Maracay () is a city in north-central

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

, near the Caribbean coast, and is the capital and most important city of the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

of Aragua. Most of it falls under the jurisdiction of Girardot Municipality. The population of Maracay and its surroundings in the 2011 census was 955,362. In Venezuela, Maracay is known as "Ciudad Jardín" ("Garden City").

History

Officially established on March 5, 1701 by Bishop Diego de Baños y Sotomayor in the valleys of Tocopio and Tapatapa (what is known today as the central valley of Aragua) in northern Venezuela. According to the most accepted explanation, it was named after a local indigenous chief, and refers to the "Maracayo" (Felis mitis), a small tiger. Alternative etymologies cite a local aromatic tree called Mara. Maracay experienced rapid growth during Juan Vicente Gómez's dictatorship (1908–1935). Gómez saw Maracay as a suitable place to make his residence during his rule, and ordered the construction of an Arc of Triumph, a bull plaza (a near replica of the one in

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

, Spain), an Ópera house, a Zoo, and, most notably, the Hotel Jardín (Garden Hotel), a majestic, tourist attraction with very large gardens. The city is home to the Mausoleo de Gómez (Gómez's mausoleum), where the dictator is buried.

Economy and transport

One of the most important cities in

, Maracay is primarily an industrial and commercial center, the city produces paper, textiles, chemicals, tobacco, cement, cattle, processed foods, soap and perfumes. The areas around Maracay are agricultural: sugarcane, tobacco, coffee and cocoa stand out as the main products. There are also cattle-herding and timber-cutting activities. Activity by the Venezuelan Military also adds a great deal to Maracay's economy .. Maracay has good transportation facilities and infrastructure . The city is linked to most other important localities by the Autopista Regional del Centro (Central Regional Highway). It also has good access to Venezuela's small national railway system. The city boasts the national hydroplane airport, located on the shore of the Lago de Valencia (Lake of Valencia). The city does not have a subway system, but one is in the planning stages. Maracay has two airports. The Airport Mariscal Sucre (

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MYC

ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sch ...

SVBS) and the military Air Base El Libertador (

SVBL)

Climate

Military

Maracay is a city heavily influenced by the military. Maracay is the cradle of Venezuelan aviation, and it is home to the two largest Air Force bases in the country. The Venezuelan

F-16 The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it e ...

fighter planes are stationed here, as well as the new Sukhoi-30MKEs acquired by the Venezuelan Government. Other military facilities include the Fourth Armored Division of the Army and the airborne training center and barracks of the 42nd Airborne Brigade. It is also home to the government-owned ammunition and weapons factory ( CAVIM) that produces the Venezuelan version of the

FN FAL The FAL (, English: Light Automatic Rifle) is a battle rifle designed in Belgium by Dieudonné Saive and manufactured by FN Herstal and others since 1953. During the Cold War the FAL was adopted by many countries of the NATO, North Atlantic Trea ...

(''Fusil Automatique Leger'' - Light Automatic Rifle) rifle and the

AK-103 The AK-103 is an assault rifle designed by Russian small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov. History The AK-103 was officially offered for export on March 13, 1993. Design details It is an AK-100 derivative of the AK-74M that is chambered ...

s; as well as the ammunition for both models. Parque Nacional Henri Pittier

Natural reserves

The mountains on the north side of Maracay, that separate it from the coast, make up the Henri Pittier National Park, named after the

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

that studied them. The park is a lush

rainforest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...

, noted for its variety of

fern The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

s. Two very winding roads cut through the park over the mountains to the coast. One, beginning at the North-Central part of the city known as Urbanización El Castaño, goes to the beach town of Choroní. The other, beginning at the North-Western part at the city of El Limón, goes to Ocumare de la Costa and the beaches of Cata and Cuyagua.

Higher educational institutions and cultural venues

Maracay houses the Faculty of Veterinarians and Agronomy of the Universidad Central de Venezuela, and an extension of the Universidad de Carabobo. The main Campus of the UNEFA (a military university open to civilians) is located here. Career choices include electronics, aeronautical and civil engineering, and avionics.

