Aragua

For other uses, see Aragua (disambiguation).

Aragua
State
Aragua State Estado Aragua (Spanish)
Bahía de Cata
Flag Coat of arms
Motto:  God, Fatherland, and Aragua
Anthem: "Himno del Estado Aragua"
Location within Venezuela
Country	Venezuela
Created	1899
Capital	Maracay
Government
• Body	Legislative Council
• Governor	Joana Sánchez (PSUV)
Area
• Total	7,014 km2 (2,708 sq mi)
• Rank	20th
	0.76% of Venezuela
Population  (2011)
• Total	1,630,308
• Rank	6th
	6.28% of Venezuela
Time zone	UTC−4 (VET)
ISO 3166 code	VE-D
Emblematic tree	Samán (Pithecellobium saman)
HDI (2019)	0.738 high · 3rd
Website	www.aragua.gob.ve

Old Aqueduct of the Hacienda Tiquire Flores, 17th Century, El Consejo, Aragua State

Aragua State (Spanish: Estado Aragua, IPA: [esˈtaðo aˈɾaɣwa]) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. Located in the central administrative region, it borders the Caribbean sea to the north. The capital is Maracay.

Its geography consists mostly of two Andean mountain ranges with an basin in between containing Lake Valencia, fed mainly by the Aragua River. The entire north part of Aragua, from the coast to the northeastern mountain range, is occupied by Henry Pittier National Park, the first national park in the country.

The valley produces various crops, first of which is sugarcane, as well as potatoes, caco, coffee, cottton, corn, tomatoes, citrus fruits, rice, and tobacco.

It has plains, jungles, and Caribbean beaches, the most popular of which are Cata and Choroní.

Aragua State covers a total surface area of 7,014 km² (2,708 sq mi). Based on the 2011 census data, the state had an estimated population of 1,630,308 inhabitants.

Etymology

The state's name comes from an indigenous word of Cumanagoto (Cariban) origin, used to refer to the chaguaramo, a type of palm from the region. However, according to Carlos Blanco Galeno, a chronicler from Turmero, the name derives from the Cariban aregua, consisting of the morphemes are ("site") and gua, which in turn derives from ogun ("my thing"); thus aregua means "my place, my country". This same word inspired the name of the Aragua River, a major tributary of Lake Valencia.

History

The land where the city of Maracay is located today was granted to Sebastián Díaz Alfaro in the 16th century. After his death, the land passed to his son, Mateo. At that time, these areas were known as Valle de Tucupío and Tepatopo and they were used for cattle grazing. In the areas of Tucupío, Tapatapa, Guey, and El Rincón, sugarcane and cocoa were planted.

By 1700, approximately 40 families inhabited the valley; they petitioned Bishop Diego de Baños y Sotomayor to establish a parish, which formally recognized the settlement as an official population center.

The city of Maracay was founded on March 5, 1701, taking its name from the Maracay River. Maracay suffered through the upheavals of the War of Independence; of particular note were the events of 1812–13 that took place at the La Trinidad hacienda. Later, in 1816 and 1818, the assault of La Cabrera and the Battle of Maracay occurred, where the patriot troops were defeated. The Federal War also affected the town and the surrounding countryside. In addition, a plague epidemic attributed to the decomposition of fermented indigo claimed many victims.

Maracay's urban and economic transition began during the administration of General Juan Vicente Gómez, who resided in the city from the start of his presidency. La Victoria served as the capital until 1917, when the seat of the government was moved to Maracay, a status it still retains.

Nuestra Señora de La Candelaria Church, established by the Spanish colonists in the 18th century in Turmero, Aragua State

Conquest and Spanish Colonial Era

Aragua was part of the Province of Caracas beginning in 1555.

European groups reached the area of Aragua later than they did the neighboring regions of present-day Carabobo or Miranda. In the last decade of the 16th century, the Spanish began establishing encomiendas in the Valleys of Aragua. By 1620 all the land of Aragua were divided among approximately 40 encomenderos, who lived primarily in the Caracas Valley.

By 1780, La Victoria was a town of approximately 800 Indigenous people who spoke only Spanish, along with more than 4,000 people from other groups, including Spaniards, criollos, mestizos, black people, and zambos.

Alexander von Humboldt that by 1800, the population of the Aragua Valleys, which included both sides of Lake Valencia at that time, consisted primarily of pardos and criollos, zambos and enslaved people; approximately 5000 registered Indigenous people remained, most of whom were concentrated in Turmero and Guacara. None of them still spoke their ancestral languages.

19th century

Aragua was established as a province on February 11, 1848, following its separation from Caracas. Its territory was similar to that of the modern state of Aragua and comprised La Victoria, Turmero, Maracay, Villa de Cura, and San Sebastian, with La Victoria serving as its capital.

In 1864, Aragua became an independent state. In 1866, it merged with Guárico to form the state of Guzmán Blanco, and the capital was moved to Villa de Cura in 1881. Aragua regained its status as an autonomous state in 1899.

