Today all of Venezuela is celebrating and rejoicing its 200-year old independence from Spain.  Christopher Columbus sailed along the eastern coast of Venezuela on his third voyage in 1498, the only one of his four voyages to reach the South American mainland.  The Spanish arrived in full force in the 1500’s and stayed for nearly 300 years as it colonized the region, converted the natives to Christianity and enslaved native populations while pillaging the country’s gold mines.