Los Altos de Sucre

From the Recreation and Tourism Guide - Published - November 1990 - by the Direction of Tourism and Recreation of the Government of the State of Sucre, for the 1^st Handcrafts Fair held in Los Altos de Sucre on December 14/16, 1990.

The conquest and settlement of these lands was not easy for the Spaniards, due to the strong resistance of the natives. In the early XVI^th century, while the Franciscan friars founded the mission of Cumaná, the Dominican monks founded the one at Santa Fé in 1515, in the site called Chichirivichi by the Indians; however, it didn't last for long since by 1523 this mission didn't exist.

The Province of Nueva Andalucía is created in 1569 and in March 20, 1573, father Domingo in trip of Cumaná to Pozuelos, finds a village of Indians, very old perhaps, in what is today La Vega of Los Altos (de Sucre). Father Domingo, is the first to notice the settlement and, with such discovery, begins for us the history of Los Altos (de Sucre).

The friars Cayetano Carrocera and Iñigo Abbad tell us of a place called La Meseta or Las Mesetas. Friar Iñigo - in his book "Viaje a la América (Journey to America)" - includes a chart of the "State of the Province of Nueva Barcelona, that shows the number of inhabitants, priests, souls, neighbors, slaves, plantations, livestock and distance in leagues" and in it there is a Note:

"In Gulf of Santa Fé; in the coast between the cities of Cumaná and Barcelona there is a settlement of Spaniards that they call Las Mecetas, but since it is not a formal township and has neither church nor judge it is striken from the Chart"

We are sure that this settlement is not the town of Los Altos (de Sucre) but rather the village of San Pedro.

By this time - XVIII^th century - coffee is introduced in Venezuela and it is the region of Los Altos (de Sucre), where it is first cultivated in the east (of Venezuela).

In 1800, José Antonio Peñalver buys a stretch of arable land from the Spanish Government at Cumaná.

Los Altos (de Sucre) is populated by people come from Anzoátegui, Sucre and, especially, from Margarita. The turn into coffee planters; the arabs come later and prosper together with the former in coffee plantations. The region adds to the country's wealth; burdened donkeys takes the coffee beans to be shipped out of the port of Arapo, returning with money to Los Altos (de Sucre). Our coffe travels all the way to Spain and earns prizes for its very high quality. Coffee is then the most important crop; Venezuela becomes "Caficultora" (Coffee Planter) and manages to thrive off such bounty.

Coffee prices drop and the country turns sour but, in Los Altos (de Sucre) not all is lost; the descendance of those pioneers is good; Illustrious children of this town stand out in politics, science and business.

Petroleum nearly kills the region. The oil terminal at Puerto La Cruz offers jobs and people, not finding jobs here, accept it; they become "petroleros" (oil rednecks)", and abandon the haciendas and the town.

Los Altos (de Sucre) has changed names according to circumstances: Los Altos de Conoma, because it was from this beach, via El Chaparro that some of the residents arrived, Los Saltos (waterfalls), for those that existed in the Platero creek, that took it's name of General José Eleuterio García; this General had it's barracks in the El Saltico plantation, property of his sister.

Not always has Los Altos (de Sucre) been the capital of the Santa Fé Municipality; The first civil authority, Ambrosio Sifontes, at one time moved it to the town of San Pedro.

In the eighties decade, the Municipality is divided in two: Santa Fé, capital at Los Altos (de Sucre), and Raúl Leoni, capital at Puerto de Santa Fé.

N.A.: After this publication, in May 24 2000, the residents' petition of a change of name is granted - Official Gazette of the State Sucre - to Los Altos de Sucre, and designates it as capital of the Gran Mariscal parish of the Municipality of Sucre of the State of Sucre, to correct situations risen from confusing the name of the municipality (Santa Fé) with that of the capital of the neighboring (Puerto de Santa Fé) municipality,