Venezuela Province

Province of Venezuela
Provincia de Caracas
Province of the Spanish Empire
1527–1864
Cross of Burgundy Coat of arms of Venezuela
Provincia de Venezuela y las Guayanas
Capital		Santa Ana de Coro - (1527 - 1546) - (1546 - 1577) Caracas - (from 1577)
Languages		Spanish
Religion		Christianity (Roman Catholicism)
Government		Monarchy (before 1811) Republic (after 1811)
King (before 1811) President (after 1811)		Kings of Spain President of Venezuela
Historical era		Spanish colonization
•	Royal Decree	1527
•	Viceroyalty of New Granada	1717
•	Captaincy General of Venezuela	1777
•	Dissolved after Federal War	1864
Currency		Spanish colonial real
Preceded by Succeeded by New Spain Viceroyalty of New Granada Captaincy General of Venezuela Venezuela
Today part of		Venezuela

Venezuela Province (or Province of Caracas) was a province of the Spanish Empire (from 1527), of Gran Colombia (1824-1830) and later of Venezuela (from 1830), apart from a brief interlude (1528 - 1546) when it was contracted as a concession by the King of Spain to the German Welser banking family, as Klein-Venedig.

It has its origins with the 1527 foundation of Santa Ana de Coro by Juan de Ampíes, the province's first governor. Coro was the province's capital until 1546, followed by (1546 - 1577). The capital was moved to Caracas in 1577 by Juan de Pimentel. At one time Calabozo (founded 1724) was its capital.

Early on, the province was defined in relation to the Venezuelan coastline (with Margarita Province to the north covering the Isla Margarita region). New Andalusia Province (created 1537) soon provided an eastern boundary, excepting a brief period (1633-1654) when the short-lived New Catalonia Province existed between the Venezuela and New Andalusia provinces. Guayana Province (created 1585) formed a southern boundary. Matters in the west were more complex and fluid, but the Maracaibo Province (from 1676) formed clearly the largest part until the Barinas Province was split from it in 1786.

For most of its existence the province was subject to the legal and administrative supervision of the Royal Audiencia of Santo Domingo (except for two short periods from 1717 to 1723 and 1739 to 1742). Administrative supervision was transferred to the Viceroyalty of New Granada when this was created in 1717, and in 1777 to the new Captaincy General of Venezuela. Legal supervision by Santo Domingo ended in 1786 when the Royal Audience of Caracas became functional within the new Captaincy-General.