Carabobo


Carabobo State is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. Located in the Central Region of Venezuela, it is about two hours by car from Caracas. The state capital city is Valencia, which is also the country's main industrial center. The state's area is and, as of the 2011 census, had a population of 2,245,744.
Carabobo State was the site of the Battle of Carabobo on 24 June 1821. This was a decisive victory for the Venezuelans, led by Simón Bolívar, in their war of independence against Spain.

Toponymy

There are several versions about the origin of the name Carabobo. One of them refers to a voice coming from a local Arawaco language: Karau means savannah and bo means water. The repeated bo acts as a superlative, i.e. a lot of water or streams. Thus, Carabobo would mean Savannah of Waters or Savannah of Ravines.

History

Prehistory

First cultures

When Europeans arrived to what would become Venezuela, one of the most important cultural centres was located around the Valencia Lake. The Native Americans in the region were hunters, gatherers, but also fishers and farmers. Many petroglyphs and ceramics remain from this time.
There are signs of human presence in the Valencia region from the fourth millennium BC onwards. Humans were also present earlier in other areas of what is now Carabobo, like in Bejuma.
An important human settlement occurred around the Valencia Lake between 200 and 1000 AD. These people already practiced some kind of agriculture.

Second wave

At the end of the first millennium new populations started to arrive from the Orinoco region, probably via the El Pao River. From the eighth century onwards the Orinoco populations started to merge with the older groups. This fusion produced what is known as Valenciode culture.
People lived in houses built on artificial mounds in the very fruitful valleys to the East and West of the Valencia Lake. They produced specially anthropomorphic sculptures.
Around the year 1200 the Valencioide culture reached the whole area of the Valencia Lake basin, the centre of Northern Venezuela and several islands in the Caribbean. The Indians would trade sea products like the, salt, turtles and fish from coral reefs. The trade took place in villages along the coast.
Taramainas, Tacariguas and other tribes inhabited the Valencia Lake region when the Europeans arrived.
The different groups spoke mostly Arawak languages, but there were also several Carib groups.
The Indians grew maize, a typical product of Western South American cultures and also Manioc, a typical product of groups from the East. Many metates or grinding stones for maize as well as budares for the preparation of cassava remain from those times.
The Jirajara Indians from Nirgua, would go to the Valencia Lake and from there through the mountains to the Sea at the level of Borburata to get salt.

European conquest and colonization

15th and 16th centuries

Juan de Villegas founded the town of Borburata in 1548. Seven years later, in 1555, he founded Valencia in the central plains to the west of the Tacarigua Lake.
In 1577 and 1583 the region of Valencia suffered a series of raids by Carib tribes coming from the Low Orinoco. The Spanish troops led by Garci-González repelled and went after them.
During the late 16th and 17th centuries, the region suffered many attacks by French and British pirates. The town of Borburata was eventually abandoned for a long period, and settlers moved to Valencia, which was less likely to be raided as it was a day walk from the Caribbean. Some of the attacks included:
  • 1555: French pirates attacked Borburata for 6 days
  • 1564: British pirates led by John Hawkins 'forced' the Borburata settlers to buy his cargo, about two hundred Africans from the Gambia region and some European products.
  • 1566: Lowell attacked Borburata
  • 1567: French pirates led by Nicolas Vallier invaded Borburata and the inhabitants had to abandon the town
  • 1568: John Hawkins attacked Borburata again and sold his new cargo of slaves. The main part of that cargo was a group of 400 Africans he had captured and enslaved in Western Africa.

    17th century

In 1624 Indians to the Northwest of the Valencia Lake established the settlement of Guacara.
Attacks by English and French pirates continued during a great part of the century. In 1659, the English pirate Myngs plundered Puerto Cabello on a raid that had taken him to Cumaná and later Coro.
In 1677, Valencia was plundered by French pirates, who burnt down the Ayuntamiento or "City Hall" and destroyed most historical documents.
At the beginning of 1694, the governor of Venezuela, Francisco Berroterán, declared the growing Guacara, Los Guayos and San Diego doctrinas, "towns of Indians".

18th century

The Compañía Guipuzcoana de Caracas, a company organized by Basque entrepreneurs, received the monopoly of trade between Venezuela and the rest of the world. In that context, the company built in 1730 the haven of what would become Puerto Cabello.
In 1800, German scientist Alexander von Humboldt explored the area in his South American trip.

