It is situated in a fertile valley surrounded by green hills, 6 miles (10 km) inland from the port of Porlamar, where a cooler climate exists.

In 1562, the Spanish villagers of Espíritu Santo migrated to this hamlet to escape the marauding pirates and the tyrant Lope de Aguirre.

In 1566 French pirates headed by Jean Bontemps completely razed the village which was further devastated by the English privateer John Hopkins.

[5][7] Surrounded by green hills, La Asunción is situated in the Santa Lucia Valley in the center of eastern Margarita Island.

The cathedral is dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, a title borne by the Virgin Mary, and has been declared a historical city monument.

[3][11] The most important festival observed here falls in mid-August, coinciding with the Feast of the Assumption on the Roman Catholic calendar, when a procession is held and mass offered in the church.

Due to its prominent location on a hill, it acted as an observatory to watch for any invading forces approaching from the north, south, or east.

A tunnel (a kilometer long, dug during the original construction) from the fort connected it to the governor's house, the church, and the Convent of San Francisco.

She became a local heroine; in the prison cell of the fort, her first son was born and died prematurely due to lack of medical attention.

She was imprisoned as her husband had escaped to the forests of Cerro El Copey and by capturing her they hoped that they could make the freedom fighter to surrender but the plan failed.

An inscription at the entrance to the cell reads "Luisa Caceres de Arismendi for her virtue valour and martyrdom for her husband and country as prisoner in this jail when she was 16 years of age."

The fort has exhibits of weapons of war, paintings of Simon Bolivar, knights in armor, and also iron balls which were tied to the legs of prisoners.

(This event is featured in the film titled Aguirre, the Wrath of God produced by Werner Herzog with Klaus Kinski in the lead role.

[3] Isla Margarita and particularly Cerro El Copey National Park are especially important with respect to the numbers of endemic species they harbor.

As a result, there is a predominance of typical continental bird families like Tinamidae, Dendrocolaptidae, Formicaridae and Furnaridae, which are totally absent from the Antilles.