Church of San Martin de Tours, Colonia Tovar, was established by German immigrants in 1843

20th century

In 1917, the state capital was moved from La Victoria to Maracay. The dictator Juan Vicente Gómez spent most of his presidency in Maracay, where he eventually died in 1935.

Its current borders were established through protocols signed with bordering states at various times: Miranda in 1909, Carabobo in1917, and Guárico in 1933.

In 1989, the state elected its first governor through direct, universal, and secret elections, ending the practice of having a leader appointed by the central government in Caracas.

Geography

Aragua borders the Caribbean Sea to the north, with its coastline backed by the steeply central Cordillera mountain range. Codazzi Peak reaches an elevation of over 2,400 metres (7,900 ft). Much of the state consists of fertile valleys used for intensive agriculture, except in the extreme south, where the plains of the central Llanos region begin. Lake Valencia is situated on the western border.

The state's primary rivers are the Aragua, Guárico, El Limón, Tuy, Pao, and Turmero. These flow into the Caribbean Sea or Lake Valencia, or feed into the vast Orinoco River network. The Camatagua Reservoir is one of the primary sources of water for Caracas.

Geology

Four distinct natural regions are found in the state: the coastal mountain range, the Lake Valencia depression, the inland mountain range, and the Central Wavy Plains. In the Lake Valencia depression, recent sedimentary formations predominate. In contrast, the mountainous areas consist of formations highly affected by metamorphic processes, though they contain core areas of better-preserved igneous and sedimentary rock. In the mountain ranges of the Interior chain, "galleys" can be observed as spurs of the range; these features level out toward the south until they transition into the plains.

Area

Cuyagua, Aragua state.

The region has an area of 7,014 km², most of which is mountainous, and represents 0.76% of the Venezuelan territory. The maritime coast of the state extends from Turiamo Bay in the west to Puerto Maya in the east, corresponding to the central section of the Coastal Range. The southern zone of the state runs from the southern piedmont of the Caribbean mountain range, through the 100-meter elevation level that separates the Llanos Altos from the Llanos Bajos to the depression of the Unare and San Carlos rivers that separates it from the Llanos Altos Occidentales.

Relief

As one of the largest reliefs in the world, two parallel mountain ranges cross the state of Aranua in an east-west direction. Separated by a central depression, these ranges create three distinct physiographic regions that follow one another from north to south. The northern end is hilly, featuring the central stretch of the Litoral mountain range. This area culminates in El Cenizo peak at 2,436 meters above sea level and Codazzi peak at 2,426 meters above sea level.

Ocumare de la Costa, Aragua

Hydrography

The state's hydrographic network consists of three major points. The first is the point of the Caribbean Sea, formed by the San Miguel, Ocumare, Cata, Gaurapito, and Aroa rivers, as well as the rivers of its upper basin via the Tuy River. Second is the Orinoco River basin, formed by the high point and part of the middle point of the Guárico River and the middle part of the Memo River. Finally, there is the endorheic point of Lake Valencia, where the Aragua, Turmero, Maracay, Caño Grande, Tapatapa, Tocorón, and Las Minas rivers pour their waters. In the latter, surface courses have been considerably reduced, as it is no longer possible to use the water from these rivers for human consumption. These rivers have become the main collectors of wastewater discharges from urban, industrial, and agricultural use.

The hydrographic system of the state is characterized by a dendritic drainage pattern; watercourses are generally neither voluminous nor extensive compared to other states in the country. The region is situated within three major hydrographic basins: the Caribbean slope, the Lake Valencia basin, and the Orinoco River basin. Within the Caribbean unit, the drainage areas are divided into the coastal slope and the interior slope of the Litoral mountain range. The Tuy River basin in the interior slope, combined with the Guárico River (part of the Orinoco basin), serves as the primary water source for the metropolitan aqueduct supplying Caracas, the Tuy valleys, and the Caucagua region.

Tovar Municipality

On the northern slope of the Litoral mountain range, a network of short-course rivers originates and drains directly into the Caribbean Sea. These rivers follow a west-to-east distribution, which coincides with a gradual increase in their water flow volumes. Watercourses in this specific coastal basin include the Ocumare, Cata, Tamaira, and Paraulata rivers. Conversely, on the southern slope of the same range, some rivers feed into the endorheic basin of Lake Valencia, while others form the Tuy River system, which flows back into the Caribbean basin after traversing the mountainous interior of the northern region.

The southern part of Aragua state features a plains landscape that extends across an inclined plane descending from north to south, from an altitude of 500 meters above sea level down to less than 250 meters. In this geographical unit, rivers including the Taguay and Tucutunemo have their headwaters. Additionally, low-flow watercourses originate here, forming a network that feeds the Camatagua reservoir and constitutes part of the drainage system for Guárico state. The Pao, Zuata, and Guárico rivers are components of the regional water infrastructure and natural ecosystems.

