
An oil tanker anchored near the Cardón Refinery in Punto Fijo, Venezuela, in 2021.

An oil tanker anchored near the Cardón Refinery in Punto Fijo, Venezuela, in 2021.

Derricks in the Maracaibo oil fields of Venezuela in the early 20th century. American oil companies invested millions of dollars in the region, generating profits that flowed to the United States, rather than Venezuela.