Tocuyo de la Costa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tocuyo de la Costa
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 Tocuyo de la Costa
Location in Venezuela
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Tocuyo de la Costa is a town in Falcón State, Venezuela. It's located right by the beautiful beaches of Parque National Morrocoy. This town sits on the banks of the Tocuyo River, about 4.64 miles (7.47 km) from where it flows into the Caribbean Sea. You can find it on the eastern coast of Falcón State, close to the Cuare Wildlife Refuge and Morrocoy National Park.
Who Lived Here First?
It's believed that the very first people to live in this area were the Mapubares tribe. Their mission settlements were found on hills near the towns of El Alto and Santa Rosa. You could even see the ruins of these old homes until recently! There might have also been other early settlements on small hills near La Villa and San Juan de los Cayos.
Over time, the original Indigenous people mixed with Spanish settlers and enslaved people brought from Africa. Later, more European immigrants, especially from Spain and Italy, also came to live in the area. This mix of cultures created the community you see today.
How the Town Started
According to Professor Jose Antonio Zabala Zambrano's book, Raíces de Pueblo (Roots of a Town), the town of San Miguel River Tocuyo (as it was once called) began around 1560.
One interesting fact is that when the cathedral in Coro was built (between 1583 and 1637), the wood for it came from the mountains around Tocuyo de la Costa. Workers would cut the wood and float it down the river. Then, ocean currents would carry it to La Vela de Coro or the dunes.
In 1561, a small army from Coro chased after a rebel leader named Lope de Aguirre. They stopped in San Miguel de Rio Tocuyo and learned that Aguirre was in Barquisimeto. From there, the troops returned to the city of Coro.
Ramon Rivero, a local historian, shared that just one year after Christopher Columbus discovered the "New World" in 1498, another Spanish expedition arrived. This group was led by Don Alonso de Ojeda, with famous explorers like Juan de la Cosa and Amerigo Vespucci. They explored the coast from east to west, eventually finding a calm, safe bay that caught their attention.
