Port Sucre
Review and History

Port Sucre is the port for the city of Cumana, the capital of Venezuela's State of Sucre. Lying at the mouth of the Manzanares River as it enters the Caribbean Sea, Port Sucre is about 1.6 kilometers from Cumana further inland and about 167 nautical miles east of the Port of La Guaria. Cumana is a center for manufacturing and commerce in an agricultural region that grows cacao, coffee, sugarcane, beans, tobacco, and many fruits. Port Sucre's mother city is home to a major sardine-canning industry. In 2001, about 263 thousand people lived in Port Sucre's Cumana.

Port History

Founded in 1515 by Franciscan monks, Cumana was named Nueva Toledo in 1521 after being re-established several times when the indigenous people attacked the fledgling village. The city was rebuilt again in 1569 by Diego Fernandez de Serpa. Today, the city boasts that it is the oldest European settlement in South America.

Drawn by the pearl fisheries at the island of Cubagua and near Cumana, the Spanish used the local indigenous Guaiqueri as divers and fishermen.

The early settlement was plagued by privateers and earthquakes, but it thrived on trade with Spain and neighboring settlements during the colonial period. Unfortunately, little of the 16th Century settlement survived the earthquakes.

Today, Cumana reaches Port Sucre at the mouth of the Manzanares River. Port Sucre supports one of the country's biggest tuna fleets and many of the country's best beaches.

From the beach near Port Sucre, one can see an old Spanish Fort, the Castillo de San Antonio de la Eminencia, which is open to the public. The 1669 Castillo de Santa Maria de la Cabeza also survived the earthquakes.

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