patron. The fleet sailed for

560-482: A series of what have become known as the "minor journeys" or "Andalusian journeys" that were made to the New World. On leaving Spain the flotilla sailed along the west coast of Africa to Cape Verde before taking the same route that Columbus had used a year before on his third voyage. After making landfall Vespucci decided to separate from the flotilla and he sailed south towards Brazil . The main flotilla arrived at

640-417: A small armed party led by Ojeda to search for gold in a mountainous region of the island known as Cibao. Ojeda returned two weeks later bringing a few substantial gold nuggets and reporting there was much gold to be found in the area. The discovery of gold focused attention on Cibao. In March 1494 Columbus led a group of nearly 500 men to explore the region. The hunt for gold was unsuccessful but natives from

720-458: A true tourist center. Higuerote has several beaches at a very short distance, such as Los Cocos beach. Other beaches in the area include: Chirimena, Puerto Francés, Caracolito, San Francisquito, Corrales, Chirere, Buche, and Playa Los Totumos beaches. It has the sculpture of its patroness virgin Virgen del Carmen at the entrance, a monument about 7.5 meters high; Showing us the religious faith of

800-409: Is a major environmental problem facing the lagoon. The area around the lagoon is inhabited by a quarter of the country's population and is also the place with the most frequent lightning on Earth. The famous Catatumbo lightning can illuminate nighttime navigation. Lake Maracaibo is located within the eponymous basin and is one of the oldest lakes on earth. It was formed 36 million years ago when

880-888: Is also home to two endangered aquatic mammals, the West Indian manatee and the Amazon river dolphin . About 145 species of fish inhabit the lake, including many endemic species such as the Maracaibo half-hooked catfish ( Hypostomus maracaiboensis ), the Maracaibo hairy catfish ( Trichomycterus maracaiboensis ), the Maracaibo Lake Lamont catfish ( Lamontichthys maracaibero ), Lake Maracaibo tetra ( Bryconamericus motatanensis ), and Maracaibo wolf anchovies ( Lycengraulis limnichthys ) living in surface waters. The lake has been drilled about 14,000 times, and more than 15,000 miles of oil and gas pipelines criss-cross

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960-405: Is capable of illuminating nighttime navigation. The aboriginal Añú  [ es ] people who lived on the banks of the lake refer to it as Coquivacoa. The tribes of Wayuu , Caquetíos , and Quiriquires also lived in the area. When Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci and Spanish explorer Alonso de Ojeda 's fleet sailed here on August 24, 1499 (the first time Europeans entered this area),

1040-422: Is deep in the south and shallow in the north. The northern half of the lake, which looks like a bottleneck, is 55 kilometers long. The southeastern edge of the lake basin with a flat bottom is steep and the northwestern edge is gentle. The southern part is lighter due to river water injection, while the northern part is slightly salty due to tidal influence. The Catatumbo River forms a bird-foot-shaped delta in

1120-547: Is disputed: it is usually stated that Ojeda returned in June 1500 but the historian Demetrio Ramos has suggested the earlier date of November 1499. Ojeda decided to make another journey and he received a new commission from the Catholic Monarchs on 8 June 1501. He was appointed Governor of Coquivacoa behind the back of Christopher Columbus. This appointment gave him the right to found a colony in this area, although he

1200-657: Is geographically a peninsula), while others like Toad have tectonic origins. The majority of the islands are located in the area of the Tablazo Bay and forms the Almirante Padilla municipality  [ es ] . The islands of Burro, Providencia, Hijacal, Pájaros, and the artificial islands are located at the neck of the lake and belong to other municipalities. Natural islands of Lake Maracaibo: Artificial islands of Lake Maracaibo: The 8,678 metres (28,471 ft) long General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge connects

1280-574: Is located in northwestern Venezuela , between the states of Zulia , Trujillo , and Mérida . While Maracaibo is commonly referred to as a lake, its current hydrological characteristics may better classify it as estuary and/or semi-enclosed bay connected to the Gulf of Venezuela . With a surface area of 13,512 km (5,217 sq mi), if counted as a lake it would be the largest in South America , ahead of Lake Titicaca, as well as one of

