La Asunción () is a city in Venezuela. The capital of Nueva Esparta state (made up of three islands), it lies on Margarita Island in the Caribbean Sea, off the South American mainland. It is inland from Porlamar and is in a genuine colonial setting. It has an imposing backdrop of Santa Rosa Castle, also known as the Santa Rosa Fort, which was built to protect the city. The most important structures in the city are built around the Plaza Bolivar. The Catedral Nuestra Señora de La Asunción, dated to the 16th century, is one of the earliest churches in the country. According to the 2011 census, it has a population of 28,513 people. La Asunción was founded in 1565 by Captain Pedro González Cervantes de Albornoz. It is situated in a fertile valley surrounded by green hills, right in the center of eastern Margarita, where a fresher climate exist. It is the seat of the regional government. History In 1562, the Spanish villages of Espiritu Santo migrated to this hamlet to escape the marauding pirates and the tyrant Lope de Aguirre Spanish invaders. However, the pirates did not spare them, as later in 1566, the French pirates headed by Jean Bontemps completely razed the village which was further compounded by the English privateer John Hopkins. However, as it got re-established as a town, it was given the Coat of Arms and called a city. This was followed by the building of the Santa Rosa fort. La Asunción thus was founded in 1565, by Captain Pedro González Cervantes de Albornoz. Construction of the Santa Rosa de la Eminencia castle on a hill overlooking the city began on the orders of the governor, Juan Muñoz de Gadea, after the French buccaneer Marquis de Maintenon attacked the city in early 1676. The work was started on 24 March 1677 and finished , under the command of the field master Don Juan Fermin. La Asunción was involved in the Venezuelan War of Independence, and noted General Juan Bautista Arismendi married his wife Luisa Cáceres de Arismendi on December 4, 1814, in the city at the age of 39. Abandoned in 1935, twenty years later due to a local initiative the castle achieved the status of a War Museum. It was declared as a National Monument in 1965 by president Raúl Leoni. Geography It is situated in a fertile valley surrounded by green hills