Christopher Columbus discovered Margarita Island during his third voyage in 1498. On finding that the island had pearls, the Spanish conquistadores forced the native Guaiquerie people to work collecting them.
Due to the value of the island's pearls, Margarita Island came under regular pirate attack. A number of fortifications were built to counter this threat.
In July 1561, renegade conquistadore Lope de Aguirre took control of the island and declared independence from Spain. He ruled the island brutally for some months until leaving it in a failed invasion of Venezuela.
In 1814, the islanders successfully declared independence from Spain, making Margarita Island the first permanently independent territory in Venezuela. Two years later, Simon Bolivar was made commander in chief of pro-independence forces in Venezuela.
The people of Margarita Island were considered heroic during Bolivar's war of independence. The area became informally known as "Neuva Esparta" (New Sparta) in the early 19th century. In 1864, it was formally given the name as one of Venezuela's 23 states.
On Jan. 8, 1975, the Venezuelan government declared Margarita Island a free port, leading to an economic and tourism boom.
