Santiago de los Caballeros de Mérida,
Venezuela, is the capital of the
municipality of
Libertador and the state of
Mérida, and is one of the principal cities of the Venezuelan
Andes. It was founded in
1558, forming part of
Nueva Granada, but later became part of the
Captaincy General of Venezuela, and played an active role in the
War of Independence.
Mérida has more than 200,000 inhabitants and a metropolitan area containing some 350,000 people. It is the main center for education and tourism in western Venezuela, the home of the prestigious University of the Andes, and the location of the highest and second longest aerial tramway in the world.
Mérida is at an altitude of approximately 1,600 meters (5,249 ft). The city sits on a plain in the valley of the Chama river, which runs from one end to the other. The backdrop of Mérida's skyline is the country's highest summit, Pico Bolívar.
Mérida was founded by Juan Rodríguez Suárez on October 9, 1558 in one of the Pamplonian mining expeditions he led. He named the city after his birthplace, Mérida. The first settlement of Mérida was not the current one but 30 km to the south, in Xamú, where today stands Lagunillas. Nevertheless, Rodríguez Suárez had to move the settlement in November 1559 to nearby El Punto (presently the Zumba area of Mérida), because of constant confrontations with the native neighbours[1].
