Venezuela’s story begins on its shores — claimed by Spain in the 1500s, shaped by colonization, extraction, and resistance that would define the nation for centuries Before oil, before modern politics, Venezuela was a Spanish colony — its land, labor, and wealth controlled from across the Atlantic Spain didn’t just arrive in Venezuela — it ruled it, exploited it, and reshaped its people, economy, and borders for over 300 years From Spanish conquest to independence, Venezuela’s history is rooted