Pre-Columbian history When the Spanish arrived, the region was inhabited by various
Caribbean tribes. Among them were the Caracas, the Teques, the
Cumanagotos, the
Mariches and the Quiriquires. The Teques inhabited the southwestern part of
Guaire. The Mariches inhabited the eastern part of the Caracas Valley. They practiced
hunting and gathering, while others lived by fishing. When the Spanish
conquistadors arrived, these tribes were brave enough to fight for their territory, commanded by
caciques like
Guaicaipuro and Yare.
Spanish Colonization Guaicaipuro was a legendary cacique of the Teques and Caracas Indians who resisted the conquistador
Diego de Losada, while cacique Yare was the Cumanagoto, Quiriquire, Charagoto and Arauco chief who killed Captain Mendoza, who had murdered the Indian
Tamanaco. Once all the tribes were subdued, the Spaniards settled completely on these lands, founding the city of
Caracas, and later different towns in the interior of the state of Miranda. During the colonial era, this region became part of the
Province of Caracas. At the end of the 16th century and beginning of the 17th century the highlands were used to cultivate, among other products, wheat destined largely for export to
Cartagena de Indias and the
Caribbean islands. From the second decade of the 17th century,
cocoa displaced these crops. All commercial activities were
monopolized by the
Royal Guipuzcoa Company, which generated the first discontents and uprisings against the crown. From the beginning of the 17th century, slave labour quickly replaced the Indian labour force, concentrating on the Windward region, which was the largest cocoa producer. It was in this region that the first free blacks rose up against their masters, but were later stifled by Spanish troops.
19th Century After the dissolution of
Gran Colombia, Venezuela still used the
provinces as a political-territorial organization, which had been used for a long time. Miranda, at that time, was part of a province. Between 1832 and 1855 the use of the province persisted due to the confusion generated by the existence of a state as a political division of the country. The division by states did not appear in Venezuela in a concrete way until 1864, when about twenty states were founded which, in the following governments, would be reduced to nine; among these was the state of Guzmán Blanco, which by 1873 only covered the region of
Aragua. In 1881, the State of Guzmán Blanco expanded its territory to include the region of Miranda, among other nearby regions that were included as part of
Guárico. In 1889, the territory of the Guzmán Blanco State was again modified by the
Constitution, and its size was reduced by excluding several regions of the country such as the region of Aragua, but renaming the State as Edo Miranda.
20th and 21st Centuries In 1900, by decree of General
Cipriano Castro, the state of Caracas was included in Miranda. Caracas was renamed Miranda State with the provisional capital in
Santa Lucía. In 1901, the political-territorial space was modified again and the capital of the state became
Petare, and in 1904 it was changed to
Ocumare del Tuy. In 1909 the last important modification was made, changing the capital to
Los Teques. In 1982, the municipality of
Los Salias was founded through the Official Gazette of the State of Miranda. In 1989, after the decentralization carried out by President
Carlos Andrés Perez,
Arnaldo Arocha was elected the first governor by popular vote. In October 2017,
Héctor Rodríguez Castro was elected governor of the State of Miranda, after facing
Carlos Ocariz in an election.
Chronology • In 1568 the mayor of Caracas, Francisco de Infante, killed the cacique Guaicaipuro, representative of the indigenous resistance in Venezuela. • In 1572 another of the men who fought against the Spanish conquest, the cacique Tamanaco, was also killed by the conquistadors. • In 1580 a
smallpox epidemic breaks out, brought from
Guinea by the black slaves, which ends the life of 20,000 aborigines in three years. • In 1620 the process of founding new cities begins. • In 1812 the
royalists offered freedom to black slaves who took up arms against the Republicans. A general rebellion by the blacks caused panic among the landowners and led to the fall of the regime. • In 1861, a wave of fighting broke out between the conservatives and the Feds. • In 1841, the Federal Constitution created Miranda as an autonomous entity. • In 1884, a plague of locusts swept through Miranda and, as the
shade trees withered, ruined the coffee and cocoa plantations. • In 1886, the Venezuelan Central Railroad entered service. • In 1891 a new division of Miranda became part of the State of Guzmán Blanco, together with the provinces of Caracas, Aragua, Guarico and
Nueva Esparta. • In 1891 the first census was taken, more than 165,000 people lived in the current cantons of Miranda. • In 1892, during the
Legalist Revolution, various battles took place in the region between the forces of
Joaquín Crespo and
Raimundo Andueza Palacio. • In 1893 the state of Miranda was formed, with the territories of Caracas (with the current state of Miranda), Guárico and Nueva Esparta. • In 1894, the Great Venezuelan Railroad entered service. • In 1897 the Compañía Anónima Electricidad de Caracas founded two years before by the engineer
Ricardo Zuloaga installed the first
hydroelectric station known as "El Encantado" located between the towns of Petare and
Guarenas, thus initiating the stage of
electric lighting of the city of Caracas. • In 1899, the Mirandina territory was included in the province of Caracas. • In 1900, by decree of General Cipriano Castro, the state of Caracas was renamed the state of Miranda, with Santa Lucía as its provisional capital. • In 1901 a new territorial division was proclaimed that maintained the state of Miranda, with Petare as its capital. • In 1904 the state of Miranda was maintained, with the capital in Ocumare del Tuy. • In 1907 an iron bridge was built in Ocumare over the
Tuy River, a remarkable work of engineering for the time. • In 1909 the state of Miranda was structured as it is today, but with its capital in Ocumare del Tuy, later Los Teques was designated the capital of the state. • In 1924 the first modern paper factory in Venezuela was installed in El Encantado. • In 1927, the Legislative Assembly orders that the capital of the state of Miranda be moved to Los Teques. • In 1948, according to the Law, the political-administrative division of Miranda State includes 10 districts and 35
municipalities. • In 1957, the thermoelectric plant of La Mariposa, to supply energy for the pumping of water to Caracas, was put into service. • In 1958,
Guatopo National Park was established. • In 1967, a
6.5 Richter scale earthquake occurred, leaving 240 dead, hundreds injured and great material losses. On Dec. 5, the Legislative Assembly of Miranda State created the Independence district, with its capital in
Santa Teresa del Tuy. • In February 1989, general protests began to emerge in Guarenas due to the rise in public transport prices, which then spread to the whole country, degenerating into an uncontrolled wave of looting, called
El Caracazo. • In 1992, the state of Miranda was organized in 21 municipalities and 55
parishes. • In 1999,
heavy rains caused havoc in the region of
El Guapo when the dam of the same name broke. • In 2000, four municipalities of Miranda were integrated into the Metropolitan District of Caracas, but still part of the state of Miranda. ==Geography==