Juan Griego is a city on the northern side of

Isla Margarita Margarita Island (, ) is the largest island in the Venezuelan state of Nueva Esparta, situated off the northeastern coast of the country, in the Caribbean Sea. The capital city of Nueva Esparta, La Asunción, is located on the island. History ...

, and is the most northern port in

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

. It has a population of 28,256 inhabitants (as per census of 2001) and is capital of the Marcano municipality of the

Nueva Esparta The Nueva Esparta State (in Spanish: ''Estado Nueva Esparta'', ), is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. It comprises Margarita Island, Coche, and the largely uninhabited Cubagua. The state has the smallest area, and is located off the nort ...

state.

History

The city is named after Juan the Greek, in Spanish "Juan Griego" who was born in

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

in the early 16th century. He was a navigator who crossed the ocean for the Americas. He started a prosperous business of transporting captive Indians from the island to

Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 ( Distrito Nacional) , webs ...

. He is mentioned in a census of 1545. After dying, the rest of the inhabitants of the town, probably for being the most prominent citizen of the place, began to call it after its founder. The city began to receive importance in 1811 when, during the Venezuela War of Independence, it became a port and the construction of a battery to protect it military. In 1816, the port was used by Simon Bolivar for returning from Haiti. In 1844, the Parish of San Juan Evangelista was created - Its church of gothic styling was constructed in 1850 by Fray Nicholas de Igualdad is still, along with the lovely bay, the symbol of the city. In 1904, the government moved the capital of the island from Juan Griego to

Pampatar Pampatar is a city on Isla Margarita, Nueva Esparta State, Venezuela. It is located in the Maneiro Municipality. Pampatar lies 10 km (6 mi) northeast of Porlamar. A coastal town which was founded 1552. Its strategic importance become ...

, to the south of the island when the commercial activities greatly reduced. Nevertheless, the cultural activities continued to bloom in the city, In 1932 a young group of people started the Beneficent Society of Juan Griego, who perform plays, recitals of poetry, concerts and other artistic manifestations. Composer Modesta Bor was born in Juan Griego in 1926. In 1973, the island become a free port and the city once again become the second city in sequence of importance in the commercial activities after Porlamar.

Notable people

* Francisco Antonio Rísquez (1856–1941), physician

References

{{Isla Margarita Cities in Nueva Esparta Margarita Island Port cities and towns in Venezuela