Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-05T15:19:01.843Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Margarita Island, Exporter of People

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

C. S. Alexander
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Margarita Island, Venezuela, located at the southeastern corner of the Caribbean, has been exporting people to mainland Venezuela for over 450 years (Fig. 1). However, over the years the reasons for the migration and the character of the migrants have changed. Within a few years of the island's discovery in 1498, some of the aboriginal inhabitants, the Guayquerí Indians, moved to the mainland. Perhaps this was the result of a falling out with the Spaniards. Others became loyal allies of the Spaniards and accompanied them as auxiliary troops in the Spanish invasions of the mainland. About 1550, some Guayquerí began to move from Margarita into areas along the Paria-Cumaná coast which, as the result of Spanish invasions and slave raids, had lost much of their native Indian population. Eventually, the Guayquerí remaining on the island were almost entirely absorbed into the mestizo population of Margarita. The islanders — Margariteños now — continued migrating to the mainland.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Inter-American Studies , Volume 3 , Issue 4 , October 1961 , pp. 549 - 557
Copyright
Copyright © University of Miami 1961

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1 Thomas McCorkle. Community persistence and culture change on Margarita Island, Venezuela. Ph.D. Thesis, University of California, Berkeley. 1954. pp. 233-234.

2 Alexander, Charles S.. “The Geography of Margarita and Adjacent Islands, Venezuela.” Univ. of Calif. Pub. Geog. Vol. 12, 1958. p. 129 Google Scholar.

3 Antonio Vásquez de Espinosa. Compendium and Description of the West Indies. Trans. Charles Upson Clark. Smithson. Misc. Coll., Vol. 102. p. 46.

4 Alexander. Op. cit. p. 124.

5 Colección de documentos inéditos relativos al descubrimiento, conquista y organización de las antiguas posesiones españolas de América y Oceania, (hereafter cited as DIO) Madrid, 1864-1884. Vol. 1, pp. 423-426, 438-439.

Juan de Castellanos. Elegios de Varones ilustres de Indies. Biblioteca de Autores Expañoles. Madrid, 1874. pp. 144-145.

Gonzalo Fernández Oviedo y Valdez. Historia General y Natural de las Indias, Islas y Tierra Firme del Mar Océano. Asunción del Paraguay, 1944. Vol. 4. pp. 112-113.

6 Antonio de Herrera y Tordesillas. Historia General de los Hechos de Los Castellanos en Las Indias y Tierra Firme del Mar Océano. Buenos Aires, 1944. Vol. 7. pp. 5-6, 98-105, 158-162; Vol. 8. pp. 29-30.

7 DIO. Vol. 1. p. 439.

8 Nicolás Federmann. Narración del Primer viaje de Federmann a Venezuela. Trans. Pedro Manuel Arcaya. Caracas, 1916. pp. 89-106.

9 Op. cit. p. 89.

10 Vila, Marco-Aurelio. Aspectos Geográficos del Estado Portugués. Caracas, 1954. p. 146.Google Scholar

11 Federmann. Op. cit. pp. 100-101.

12 McCorkle, Thomas. “The History of the Guayqueri: An Approach to the Anthropology of northeastern Venezuela.” Kroeber Anthropological Society Papers. Berkeley, No. 6. 1952. p. 75.Google Scholar

13 Fray Froylan de Rionegro, (ed.). Relaciones de las misiones de hs pp. Capuchinos en las antiguas provincias españolas—hoy República de Venezuela, 1650-1717. Seville, 1918. Vol. 2. p. 15.

