Barquisimeto

About Barquisimeto

Barquisimeto is the capital city of Lara and seat of the Iribarren Municipality in Venezuela. Barquisimeto is located in the Central-Western Region. The city is an important urban, industrial, commercial, musical, and transportational center in the country, recognized as the fourth-largest city by population after Caracas, Maracaibo, and Valencia. Barquisimeto is sometimes referred to as the "Music City of Venezuela" due to the large number of musical institutions there. Gustavo Dudamel, the director of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, was born in the city.

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 changed locations four times between 1552 and 1563. The original settlement was near the Buría River, but moved in 1556 due to frequent floods suffered by inhabitants. The second location was in the valley of the Turbio River, where the city stayed until Lope de Aguirre burned it down in 1561. The city was rebuilt 102 km (63 mi...

Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.