1360-694: Is located in the Maracaibo lowland in the faulted basin between the Perija Mountains and the Merida Mountains of the Eastern Cordillera Mountains in northwestern Venezuela. The lake is in the shape of a vase. It is 210 kilometers long from north to south, 121 kilometers wide from east to west, covers an area of 13,512 square kilometers, the deepest is 35 meters, the shore length is about 1000 kilometers, and

1440-626: Is named after an indigenous tree of this area known as Higuerote, similar to the fig, but smaller and used in America, for the construction of boats. It was a place of refuge for buccaneers and pirates, and from its waters came the smuggling of cocoa from the Barlovento area. According to Bartolomé de las Casas , Dominican friar and human rights activist in the Spanish-controlled New World, in his A Short Account of

1520-573: The Duke of Medinaceli , Luis de la Cerda. In service to the duke, he distinguished himself in the conquest of Granada with his military abilities, his skill as a swordsman and his bravery. Alonso was slight of stature, clever, and handsome. It was reputed that he was always the first to draw blood in any fight. According to Bartolomé de las Casas , he combined "in his person all the bodily perfections that man could have, despite his small size." Following Columbus's successful first voyage of discovery,

1600-632: The River Atrato would form the boundary between the two regions. Ojeda promised to make the wealthy lawyer Martín Fernández de Enciso mayor of the new colony that Ojeda planned to establish in New Andalusia. Encisco was ordered to follow on after the main flotilla with a chartered boat and more provisions. The main flotilla finally set sail from Santo Domingo on 10 November 1509, a few days ahead of Nicuesa. The flotilla arrived at Bahia de Calamar in present-day Cartagena ( Colombia ). This

1680-478: The capes of Cabo Gracias a Dios (on the border between present-day Honduras and Nicaragua ) and Cabo de la Vela in present-day Colombia. Juan de la Cosa went to Spain to represent Ojeda at court. One of Ojeda's rivals was Diego de Nicuesa . Both candidates had good reputations and sympathizers at court, so the King decided to divide the region into two governorates: Veragua to the west and New Andalusia to

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1760-649: The oldest lakes on Earth , having formed 36 million years ago in the Andes Mountains . The lake is connected to the Gulf of Venezuela to the north by a narrow spit . It is fed by numerous rivers, the biggest being the Catatumbo River . The fault in the northern section has collapsed and is rich in oil and gas resources. It is Venezuela's main oil producing area and an important fishing and agricultural producing area. Eutrophication caused by oil pollution

1840-565: The stilt houses in which the Añú lived in reminded Vespucci of the Italian city of Venice , so he named the region Veneziola ( Venezuela in Spanish), or "Little Venice". Spain made two attempts to establish settlements around the lake in 1529 and 1569, but it was not until 1574 that the city of Maracaibo was successfully established. The Privateer Henry Morgan raided settlements on the lake in

1920-400: The 70 colonists. A little later Fernández de Enciso, along with Vasco Núñez de Balboa , arrived to assist the survivors. The indigenous people who lived in the area later burnt down the fort. Ojeda eventually returned to Santo Domingo in the brig of a Spanish pirate called Bernardino de Talavera who was fleeing from Hispaniola and passed by the port. When Ojeda returned to Santo Domingo he

2000-585: The Andean mountains and lakes. The Lake District is home to a quarter of Venezuela's population, and with the influx of farmers from the nearby Andes, the population of the Lake District increased from about 300,000 in 1936 to over 3.62 million in 2007. Lake Maracaibo possesses highly oxygenated waters which makes it rich in algae, and in turn fish, making it very biologically diverse. It is home to clams, blue crabs , shrimp and other aquatic products, and

2080-538: The Caribs on the island did practice cannibalism. They reached Hispaniola at the end of November and discovered the fort, Navidad, constructed during the first voyage was in ruins and all the Spaniards left behind were dead. The local natives blamed the trouble on a cacique from the interior named Caonabo. They began to explore the island and build a permanent settlement named Isabela . In January 1494, Columbus sent

