It was created as a solution to cover the needs of the Venezuelan Government as a response to presidential decree 3,390 that prioritizes the use of free and open source technologies in the public administration.

On 14 March 2011, Canaima was officially established as the default operating system for the Venezuelan public administration.

[3][failed verification] The operating system has gained a strong foothold and is one of the most used Linux distributions in Venezuela, largely because of its incorporation in public schools.

Canaima Curiara, is a light web browser based on Cunaguaro, developed in python-webkit for specific applications on the distribution.

Graphics: Includes GIMP, Inkscape, desktop publishing software Scribus and gLabels labels designer.

Alpha Version: It is built and subjected to tests where the correct interaction between the Canaima repository and the distribution is evaluated.

Publication: At this stage, after the evaluation and corrections of errors found, the new version is published for the use of the Canaima Project community.

Cayapa is a Venezuelan term that stands as a form of cooperative work made by several people to reach one goal.

There are a number of Canaima editions, maintained and recognized by community activists,[34] that are not released at the same time as the official distribution and do not take part in the project schedule.