In 1913 the Colombian government created
the province of Vichada and it was decided that its capital should
be at the convergence of the Orinoco and Meta rivers where there was a small
village known locally as El Picacho. In 1934 the town was renamed after
Pedro Maria Carreño, the Colombian Minister of External Relations from 1912 to
1913. The "municipal" (similar to county in the U.S.) was created
in 1974. On July 5, 1991, Vichada's status was updated to
"departamento" under the Colombian Constitution and Puerto Carreño
was ratified as its capital.