2160-555: The Destruction of the Indies , an unnamed Spanish adventurer exploited the goodwill and hospitality of the residents of this indigenous chiefdom. He issued an invite to the locals to board his ship, a frequent occurrence with many passing-by Spanish ships. However, this was a trick in order to get many men, women, and children on board so he could sail to Puerto Rico and sell them into slavery. According to Las Casas, this resulted in

2240-594: The Gulf of Paria and made landfall on Margarita Island where, according to some sources, he tried to obtain gold and pearls from the indigenous people using several different methods. He sailed along the coast of Venezuela from Curiana to the Paraguaná Peninsula. On 3 May 1502, he founded a colony on the Guajira Peninsula, at Bahia Honda . The colony was called Santa Cruz and it was the first Spanish settlement on Colombian territory and therefore

2320-647: The Santa Cruz colony was abandoned and the Governorship of Coquivacoa was abolished. On regaining his freedom Ojeda remained in Hispaniola for four years with little to do. (Some authors think that, on his release from prison, Ojeda returned to Spain. ) Then in 1508 he learned that King Ferdinand the Catholic was interviewing people interested in colonizing and governing the section of mainland between

2400-534: The Sociedad del Carmen. Alonso de Ojeda Alonso de Ojeda ( Spanish pronunciation: [aˈlonso ðe oˈxeða] ; c. 1466 – c. 1515) was a Spanish explorer, governor and conquistador. He travelled through modern-day Guyana , Venezuela , Trinidad , Tobago , Curaçao , Aruba and Colombia , at times with Amerigo Vespucci and Juan de la Cosa . He is famous for having named Venezuela, which he explored during his first two expeditions, for having been

2480-457: The Spanish were also raiding villages to capture Indians for slaves. An eyewitness account recorded by historian Bartolomé de las Casas notes, "The Spaniards worked an incredible slaughter on that village, they spared no one, women, children, babies or not. Then they robbed." These actions so provoked the indigenous people that they started to fight against the Spanish settlers. Ojeda defeated

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2560-599: The Spring of 1669 and defeated a Spanish squadron sent to intercept him. On July 24, 1823, Venezuela won the famous Battle of Lake Maracaibo on the lake during the Venezuelan War of Independence . The original depth of the lake mouth, which was only more than 4 meters deep, was increased to 8 meters after dredging in the 1930s, and the 3-kilometer-long stone breakwater was further increased to 11 meters after its completion in 1957, allowing ocean-going tankers to enter

2640-485: The area now known as Venezuela, as well as being possibly the first journey that Vespucci made to the New World. However, when the expedition arrived in Hispaniola on 5 September the followers of Christopher Columbus were angry because they considered that Ojeda was infringing upon Columbus's exploring privileges. This resulted in brawls and fights between both groups, which left many dead and wounded. Ojeda took many captives back to Spain whom he sold as slaves . Even so,

2720-483: The battle of Jáquimo), in which, under his command, the Spanish were victorious. An account of the battle written by Las Casas states that the native army comprised ten thousand warriors, while there were only some four hundred Spanish soldiers. Of course, these figures may have been exaggerated. Ojeda returned to Spain in 1496. On returning to Spain, Ojeda was commissioned by the Catholic Monarchs , without

2800-410: The bottom of the lake to float to the surface of the lake, which in turn allowed the duckweed to rapidly multiply and triggered a bloom that lasted for up to eight months. The blooms were noted in June to have covered 18% of the lake, and the local government had to begin spending about $ 2 million per month on cleanup work. Numerous oil spills , at least partly attributed to deficient maintenance, and

2880-568: The bottom of the lake, resulting in the accumulation of more than a five kilometer thick deposit of sediment on the bedrock. In the Pliocene , the depression of today's Lake Maracaibo reached what would be practically its current form. The numerous rivers that flow into the lake have been defining its banks, especially those that form the southern delta of the lake, where the Escalante , Catatumbo and Santa Ana rivers converge. Lake Maracaibo

2960-522: The brown waters that pour out of the rivers diffuse towards the west, explaining thus the bright blue color that has the sea in the zone of El Banquito. About 30 km north of the city is the Farallón Centinela , a large white and solitary rock of 3200 m that emerges 28 meters above the sea. The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen church, along with Plaza Bolívar square, the modern Plaza Francisco de Miranda square (inaugurated in 2009) and

