The dominant influence on the culture of Venezuela was that of the Spanish conquerors. The Native Americans of the country, lacking any political or cultural unity of their own, were assimilated by the immigrant groups and had only a slight influence on the national culture. The distinct Venezuelan contribution to folk legend is the llanero, or South American cowboy. The national dance, the joropo, and popular instruments such as the maraca, a type of rattle, and the cuatro, a small guitar, are all associated with the llanero.

In Venezuela, as in many Latin-American countries, the rich popular culture of the rural campesinos reflects a blending of Roman Catholicism and traditional folkways. The rural culture, however, was paralleled by the development of an elite culture, predominantly urban-based and European-oriented but distinctly Venezuelan in form. The rapid cityward migrations of the more dynamic and youthful segments of rural communities brought to the ranchos some of the local folk traditions, but much of the regional flavour was lost. Colonial Hispanic traditions continue to persist, however, in spite of the North Americanization of Venezuelan urban life. For example, compadrazgo (co-parenthood; a set of social and moral obligations between a child's parents and godparents) is a deeply held family tradition that is retained by the urban classes. The vast inequalities in Venezuelan society are reflected in the nation's two distinctive cultural milieus—one elite, modernized, and externally oriented; the other nationalistic and selectively folk-oriented.

In an effort to maintain cultural autonomy in the face of foreign influences, the government has, since the 1920s, supported nationalistic artistic expression. Greater freedom for writing and publishing prompted the flourishing development of national literature. Emerging in this wave of nationalistic influence was Rómulo Gallegos, who became Venezuela's best-known writer; he received international recognition for his novel Doña Bárbara (1929). Such painters as Armando Reverón and Manuel Cabré also expressed nationalistic fervour. The architect Carlos Raúl Villanueva won international acclaim for his design of asymmetrically arranged buildings, complemented by freestanding murals and sculpture, at the Central University in Caracas. The state-supported Venezuelan Symphony Orchestra is highly popular, and its repertoire reflects as well a spirit of nationalism. Each of the regions has its own distinctive musical expression.