Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
. It is the capital of the state of Lara and head of Iribarren Municipality. It is an important urban, industrial, commercial and transportation center of the country, recognized as the fourth-largest city by population and area in Venezuela after
Caracas
Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in th ...
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...
.
History
Barquisimeto was founded in 1552 by Juan de Villegas, as a headquarters and to have better control of the territory believed to be rich in gold. Its original name was Nueva Segovia de Barquisimeto and then it was shortened to just Barquisimeto.
This city had four settlements due to ignorance of the physical environment of the region. The first one was in 1552 nearby Buría River, but moved in 1556 due to frequent floods suffered by inhabitants. The second one was in the valley of the Turbio River where the city stayed until Lope de Aguirre burned it down in 1561. Its rebuilding was made , but in 1562 they asked for permission to move to another site due to strong winds blowing in the place. Finally, Barquisimeto was located on the north plateau of the Turbio River in 1563.
During the country's independence, Barquisimeto joined the liberation movement and its deputy José Ángel Álamo signed the Independence Act on July 5, 1811.
In 1929, the city went through a modernization program carried out by General Juan Vicente Gomez. He fixed the streets and avenues and buildings were built, like the
Jacinto Lara
Jacinto Lara (Carora, 5 June 1777 - Barquisimeto, 25 February 1859), was a Venezuelan independence leader and hero of the Venezuelan War of Independence. His contribution included participating in Simón Bolívar's 1813 Admirable Campaign. He w ...
Headquarters, the Government Palace and the Ayacucho Park.
Names and etymology
According to the German adventurer Nikolaus Federmann, the Caquetío aborigines used to call it Variquicimeto, which translates as "ash-colored river", the name with which the natives distinguished the water stream near the city. This river was named "Turbio River" by the Spanish conquerors, a name that is still in use today. Another possible name origin is due to a red dye called ''bariquí''.
When Juan de Villegas founded it, he named the city "Nueva Segovia de Barquisimeto", but years later it became just "Barquisimeto", a word popularized by Oviedo y Baños in his book ''History and Conquest of the Venezuelan Population''.
Divina Pastora
Divina Pastora is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality located in the States of Brazil, Brazilian state of Sergipe. The Parish Church of Our Lady of the Divine Shepherd (''Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora Divina Pastora''), a listed historic st ...
(Divine Shepherdess) is a statue of the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus, with a lamb at her side. It is considered to be one of the most important religious icons of Venezuela. Divina Pastora is the patron saint of the city of Barquisimeto and of the Venezuelan National Militia. The original image dates from 1735. Divina Pastora is celebrated in a procession on January 14 of each year, when a massive Marian procession occurs, considered to be one of the largest in the world, attracting thousands of pilgrims.
The statue is removed from its shrine and is carried on the main streets of Barquisimeto in a procession which starts at the Iglesia de la Divina Pastora in Santa Rosa until it reaches the Barquisimeto Cathedral. This procession is unlike other mass Marian celebrations in the world, where the image does not leave its temple. This procession occurs due to the devotion the people of Barquisimeto have towards it as gratitude towards saving the city from a cholera outbreak that occurred in the city in the 19th century. In 2013, 3,000,000 faithful honored the Divina Pastora.
Geography
Barquisimeto is located on the terrace of the same name, on the banks of the Turbio River,
above sea level
Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance ( height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''.
Th ...
and a population of 930,000 inhabitants. It has a location on the central western of Venezuela ( from Caracas, the country's capital city), being a point of convergence of many of the major land routes and rail, characterized also by its street order and appropriate signage due to the location of the city with a relief almost completely flat, which facilitated the distribution of the urban grid and with the streets numbered in ascending numerical order, factors that help the foreign citizen and easily locate addresses. Its climate is pleasant in the months of December to March, with an average temperature of throughout the year.
hot semi-arid climate
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi- ...