3040-420: The bulk of the soldiers and search the island for gold, seize food from the natives, and capture Caonabo. At an important river crossing controlled by a friendly tribe, Ojeda arrested the local cacique and other officials with the allegation that some clothes had been stolen during a previous expedition. Ojeda cut the ears off one captive and sent the rest back to Isabela in chains. Ojeda's brutal punishment shocked

3120-472: The city of Venice , ( Italian : Venezia ), and so the area was given the name Venezuela meaning Little Venice . (However, according to Martín Fernández de Enciso , who supported Ojeda's 1509 expedition, they found a local population calling themselves the Veneciuela , so "Venezuela" may derive from the local term. ) The flotilla arrived at the entrance to Lake Maracaibo on 24 August 1499. The lake

3200-407: The city of Maracaibo, the lake water is contaminated with E. coli from feces, oil pollution, and eutrophication caused by agricultural sewage discharged into the lake, as well as domestic and industrial wastewater, resulting in the blooms of duckweed and green algae . The presence of large amounts of duckweed blocks the passage of sunlight, significantly affecting biological cycles, preventing

3280-409: The coast where they were rescued by the ships anchored in the bay. Nicuesa arrived with his flotilla soon after and, worried by Ojeda's losses, he gave him arms and men. The two men then forgot their differences and joined forces to seek revenge on the people of Turbaco, who were massacred to a man. Nicuesa then left for Veragua while Ojeda continued traveling along the coast of Nueva Andalucía toward

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3360-590: The colonists who had stayed in San Sebastián. After the failure of his journey to Nueva Andalucía, Ojeda did not mount any further expeditions and he renounced his position as governor. He lived out the last five years of his life in Santo Domingo. He later withdrew to the Monasterio de San Francisco where he died in 1515. Las Casas records of his death, that "He died sick and poor, he didn't have

3440-484: The destruction of the town and it caused anxiety among Spanish adventurers who lost a hospitable place of refuge in the area. The place has been a permanent settlement since the middle of the 19th century To the west it find Cabo Codera Cape and beyond this we find El puesto de Víctor, the beaches of Chirere, La Cangrejera and finally the Aricagua river. The Cabo Codera Cape works like a giant barrier that prevents that

3520-504: The development of native algae and plant species. Additionally, duckweed residues accumulate at the bottom, generating a layer of organic elements that produces large amounts of ammonium, methane and other compounds whose saturation causes eutrophication of the waters. In the spring of 2004, heavy rains fell in the Lake Maracaibo basin, causing a large influx of fresh water into the lake. This caused nutrients originally deposited on

3600-724: The different beaches of the town, are among the attractions of this town, which celebrates its patron saint festivities each year from 16 to 22 July, with different religious events and celebrations. Like several coastal towns and cities in Venezuela, Higuerote has a musical tradition, highlighting Afro-Caribbean rhythms, especially the Tambor . Surrounded by beaches, lagoons, natural channels, housing, commerce, urban spaces, shopping centers, tourist developments, inns, hotels, marinas, clubs, spas, restaurants, beach kiosks, communications centers, banks, ATMs, bakeries, among others, constitute it as

3680-466: The east as far as the Gulf of Urabá . The former was awarded to Nicuesa and the latter to Ojeda in a commission signed in 1508. The new governors repaired to Santo Domingo to prepare the expeditionary flotillas. There was a great disparity between the two flotillas. As Nicuesa was wealthier and had better credit with the colonial authorities he was able to attract 800 men, many horses, five caravels and two brigs . While Ojeda's flotilla only consisted of

3760-404: The east of the lake. On the northwest coast is the capital of Zulia State , the second largest city in Venezuela and an important oil export port in the world. The lake area is also an important fishing and agricultural production area in Venezuela, supporting more than 20,000 fishermen, many of whom live in colorful traditional stilt houses built with iron sheets on the lake. The main crops on