Independence war

Venezuela's independence was declared on 19 April 1810 in the Casa de la Estrella, in Valencia. The Independence act was signed there the next year, 5 July.
Several very important battles between Spanish royalist forces and the pro-Independence troops under Bolivar took place in the Carabobo region. The most important was the Battle of Carabobo, fought on 24 June 1821 and considered a key battle in the struggle for Venezuelan independence. After the battle, what was left of the Spanish forces holed up in the San Felipe Castle in Puerto Cabello until 10 November 1823, when they surrendered and left Venezuela.

Post-colonial times and civil war period

On 6 May 1830 the Congress of Valencia takes place. There, Venezuela declared the independence from the Great Colombia and Valencia was declared Venezuela's capital.
On 29 March 1832 the central government created the province of Barquisimeto from a part of Carabobo.
In 1858, during the March Revolution, Valencia became again capital of Venezuela.
On 27 April 1881 the central government reforms the administrative divisions and creates the state of Carabobo, which at that time had a part that later was given to Yaracuy.

20th century

During World War II, the crews of several Italian ships and one German ship took refuge on the Puerto Cabello bay. On 31 March 1941, they set fire to their ships to prevent US troops from capturing them. A big fire in the haven of Puerto Cabello ensued. Several hundred marines were captured. Many of the Italians eventually would decide to settle down in Venezuela.
In the second half of the 20th century, Carabobo experienced a population explosion. Many immigrants arriving from Europe to Venezuela after WW2 settled down in Valencia and surrounding areas. From the 1970s onwards, immigration came mainly from other Latin American countries. The La Cabrera Tunnel was constructed in the late 1950s using the New Austrian Tunnelling method.
The first local elections for governors took place in 1988. Salas Römer became elected governor of Carabobo. In 2006 the Valencia city metro was inaugurated, making it the third city in the country with a system of this type.

Geography

Geology and relief

Most of Carabobo State – 75% – is mountainous and part of the Coastal Range. The highest elevations are found throughout the northern part, in the western part of the state and in the southern part of Lake Valencia.
There is a central depression around Lake Valencia and towards the south the plains begin.

Peaks

Cobalongo or Caobal Hill, in the municipality of Puerto Cabello, in the north, is the highest point in the state, at 1990 meters above sea level. Other of the highest peaks are:
  • The summit of the Copa, with 1800 in the Municipality of Montalbán.
  • The summit of Borburata, with 1,680 meters above sea level in the Municipality of Puerto Cabello.
  • The Carrizo Real with 1.560 masl in the Municipality of Puerto Cabello.
There is a large number of anticlines, synclines, diaclases, fractures and faults. One of the most important faults is La Victoria, located south of Valencia. This area shows some tectonic activity of moderate importance.
The mountains have very deep slopes. The slopes can exceed 80%. In the plains, the slopes are less than 1%. In the area of the Tocuyito high plateau the slopes reach 5%.
In the State of Carabobo, in front of Puerto Cabello there are a number of small islands:
  • Larga Island: it is the largest, with 1855 m long. It is currently part of the San Esteban National Park.
  • Santo Domingo Island: it is an island of 463 m at about 928 m west of Isla Larga.
  • Ratón Island: it is an islet surrounded by corals at 1390 m southwest of Isla Santo Domingo and 230 m from the mainland.
  • Del Rey Island: with 463 m long, is surrounded by corals and reefs.
In Lake Valencia there are also several islands. Some have disappeared due to the rise in the level of the lake since the 1970s. The largest island is Burro Island.

Hydrography

The State of Carabobo has three hydrographic basins: the Basin of the Caribbean Sea, the Basin of Lake Valencia and the Basin of the South.

Caribbean Basin

Rivers:
  • Aguas Calientes
  • Borburata
  • Goaigoaza
  • Moron
  • Patanemo
  • Sanchón
  • San Esteban: this river rises at the top called Tetas de Hilaria, passes through the town of San Esteban and flows eastwards from Puerto Cabello.
  • Urama: the river has its source in the mountains of the Canoabo area and runs for about 62 kilometers.
These rivers generally flow from the northern part of the Coastal Mountain Range into the Caribbean Sea.