[1] The Arauca region was explored by the German conquistador Jorge de la Espira, or Georg von Speyer, in 1536.

Arauca was founded on December 4, 1780, by Juan Isidro Daboín on the site of an indigenous hamlet of about ten families called Guahibo.

In addition, the Villa de Santa Bárbara de Arauca, has been: Human biological diversity and ethnicity[4] The White and Mestizo people dominate the city making up 92.4% of its population together.

But increasingly, since 1984 it is the exploitation of nearby petroleum (oil sands) that has provided the bulk of municipal income in recent years.

The building of the bridge, Puente José Antonio Páez, connecting it with Venezuela stimulated the economy, as did completion of the highway to Bogotá, known as The Route of the Liberators (La Ruta de los Libertadores).