14 Fray Froylan de Rionegro, (ed.). Misiones des los Padres Capuchinos. 1646-1817. Pontevedra, 1929. pp. 143, 145, 147.

15 Caulin, Antonio. Historia Corográfica, Natural y Evangélica de Nueva Andalucía. Caracas, 1841, (written c. 1779). p. 132.Google Scholar

16 Gumilla, Padre Joseph, Historia Natural, Civil y Geográfica de las naciones situadas en las riveras del Río Orinoco. Barcelona, 1791. Vol. 1, p. 158.Google Scholar

17 Caulin. Op. cit. p. 313.

18 Rionegro, 1929. Op. cit. p. 235.

19 Castellanos. Op. cit. p. 133.

20 José Oviedo y Baños. Historia de la Conquista y Población de la Provincia de Venezuela. Madrid, 1885, (written c. 1723). Vol. 1. pp. 230-231, 236-242, 251-275, 349-359, 367-370.

21 Op. cit. Vol. 2. pp. 46-47.

22 Dávila, Vicente (ed.). Encomiendos. Archivos Nacional de Venezuela. Caracas, 1927. Vol. 1. pp. 33, 108, 143, 331, 334.Google Scholar

23 SirRalegh, Walter. The discoverie of the large and bewtiful Empire of Guiana. Harlow, V. T., ed. London, 1928. pp. 95, 97, 101, 108, 123.Google Scholar

24 Francisco Alvarez de Villanueva. Conversión en Píritu de Indios Cumanagotos y Palenques. Colección de Libros Raros o Curiosos que Tratan de América. Madrid, 1892. Vol. 7. p. 69.

25 Caulin. Op. cit. p. 287.

26 Venezuela. Documents relating to the questions of boundary between Venezuela and British Guayana. Wash., D.C., 1896. Vol. 1. p. 219; Vol. 3. p. 81. Great Britain. Documents and Correspondence relating to the question of Boundary between British Guiana and Venezuela. London, 1896. Vol. 1. pp. 128- 129.

27 McCorkle, 1952. Op. cit. p. 70.

28 Hakluyt Works, Series I, Vol. 21. History of the New World. By Girolamo Benzoni (written c. 1555). p. 3.

DIO. Vol. 1. pp. 560-563.

29 Morón, Guillermo. Los Orígenes Históricos de Venezuela. Introducción al siglo XVI. Madrid, 1954. Vol. 1. pp. 173–174, 210, 307.Google Scholar

30 Ralegh. Op. cit. pp. 130-131.

31 Rionegro, 1918. Op. cit. pp. 77, 114.

32 Venezuela. Documents, Op. cit. Vol. 1. pp. 26.

33 Venezuela. Ministerio de Justicia, Comisión Indigenista. Fuero Indígena Venezolano. Caracas, 1954. Part 1. pp. 245-247.

34 Alexander von Humboldt. Personal narrative of travels of the equinoctial regions of America during the years 1799-1804. Trans. Thomasina Ross. London, 1852-53. Vol. 1. pp. 154-155.

35 Venezuela. Boletín del Archivo Nacional. 1941. Vols. 27-28. pp. 130, 219.

36 B. Tavera-Acosta. Historia de Carúpano. Primer Tomo. Caracas, 1930. pp. 24-27, 37.

37 Andrés A. Level. Esbozos de Venezuela: Primero Esbozo—La Margarita (Estado Nueva Esparta). Caracas, 1881. pp. 9-10.

Francisco Javier Yanes. Historia de Margarita y observaciones del General Francisco Esteban Gómez, (written c. 1830-1835). Caracas, 1948. pp. 183-186.

38 Lisboa, Consejero. Relación de un Viaje a Venezuela, Nueva Granada y Ecuador. Caracas-Madrid, 1954, (written c. 1852). p. 165.Google Scholar

39 Manuel Landaeta Rosales. Gran recopilación geográfica estadística e histórica de Venezuela. Caracas, 1889. Vol. 1. p. 126.

40 Venezuela: Ministerio de Fomento, Dirección General de Estadística. Séptimo censo nacional de población, 1941. Caracas. Vol. III. p. 384.

41 United States: Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. Venezuela, Summary of Biostatistics, Wash., D.C., 1944. pp. 58-59, 69.

42 Venezuela: Ministerio de Fomento, Dirección General de Estadística. Octavo censo general de población, 1950. Caracas, Vol. VIII. pp. iv-v.