3840-521: The faults collapsed when the Andes were uplifted in the late Eocene . In the geological history, sea water and fresh water have alternated many times, and have flooded the area. At the end of the last glacial period , the sea level rose, connecting Lake Maracaibo directly with the Atlantic Ocean , and the lighter fresh water floated on the heavier salt water, causing nutrients to be deposited on

3920-630: The first European to visit Guyana, Curaçao, Colombia, and Lake Maracaibo , and later for founding Santa Cruz (La Guairita). Alonso de Ojeda was born in Torrejoncillo del Rey , New Castile around 1466. His father, Rodrigo de Huete, was a minor noble who fought for Isabel in 1474 during the War of the Castilian Succession . Isabel was grateful for his support and put his son, Alonso, under her protection. In his youth, Alonso served

4000-400: The first Indian rebellion took place at this spot; the fort was destroyed and ten Spaniards killed by the local tribes. Columbus retaliated with a force of 500 led by Ojeda. The rebels were badly beaten and some 1500 were taken as slaves—600 were shipped to Spain and the remaining were parceled out to those on the island. Alonso de Ojeda also took part in the battle of Vega Real (also called

4080-495: The first on the American mainland. However, the colony did not last for more than three months, as the new arrivals started attacking the indigenous villages in the area, causing constant conflict with them. In addition to this, there were personal difficulties between Ojeda and his men. At this point, Vergara and Campos took Ojeda prisoner and abandoned the settlement with the small amount of plunder that had been captured. Ojeda

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4160-409: The flotilla left Santo Domingo the assistance promised by Fernández de Enciso still had not arrived. Francisco Pizarro was placed in charge of the fort and ordered to stay there for the fifty days that it would take for Ojeda to travel to and return from Santo Domingo. However, Ojeda never returned to San Sebastian and after the fifty days, Pizarro decided to leave the colony in the two brigs along with

4240-523: The former Convento Dominico. The excavations also found the remains of Bartholomew Columbus . Ciudad Ojeda , a city on the eastern shore of Lake Maracaibo, is named in his honor. The Spanish writer Vicente Blasco Ibáñez tells the story of the life of the conquistador in his novel El Caballero de la Virgen (1929). Also the Spanish writer Alberto Vázquez-Figueroa tells the story of Ojeda's life in his novel Centauros (2007). Lake Maracaibo Lake Maracaibo ( Spanish : Lago de Maracaibo )

4320-409: The importance of the voyage comes from the fact that it was the first detailed reconnaissance of the coast of Venezuela and that Spanish explorers carried it out. Following Columbus's third voyage Ojeda is credited with leading the second European expedition to have visited Venezuela, and the first to have visited Colombia. The expedition also gave Juan de la Cosa the chance to draw the first known map of

4400-463: The indiscriminate discharge of sewage without prior treatment, have significantly deteriorated the water quality, to the point that in some parts of the Zulia area, the water presents levels of contamination that are very dangerous for health. Within the existing polluting activities, the mining of mineral coal has started more recently, which further contaminates the basin with pollutants. Likewise,

4480-496: The inhabitants of the town of Higuerote. In the area there is a great variety of beaches, which are: More cloudy beaches More transparent beaches The fairs in honor to the virgin Virgen del Carmen , patron saint of Higuerote, are celebrated on July 16, and there are processions by land and sea, songs, offerings and fireworks throughout Higuerote. Religious activities in honor of the Virgen del Carmen are organized every year by

4560-547: The island of Hispaniola in September 1493 and reached the Caribbean in November. One of their first stops was the island of Guadalupe where a landing party went missing. Fearing for their safety (the islanders were suspected of being cannibals), Columbus sent Ojeda ashore with an armed contingent to search for the lost group. The missing party eventually showed up on their own but Ojeda's search turned up additional evidence that

4640-413: The lake area is 28 °C, the precipitation is more in the south and less in the north, and the average annual rainfall in the south is 1400 mm. The mountain wind from the Andes at night contacts the warm and humid air on the lake surface, forming an average of 297 mm per year. The meteorological phenomenon known as Catatumbo lightning takes place in southern part of the lake, characterized by

