Tucacas is the capital city of the José Laurencio Silva Municipality of the Falcón state, in Venezuela. It has a population of 32,503 inhabitants according to the population census of 2011.
The history of Tucacas dates back to the arrival of the Spanish conqueror Alonso de Ojeda, on August 6, 1499, who was accompanied by Amerigo Vespucci and Juan de la Cosa. It was a place of interest for the smugglers and corsairs, who carried out great altercations on the mainland, the Golfo Triste and on the coast of Chichiriviche. The town was the seat of the Compañía Bolívar, which administered the train service that communicated with the copper mines of Boca de Aroa. In fact, it was the first city in Venezuela to have rail service, which communicated with the population of Aroa, in the current state of Yaracuy. This railroad was designed to transport the copper ore extracted from the Mines of Aroa and, in this way, be transported to the port of this town for export.
It is important to note that until the end of the 19th century this population, together with Chichiriviche, were part of the Lara state.
After the discovery of coral reefs and islets, it gained a great boom as a tourist pole. Reason why in May of 1974, by presidential decree, the National Park Morrocoy was created in order to preserve these natural formations.
Tucacas, whose main commercial activity is tourism, is located very close to the Morrocoy National Park, which is its main attraction. From there, small boats are set up to take tourists to the different keys of the park, such as Cayo Sombrero, Cayo Boca Seca, Playuelita, Playuela, Playa Sur, Playa Norte, Paiclás, Los Juanes and Las Ánimas. It is also accessed through a bridge to Punta Brava Cay, the closest to the coast and the only one with vehicular access.
Tucacas due to its proximity to the park, is becoming a summer resort, with several hotels and tourist structures. The nearest island can be reached by crossing a bridge that departs from the seafront of the city. However, if you want to go into the park, you have to get to the dock where you can board a trip between the pipes. that cross the mangroves, or to reach one of its magnificent islands. The boats can carry about eight people and have the same price regardless of the number of passengers.