( Köppen ''BSh'') is dominant. Located in that region, Barquisimeto records of rain per year and its average temperature ranges . However, in higher regions near the Andes, temperatures are lower and the rain is more constant. For instance, in Sanare city, the annual average rainfall is .
Education
Barquisimeto is a city with a historic vocation by academic knowledge, and boasts a considerable sample of universities and institutes of higher education in Venezuela, has a high and growing student population from all over the country.
Major universities in the city include
Universidad Centroccidental Lisandro Alvarado
The Universidad Centroccidental Lisandro Alvarado (UCLA) is a public university of Venezuela located in Barquisimeto. It was founded in 1962 with the creation of the Centro Experimental de Estudios Superiores (CEDES), and became the Universidad ...
and Universidad Nacional Experimental Politécnica Antonio José de Sucre.
Other universities and colleges
;Public institutions
* Universidad Centroccidental Lisandro Alvarado UCLA
* National Polytechnic Experimental University Antonio José de Sucre UNEXPO
* Libertador's Experimental and Pedagogical University UPEL
* Andrés Eloy Blanco's Territorial and Polytechnic of Lara University IUETAEB - former Andrés Eloy Blanco's Experimental and Technology Institute)
* National Open University UNA
* Simón Rodríguez's National Experimental University UNESR
*
Central University of Venezuela
The Central University of Venezuela (Spanish: ''Universidad Central de Venezuela''; UCV) is a public university of Venezuela located in Caracas. It is widely held to be the highest ranking institution in the country, and it also ranks 18th in ...
National Experimental University of the Armed Forces
The National Experimental University of the Armed Forces (Spanish: ''Universidad Nacional Experimental Politécnica de la Fuerza Armada Bolivariana'', UNEFA) is a Venezuelan public university associated with the Venezuelan armed forces. Founded in ...
UNEFA
;Private institutions
* Fermin Toro University UFT
* Yacambú University UNY
* Fermin Toro College CUFT
* Rodolfo Loero Arismendi Technology and Industrial Institute IUTIRLA
* National Institute of Socialist Education and Capacitation INCES
* Antonio José de Sucre Technology Institute
* Jesús Obrero Institute IUJO
Hospitals
Private hospitals
* Clínica IDB Barquisimeto
Address: Carrera 19 esquina calle 34
* Clínica Razetti de Barquisimeto
Address: Carrera 21
* Policlínica Barquisimeto
Address: Av. Lara (paseo Los Leones y calle Madrid)
* Previmédica IDB Los Abogados
Address: Av. Los Abogados (calles 16 y 17). 50 mts. from Av. Vargas
* Previmédica IDB Centro
Address: Calle 34 (carreras 19 y 20)
* Previmédica IDB Oeste
Address: Av. Pedro León Torres (calle 59). CC Sotavento
Public hospitals
* Hospital Central Universitario Antonio María Pineda
Address: Av. Libertador
*Hospital Dr. Luis Gómez López
Address: Barrio La Feria
Gallery Images
File:Teatro juares.jpg, Juares Theater
File:Catedral de Barquisimeto interior.jpg, Barquisimeto Cathedral Inside
File:Este de barquisimeto.jpg, Barquisimeto East
File:Cuatro de Barquisimeto.jpg, Cuatro of Barquisimeto
File:Cuartel General Jacinto Lara, (Barquisimeto) vista frontal.jpg, Barracks General Jacinto Lara
File:Laguna Artificial en Parque Zoologico Barquisimeto.jpg, Lagoon in Zoo Park of Barquisimeto
File:OBELISCO DE BARQUISIMETO.JPG, Obelisk of Barquisimeto
File:Parque Cardenalito.jpg, La Tinaja
File:IglesiaSantaRosa.jpg, Santa Rosa Church
File:Plaza bolivar de barquisimeto.jpg, Bolívar Square
bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...
