Foundation
The first indigenous settlements were of Arawak and Carib origin. Around the main group were the A�u tribe who built rows of stilt houses all over the northern riviera of the Lake Maracaibo. The first Europeans arrived in 1499.
The city was founded three times: the first time was during the Klein-Venedig period (1528 - 1546), when the Welser banking family received a concession over Venezuela Province from Charles I. of Spain. In August 1529 the German Ambrosius Ehinger made his first expedition to Lake Maracaibo which was bitterly opposed by the indigenous people, the Coquibacao. After winning a series of bloody battles, he founded the settlement on 8 September 1529. Ehinger named the settlement New Nuremberg (German: Neu-N�rnberg) and the lake after the valiant chieftain of the Coquibacao, who had died in the fighting. The city was renamed Maracaibo after the Spanish took possession. The lack of activity in the zone made Nikolaus Federmann evacuate the village in 1535 and move its population to Cabo de la Vela near the then capital of Venezuela Province,Santa Ana de Coro.
A second attempt by Captain Alonso Pacheco turned into failure. The third foundation of the city occurs in 1574 when Captain Pedro Maldonado, under Governor Diego de Mazariegos' command, establishes the village with the name of Nueva Zamora de Maracaibo. "Nueva Zamora" comes from Mazariego's place of birth, Zamora, in Spain. Since its definite foundation, the town began to develop as a whole. It is based on the western side of Lake Maracaibo, the dominant feature of the oil-rich Maracaibo Basin. Favoured by prevailing winds and a protected harbour, the city is located on the shores of the lake where the narrows, which eventually lead to theGulf of Venezuela, first become pronounced.
Pirates' attacks
In 1667, l'Olonnais with a fleet of eight ships and a crew of six hundred pirates sacked Maracaibo and Gibraltar. En route, l'Olonnais