4720-437: The lake floor, but most of these pipelines are half a century old, with oil leaking from many aging underwater pipes. Before the 1950s, the lake water could still be used directly for domestic use, but then due to the intrusion of tidal salt water caused by the widening of the lake mouth channel, the salinity of the northern lake area increased by about 1,000%, and the south also increased by 300–500%. In lakeside towns such as

4800-415: The lake, At the same time, the northern part, which was originally fresh water, became brackish. The 8,678-meter General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge over the lake connecting Maracaibo and Santa Rita was completed in 1962. Lake Maracaibo is rich in oil and gas resources and is known as the "oil lake". The first Spaniards who arrived used tar seeping from the lake to fill ship cracks. The Maracaibo oil field

4880-409: The local people and turned them against the Spaniards. When Ojeda arrived at the fort, Margarite refused to follow Columbus's orders and remained at the fort with his men. Not long after he returned to Spain, disapproving of the chaotic situation and mistreatment of the Indians. After Margarite's refusal to capture Caonabo, Columbus ordered Ojeda to find the cacique allegedly responsible for destroying

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4960-525: The mouths of the rivers Essequibo and Orinoco in the Gulf of Paria . It also visited the peninsulas of Paria and Araya, the islands of Trinidad and Margarita and traveled along the continental coast, always in search of a passage towards India. The flotilla then sailed along the Paraguaná Peninsula and sighted the island of Curacao , which was named Giants Island as the indigenous people that were seen were thought to be giants. During

5040-404: The natives in the coastal area and on pursuing some of the survivors who had escaped into the jungle he came upon the village of Turbaco . The Spanish were then taken by surprise by a counterattack. Nearly the entire party were wiped out in the battle and Juan de la Cosa sacrificed his life so that Ojeda could escape. Only one other Spanish soldier survived the battle and he and Ojeda fled back to

5120-418: The original Spanish settlement at Navidad. According to Bartolomé de las Casas , Ojeda presented Caonabo with a fine set of polished brass manacles and shackles and convinced him to wear them as a symbol of royalty. The ruse was successful and Ojeda brought the chief back to Columbus. Following Ojeda's mistreatment of the Indians at the river, a fort had to be built to protect the vital crossing. Late in 1494,

5200-501: The party faced several difficulties en route and half of the men died of hunger, illness or other hardships that they met along the way. The sole possession remaining to Ojeda was an image of the Virgin Mary , which he had carried with him since he left Spain. He made a promise on this image that he would build a church dedicated to her in the first village that he reached where he was given hospitality. A little later, and with only

5280-410: The permission of Columbus, to sail for America again, which he did on 18 May 1499 with three caravels . He travelled with the pilot and cartographer Juan de la Cosa and the Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci . While Columbus had touched a small portion of Venezuelan coast in 1498, it was only after this voyage that sustained contact with indigenous people was established. This was the first of

5360-520: The same journey, he constructed a ship and visited the islands of Aruba and the Las Aves archipelago . During the voyage along the Paraguaná Peninsula, the flotilla entered into a gulf ( Gulf of Venezuela ) where there were villages of the Wayuu people with palafito houses built over the water and supported on stilts made from tree trunks. These villages are said to have reminded Amerigo Vespucci of

5440-499: The so-called cañadas , which are random drainage courses, drag large amounts of garbage from the human settlements that are in their path to the lake. In addition to this, residential waste such as plastic bags and bottles are also added. These pollutants all eventually get carried into the lake. There are many islands in the lake. Some primarily consist of sedimentary rock , such as the Zapara, Pescadores, and San Carlos islands (which

5520-560: The south bank of the lake are bananas, peanuts, cocoa, coconut, sugar cane and coffee, the western shore of the lake developed dairy industry. Lake Maracaibo and the Catatumbo River are the main traffic lines for the transportation of commodities in the nearby area, and the city of Maracaibo is the transshipment center of coffee produced in the Andes. The waterway can pass through large sea-going ships and oil tankers, exporting crude oil and agricultural and livestock products from

