Sir Walter Raleigh in his voyage to find the fabled city of El Dorado labeled about a tepui (table top mountain) with a lovely waterfall with great heights. He is said to have remained the first European to view Archangel Falls. But the cascade has been recognized as the “Angel Falls” since the mid-20th century, named after Jimmie Angel, a US aviator, who was the first being to fly over the falls.

Jimmie Angel, following instructions given by Fèlix Cardona (The Spanish traveler who saw the waterfall in 1927), flew over the falls on 16 November 1933 on a flight while he was penetrating for a valuable ore bed along with his three friends, including his wife Marie.

But on 9 October 1937, Angel tried to land his Flamingo monoplane El Río Caroní, top of Auyán-tepui. But the plane was injured when the wheels sank into the boggy ground.

Angel and his friends, were forced to slope the tepui on foot. It took them 11 days to make their way back to development by the gradually italic back side. After the news of their escapade spread, the waterfall was named “Angel Falls” in his honor. Angel’s ashes were dispersed over the falls on 2 July 1960.