Museums

The main museums are: * The Anthropological Museum. * The Aviation Museum. * The Museum of Modern Arts "Mario Abreu". * The Opera House. Torre Sindoni5

Religion

The Patron Saint is Saint Joseph. The San Sebastian's Walk is a religious catholic event with ecological and sport characteristics, which takes place the 20th of January of each year in the outskirts of the city of Maracay. Maracay has a Serbian community and

Serbian Orthodox church The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodox Church#Constit ...

. The city of Maracay has no synagogue. However, nine indigenous inhabitants converted to

Conservative Judaism Conservative Judaism, also known as Masorti Judaism, is a Jewish religious movements, Jewish religious movement that regards the authority of Jewish law and tradition as emanating primarily from the assent of the people through the generations ...

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

in 2014 after a three-year study course. In 2016, they were denied the right to emigrate to Israel by the Israeli Ministry of Interior, under the assumption that they failed to "belong to a Jewish community" in Maracay.

Sports

Maracay is the home of the local

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

team Tigres de Aragua. The city's Bullfight arena is the only bullfighting school in the country. It is called "Maestranza Cesar Girón"

Gallery Images

File:Toro de las delicias, maracay.jpg, Statue of a bull in Las Delicias avenue File:Plaza Bolivar de Maracay.jpg, Bolívar Square File:Fuente av universidad.jpg, Universidad Avenue File:Fotografosd76 Felix Mignogna.jpg, Henri Pittier National Park File:Instituto Arnoldo Gabaldón.jpg, Arnoldo Gabaldón Institute File:Polideportivo las delicias.jpg, Las Delicias Sports Center

Mass media

* TV Stations: TVS, TVR (Orbivisión), Color TV, TIC TV (Televisión Informativa del Centro), Novavisión TV, Aragua TV. * Newspapers:''
El AragüeñoEl PeriodiquitoEl Siglo
El Impreso * Maracay in the web:''
maracaycity.netMaracayUpMaracay ExtremaEn AraguaCiudad Maracay

Notable people

* Bobby Abreu, baseball player * Jesús Aguilar, baseball player * Juan Arango, soccer player * Jose Altuve, baseball player * Elvis Andrus, baseball player * La Divaza, YouTuber and singer * Juan-Carlos Bianchi, tennis player * Miguel Cabrera, baseball player * Alberto Callaspo, baseball player * David Concepción, baseball player * Canserbero, rapper *

Kervin Castro Kervin Alexander Castro (born February 7, 1999) is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher in the New York Yankees organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs. He signed w ...

, baseball player * Yonathan Daza, baseball player *

Gaby Espino María Gabriela Espino Rugero (born November 15, 1977), better known as Gaby Espino, is a Venezuelan actress, model and presenter. She is best known for her main roles in telenovelas in Venezuela, Colombia and Mexico. Early life and career Born ...

, actress, model and TV presenter * , bullfighter * Samin Gómez, racing driver * Carlos Guillén, baseball player * Gabriela Isler, Miss Universe 2013 * Luis Laguna, musician and songwriter * Pilín León, Miss World 1981 * Alicia Machado, Miss Universe 1996 * Manuel Maldonado, racing driver * Pastor Maldonado, Formula One driver * Omar Narváez, baseball player * Martín Prado, baseball player * Sebastian Rivero, baseball player * Maira Alexandra Rodriguez, Miss Earth Water 2014 * Aníbal Sánchez, baseball player * Yolmer Sánchez, baseball player *

Jorge Valdivia Jorge Luis Valdivia Toro (, born 19 October 1983) is a Chilean national and former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Product of Colo-Colo youth ranks, Valdivia had an impressing loan spell at Universidad de Concep ...

, soccer player

References

External links

Official site of the Girardot Municipality

Map of Maracay

Ciudad Maracay. Information about Maracay and Aragua State
{{Authority control Cities in Aragua Populated places established in 1701 1701 establishments in the New Kingdom of Granada