National Archives of Venezuela Archivo General de la Nación (AGN)

Overview

The National Archives of Venezuela (Archivo General de la Nación, AGN) is the principal repository of Venezuela's national documentary heritage. Affiliated with the Ministerio del Poder Popular para la Cultura, the AGN is responsible for the custody, conservation, and dissemination of Venezuela's historical records and serves as the governing body of the National Archives System (Sistema Nacional de Archivos).

History and Founding

The AGN was founded in 1836 by decree of President José Antonio Páez, formed from documentation held in public notary offices (Escribanías Públicas). In 1877, under President Antonio Guzmán Blanco, the institution was restructured and modernized to function as a general national archive. For nearly a century the AGN operated in a building designed specifically for it by architects Alejandro Chataing and Luis Briceño Arismendi. In 2009 the institution moved to its present location in the Foro Libertador complex in Caracas.

Collections and Holdings

The AGN holds extensive collections of colonial and republican-era government records, including documents dating from the late eighteenth century onward. Notable holdings include the Archivo del Libertador (documents related to Simón Bolívar, preserved as a sub-fonds), military records, civil and ecclesiastical documentation, and records of the Venezuelan independence and constitutional processes. The institution has produced electronic publications on CD-ROM since the late 1990s, including documents on the Conspiración de Gual y España (1797) and records of the Congreso de Angostura (1819). The AGN does not maintain vital records (birth, marriage, death) for genealogical purposes.

Access and Usage

The AGN is open to researchers Monday through Friday, 08:00–16:00, at its location in the Foro Libertador, Caracas. Contact is available via email and through the institution's social media channels.