" (BRT) system under construction, which was originally planned to use
trolleybus
A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or trol ...
es. When construction began, in 2006, the system was projected to serve an average of 170,000 people per day when completed, using 80 trolleybuses operating along of exclusive lanes, across the metropolitan area. Service was planned to include an express route of along with one local route of . With 52 stations, the BRT system is to include a centralized system of communication and security, and structures for easy access for elderly and disabled people. It is to be complemented with feeder routes, covering the areas of Greater Barquisimeto the BRT line will not serve, which will connect with the main line at terminal stations.
Although 80 articulated trolleybuses were purchased from Neoplan and delivered around 2008–09,''Trolleybus Magazine'' No. 306 (November–December 2012), p. 148. the plans to operate the Transbarca system with those vehicles were dropped in 2013.''Trolleybus Magazine'' No. 311 (September–October 2013), p. 138. In addition to reasons of cost, an inadequate supply of electricity with which to power the system was cited in the announcement of the decision.
* Buses are the main means of mass transportation. The system runs a variety of bus types, operated by several companies on normal streets and avenues:
* bus; large buses.
* buseta; medium-sized buses.
* microbus or colectivo; vans or minivans.
* rapiditos; old cars with capacity for 5 or more people.
The city has an airport called
Jacinto Lara International Airport
Jacinto Lara International Airport is an airport in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, named after Venezuelan independence hero Jacinto Lara. It serves the city of Barquisimeto and others such as Acarigua, Yaritagua, and Carora, the main cities in the west ...
.
Sports
The city is home to several notable
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
and
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...
Guaros de Lara
Guaros de Lara is a Venezuelan professional basketball club, that is based in Barquisimeto, Lara, Venezuela. Guaros de Lara BBC has existed as a club in various different forms since 1983. It has existed in its current form since 2003.
The club ...
Rafael Cadenas
Rafael Cadenas (born 8 April 1930 Barquisimeto, Lara) is a Venezuelan poet and essayist.
Career
He taught for many years at the Central University of Venezuela. He received the National Prize for Literature (1985), Guadalajara's Internationa ...
- poet and essayist, winner of the Cervantes prize in 2022.
*
Junior Alvarado
Junior Rafael Alvarado (born May 20, 1986) is a jockey in the sport of Thoroughbred racing who rode his first winner on December 30, 2005, at La Rinconada Hippodrome near Caracas, Venezuela before moving to ride in the United States in 2007 where ...
Pedro Carmona
Pedro Francisco Carmona Estanga (born 6 July 1941) is a former Venezuelan business leader who was briefly installed as acting president of Venezuela in place of Hugo Chávez, following the attempted military coup in April 2002.acting president of Venezuela in 2002.
* Carlos Carrasco -
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...
pitcher for the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major lea ...
Gustavo Dudamel
Gustavo Adolfo Dudamel Ramírez (born 26 January 1981) is a Venezuelan conductor and violinist who is the music director of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Paris Opera.
Early life
Dudamel was ...
- conductor
* Andrés Giménez - Major League Baseball player for the
Cleveland Guardians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive ...
Manny Piña
Manuel Elías Piña Reyes (; born June 5, 1987) is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta B ...
- Major League Baseball player for the
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in ...
See also
*
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
*
Lara state
Lara State ( es, Estado Lara, ) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is Barquisimeto.
Lara State covers a total surface area of and, in 2015, had a census population of 2,019,211.
Toponymy
The state is named after a notable ...
Railway stations in Venezuela
Railway stations in Venezuela include:
Cities with Rapid Transit
City with underground railway system:
* Caracas (El Metro de Caracas, operated bC.A. Metro de Caracas
* Los Teques Metro - opened in 2006.
Stations Closed
* Camoruco
* El En ...
*
Gustavo Dudamel
Gustavo Adolfo Dudamel Ramírez (born 26 January 1981) is a Venezuelan conductor and violinist who is the music director of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Paris Opera.
Early life
Dudamel was ...