San Cristóbal

San Cristóbal, city, capital of Táchira estado (state), western Venezuela. Situated in the western Andes at 2,700 feet (820 metres) above sea level, the city occupies three sloping alluvial terraces overlooking the Torbes River.

Founded in 1561 by conquistador Juan Maldonado y Ordoñez, it retains a colonial atmosphere despite its being the largest of the cities in the Andean region of Venezuela. San Cristóbal served as the port of neighbouring Colombia until 1777. It was heavily damaged by an earthquake in 1875. The commercial centre for the surrounding agricultural lands—which produce cotton, cereals, corn (maize), coffee, and sugarcane—San Cristóbal also has some industry, including textile mills, tanneries, breweries, a shoe factory, cigarette factories, and a cement plant. It is site of the National Experimental University of Táchira, the Catholic University of Táchira, and the University of the Andes at Táchira. Although the city lacked a highway connection to much of Venezuela until the completion of the Trans-Andean Highway in 1925, it is now an outstanding transportation centre that is served by several main roads, including the Pan-American Highway, which runs 500 miles (800 km) northeast to Caracas. Pop. (2001) 246,954; (2011) 260,173.