In Cumanagoto language "Chakau" (Chacao) means "sand", the municipality was named after the Indian Cacique Chacao, who died defending his territory in 1567, the year when the city of "Santiago de León de Caracas" was finally established after more than three decades of unsuccessful attempts by the Spanish. The chosen location for Caracas "Plaza Mayor" and Cathedral was on the west side of the valley, making the fertile lands of Chacao (on the mid-east side) an ideal location for agricultural crops and establishment of "haciendas". Spanish "conquistador" Diego de Losada, founder of the city of Caracas, included these lands in his jurisdiction.