du ed ▁them . ▁Histor ians ▁agree ▁that ▁the ▁founder ▁of ▁Car ac as , ▁Diego ▁de ▁Los ada , ▁ultimately ▁put ▁T aman aco ▁to ▁death . ▁Some ▁of ▁the ▁resist ing ▁tribes ▁or ▁the ▁leaders ▁are ▁comm emor ated ▁in ▁place ▁names , ▁including ▁Car ac as , ▁Ch ac ao , ▁and ▁Los ▁T equ es . ▁The ▁early ▁colonial ▁settlement s ▁foc uss ed ▁on ▁the ▁northern ▁coast , ▁but ▁in ▁the ▁mid - e igh teenth ▁century ▁the ▁Spanish ▁pushed ▁further ▁in land ▁along ▁the ▁Or in oco ▁River . ▁Here ▁the ▁Ye ' ku ana ▁( then ▁known ▁as ▁the ▁Mak irit are ) ▁organ ised ▁serious ▁resistance ▁in ▁ 1 7 7 5 ▁and ▁ 1 7 7 6 . ▁Under ▁Spanish ▁colon ization , ▁several ▁religious ▁orders ▁established ▁mission ▁stations . ▁The ▁Jes uits ▁with d rew ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 7 6 0 s , ▁while ▁the ▁Cap uch ins ▁found ▁their ▁miss ions ▁of ▁strateg ic ▁significance ▁in ▁the ▁War ▁of ▁Independ ence ▁and ▁in ▁ 1 8 1 7 ▁were ▁brut ally ▁taken ▁over ▁by ▁the ▁forces ▁of ▁Simon ▁Boliv ar . ▁For ▁the ▁remainder ▁of ▁the ▁nin ete enth ▁century ▁govern ments ▁did ▁little ▁for ▁ind igen ous ▁pe op les , ▁and ▁they ▁were ▁pushed ▁away ▁from ▁the ▁country ' s ▁agricult ural ▁centre ▁to ▁the ▁peri ph ery . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 1 3 , ▁during ▁a ▁rub ber ▁bo om , ▁Colonel ▁Tom as ▁F unes