San Felipe (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

: ''San Felipe'') () is the capital city of

Yaracuy Yaracuy State ( es, link=no, Estado Yaracuy, ;) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. It is bordered by Falcón in the north, in the west by Lara, in the south by Portuguesa and Cojedes and in the east by Cojedes and Carabobo. Its geograp ...

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 ...

. The city is an important urban, industrial, commercial and transportation center of

. San Felipe is situated in a rich agricultural region of Western Venezuela, and produces many agricultural products for the rest of the country such as sugar cane, milk, livestock, grains, and flour. It's the seat of the Diocese of San Felipe.

History

In 1693, Spanish settlement began in the area that is now San Felipe with the foundation of the town of Cerrito de Cocorote. Like all towns in the region at the time, Cerrito de Cocorote was under the jurisdiction of the city of Nueva Segovia de Barquisimeto. In 1710, the town was destroyed on orders from the authorities of Nueva Segovia de Barquisimeto. Despite this, the town was rebuilt within several years, causing the Captain General to again order its destruction. In 1721, the town's inhabitants returned to rebuild it after receiving the authority to do so. Despite this, the authorities of Nueva Segovia de Barquisimeto set fire to the town, destroying it for the third time. Despite the destruction of their town, the former inhabitants of ''Cerrito de Cocorote'' still wished to be independent of Nueva Segovia de Barquisimeto. They received the support of Fray Marcelino de San Vicente, who helped them obtain a Royal Certificate from King

Philip V of Spain Philip V ( es, Felipe; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was King of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 14 January 1724, and again from 6 September 1724 to his death in 1746. His total reign of 45 years is the longest in the history of the Spanish mo ...

to establish a town independent from Nueva Segovia de Barquisimeto. On November 6, 1729, the same day the villagers had received the Royal Certificate, they began the reconstruction of their town in the Valle Hondo region, naming it San Felipe El Fuerte in homage to

. The city expanded in subsequent years, until it was destroyed by the

1812 Caracas earthquake The 1812 Caracas earthquake took place in Venezuela on March 26 (on Maundy Thursday) at 4:37 p.m. It measured 7.7 on the Richter magnitude scale. It caused extensive damage in Caracas, La Guaira, Barquisimeto, San Felipe, and Mérida. An e ...

on March 26, 1812. After the earthquake, the town's remaining inhabitants again rebuilt it.

Geography

San Felipe is located in the foothills of Cerro Chimborazo, in Bolívar,

. The city is located on a hill, with its avenues being on steep slopes, with its streets being less inclined. In the upper part of the city is the José Antonio Anzoátegui Mechanized Infantry Battalion and the Central Hospital Dr. Plácido Daniel Rodríguez Rivero, while in the lower part of it are the neighborhoods of San Antonio, San José, and Higuerón. The city is cooled by the Yurubí River, which flows downwards from a narrow valley located north of the city. The river subsequently joins the Yaracuy River, which flows to the

Caribbean Basin In Geography, the Caribbean Basin is generally defined as the area running from Florida westward along the Gulf coast, then south along the Mexican coast through Central America and then eastward across the northern coast of South America. This ...

. The city is near the

Yurubí National Park The Yurubí National Park ( es, Parque nacional Yurubí) is a protected area with the status of national park in the north of the South American country of Venezuela. It was founded on March 18, 1960 in Yaracuy State created to protect the Yuru ...

, a forest of deciduous and semi-deciduous trees. A nearby lake is used as San Felipe's source of freshwater.

Climate

In San Felipe, a

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. The city records of rain per year and its average temperature ranges .

Transport

The town is/was served by a station on the national railway network. Sub Teniente Nestor Arias Airport is south of the town.

Notable people

Rafael Caldera Rafael Antonio Caldera Rodríguez ( (); 24 January 1916 – 24 December 2009), twice elected the president of Venezuela, served for two five-year terms (1969–1974 and 1994–1999), becoming the longest serving democratically elected leade ...

, former

president of Venezuela The president of Venezuela ( es, Presidente de Venezuela), officially known as the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, Presidente de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is the head of state and head of government in Ven ...

. *

Cecilia Mujica Cecilia Mujica (died 1813), nicknamed as The Martyr of Freedom, is a Venezuelan heroine noted for her support for the country's independence and her work with the independence forces. Born in San Felipe, she was the daughter of the loyalist, Mart ...

heroine A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''hero ...

. *

Marco Scutaro Marcos Scutaro, better known as Marco Scutaro, (; born October 30, 1975) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball infielder. He bats and throws right-handed. Scutaro made his major league debut with the New York Mets in 2002, and subsequentl ...

, former professional baseball player. * Luis Arráez, professional baseball player for the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

. * Milagros Sequera, former professional female tennis player. * Rafael Dudamel, football manager. * Carlos Suárez Mendoza, footballer who plays as a midfielder for

Deportes Melipilla Deportes Melipilla is a Chilean football club, based on Melipilla, a comune in the Santiago Metropolitan Region. It was founded on January 24, 1992, as a successor of ''Club Deportivo Soinca Bata''. The club has its classic rival, San Antonio Uni ...

. * Heber García, football player who plays as midfielder for

Curicó Unido Curicó Unido is a football club based in Curicó, Maule Region, Chile. They currently play in the Primera División, the first level of the Chilean football system. They are currently managed by Damián Muñoz. History Curicó Unido was foun ...

Chilean Primera División The Chilean Primera División (English: First Division) is the top-tier league of the Chilean football league system. It is organized by the '' ANFP''. The league is known as the Campeonato AFP PlanVital for sponsorship reasons. Format As of the ...

. * Felipe Vázquez, professional baseball pitcher. *

Goizeder Azúa Goizeder Victoria Azúa Barríos (born February 23, 1984) is a Venezuelan television host, anchorwoman, model, journalist, and beauty queen who won Miss International 2003. Retrieved on 11 Apr 2008. Career Miss Venezuela 2002 She began her b ...

, television host, model, journalist, and beauty queen who won Miss International 2003. * Gabriela de la Cruz, model, communicator and beauty queen. * Migleth Cuevas, professional model * Henri Falcón, politician. *

Eduardo Lapi Eduardo Lapi (born May 17, 1963) is a Venezuelan politician. He was Governor of Yaracuy for the National Convergence from 1995 to 2004. He lost to Carlos Eduardo Gimenez Colmenares ( For Social Democracy) in the 2004 Venezuelan regional electio ...

, politician. * Yolanda Tortolero, politician.

References