5600-399: The southwest of the lake basin, and the surface lake water in the delta has a salinity of only 0.13%. However, the intrusion of seawater from the mouth of the lake makes the salinity of the bottom lake water higher, reaching 0.2–0.3%. The north is connected with the Gulf of Venezuela , and the spit at the mouth of the lake extends for about 26 kilometers. The annual average temperature of

5680-417: The southwest. On 20 January 1510 he founded the settlement of San Sebastián de Urabá , which in reality was little more than a fort. However, the fort soon grew short of food, which exacerbated the problems caused by the unhealthy climate and the constant threat of attack by the local tribes who attacked the Spaniards with poisoned arrows. Ojeda was wounded in the leg by one such attack. Eight months after

5760-497: The surrounding area brought in gold for trade. Columbus established a fort, Santo Tomas (named as a rebuke to those who doubted the presence of gold), to serve as a trading post and as a base for further prospecting. Pedro Margarite, a nobleman from Aragon and a confidant of the king, was put in command of the fort when Columbus returned to Isabela. In April 1494, Columbus sent Ojeda with a force of about 350 soldiers to relieve Margarite at Santo Tomas. Columbus wanted Margarite to take

5840-504: The volume is about 280 cubic kilometers. The largest river entering the lake, the Catatumbo River , enters the lake from west to east, providing 57% of the water entering the lake. In addition to the influence of the prevailing wind, the lake water circulates counterclockwise. There are also the Santa Ana River, Chama River , Motatán River , Escalante River , and about fifty other rivers which drain into it. Lake Maracaibo

5920-466: The voyage was not financially successful, netting some fifteen thousand maravedis in profit to be divided among the fifty-five crew members surviving from the original three hundred. Note, that since forty maravedis per day was an average wage for skilled labor at this time, they could have made more money staying at home. Returning on the heels of Pedro Alonso Nino 's smaller but far more lucrative voyage magnified this disappointment. The date of return

6000-479: Was accompanied by seventy men and he was seeking help. However, the pirate took Ojeda prisoner and would not set him free. At this point, a powerful hurricane struck the boat and Talavera had to seek help from Ojeda. Despite their efforts, the ship was shipwrecked at Jagua, Sancti Spíritus , in the south of Cuba . Ojeda decided to travel along the coast on foot with Talavera and his men to reach Maisí Point from where they would be able to get to Hispaniola. However,

6080-718: Was advised not to visit Paria. On this occasion he formed a partnership with the Andalusian merchants Juan de Vergara and García de Campos , who were able to charter four caravels : the Santa María de la Antigua , the Santa María de la Grenada , the Magdalena , and the Santa Ana . Ojeda set sail from Spain in January 1502 and he followed the same route as his first voyage. On this occasion, he kept his distance from

6160-401: Was against the wishes of De la Cosa who did not want to land in the area. After disembarking with about 70 men Ojeda encountered some indigenous tribes. He then sent out missionaries and interpreters to read out the proclamation that had been drafted by Palacios Rubios. The indigenous people were upset by this proclamation and so Ojeda tried to placate them by offering them trinkets. At this time

6240-427: Was discovered in 1914, the first oil well was constructed in 1917, and large-scale exploitation began in 1922. The oil fields are concentrated in the northeast and northwest of the lake, and the oil-producing layers are mainly Tertiary sandstone and Cretaceous limestone, with a hydrocarbon-bearing area of 1,300 square kilometers, mainly concentrated in the coastal waters 105 kilometers long and 32 kilometers wide in

6320-472: Was originally named after Saint Bartholomew as this was his saints day. Ojeda also reached Cabo de la Vela , on the Guajira Peninsula, which he named Coquivacoa . A few days later the expedition left Cabo de la Vela for Hispaniola with some pearls obtained in Paria, a little gold and several slaves. The scarcity of goods and slaves resulted in a poor economic return for investors in the expedition. However,

6400-458: Was put in prison in Hispaniola in May 1502, where he was held until 1504. He was released following an appeal made by Archbishop Rodríguez de Fonseca, although he had to pay a costly indemnity, which left him with little money. The second voyage was, therefore, a failure as he had not discovered any new areas and he had not received much of a share of the plunder obtained by Vergara and Campos. Besides,

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