Lake Valencia (Also Tacarigua lake) is the third largest body of water in Venezuela, after Lake Maracaibo and the Guri reservoir. The lake has an elevation of 408 meters above sea level, a surface area of approximately 380 square kilometers, and a volume of 8,000 cubic kilometers. Its geological origin dates to the period between the late Tertiary and early Quaternary eras, and is located within a tectonic depression or fault line with an east-west orientation between the Litoral and Interior mountain ranges. This positioning has defined the lake's ecological and hydrological history.

Cata Bay, Aragua

The Lake Valencia basin became an endorheic system approximately 278 years ago when water levels dropped below 427 meters above sea level, ending its natural contribution to the Pao River basin. Human occupation and water use since 1945 accelerated the lake's drying process. In 1975, water was imported from the Pao-Cachinche reservoir in Carabobo state to meet urban demand in Valencia. In 1978, the National Institute of Sanitary Works diverted the Cabriales River into the lake, resulting in a recovery of water levels.

Climate

Due to the diversity of its relief and altitudes, the region contains different thermal floors where temperatures decrease as altitude increases. A semi-arid and warm climate dominates the coastal strip, as it is evidenced in Turiamo and Puerto Maya. Orographic rainfall occurs at elevations on the northern flank of the Serranía de Litoral, resulting in cooler and more humid conditions that support cloud forests in the Henri Pittier National Park. Local conditions allow for greater humidity and warmer temperatures in coastal coves such as Chuao, Choroní, and Ocumare, which are used for cocoa plantations.

In the Coastal Range, an isothermal climate is present. At Colonia Tovar, located 1,900 meters above sea level, the average annual temperature is 15.4 °C and annual rainfall is 1,000 mm. Warmer conditions occur in the Lake Valencia depression and the Aragua valleys. In Maracay, at an altitude of 545 meters, the average annual temperature is 25 °C and annual rainfall is 834 mm, with a defined dry season. The plains sector has a rainy tropical savanna climate with an average rainfall of 1,100 mm, a dry season, and an average annual temperature of 26 °C.

Soils

Chuao, Aragua State

The soils of the Aragua valleys contain minerals and are fertile, and the mountainous areas are also suitable for certain types of crops. These areas contain soils with a medium accumulation of organic matter and clay, while the lake banks have calcium content due to the presence of fossils. Due to these characteristics, the soil of Aragua is among the most fertile in Venezuela.

Vegetation

Vegetation ranges from trees with abundant foliage in the cloud forests of Henri Pittier National Park, on the Litoral mountain range, to thorny scrub in the coastal area. Grasses predominate in the valleys and savannahs, and are accompanied by trees such as kapok, cedar, and saman.

Politics and government

As a federal state, Aragua is autonomous and politically equal to the other members of the Federation. The state organizes its administration and public powers through the Constitution of Aragua State, adopted in 2002. This constitution establishes a division of powers into executive and legislative branches and can be reformed totally or partially by the Aragua legislature. Approval requires an absolute majority of state deputies.

Mariano Montilla Barracks, La Victoria, Aragua State

Executive branch

The executive branch is composed of the governor of Aragua and a group of state secretaries appointed by the governor. The governor, who is in charge of the state administration, is elected by direct and secret vote for a four-year term with the possibility of immediate re-election for an additional term.

Since direct elections for Venezuelan state governors began in 1989, Aragua was governed by the Movement for Socialism and PODEMOS in 2008. The current governor is Daniela González of the PSUV.

Took office	Left office	Governor	vote
1989	1992	Carlos Tablante, MAS	50.51
1992	1995	Carlos Tablante, MAS	62.73
1995	1998	Didalco Bolívar Graterol, MAS	48.93
1998	2000	Didalco Bolívar Graterol, MAS	72.44
2000	2004	Didalco Bolívar Graterol, MAS	84.54
2004	2008	Didalco Bolívar Graterol, PODEMOS	67.70
2008	2012	Rafael Isea, PSUV	58.92
2012	2017	Tarek El Aissami, PSUV	55.56
2017	18/10/2017	Caryl Bertho, PSUV	Replacement
19/10/2017	2021	Rodolfo Marco Torres, PSUV	56.83
2021	Current	Daniela González, PSUV	Replacement

See also: List of Venezuela state legislatures, List of Venezuela state constitutions, and List of Venezuela governors

Like the other 23 federal states of Venezuela, the region maintains its own police force, which is supported and complemented by the National Police and the Venezuelan National Guard.

Legislative power

The unicameral Legislative Council of Aragua State is responsible for the region's legislative functions. Its members are elected by direct and secret vote every four years and may be reelected for consecutive terms. Under a system of proportional representation of the state and its municipalities, the council consists of nine main deputies and their substitutes. Following the December 2015 elections, eight of these seats were held by the opposition and one by the government. The governor is accountable to the council and must provide reports to the body, which is responsible for approving the regional budget.

Municipalities and municipal seats

Municipalities of Aragua

Municipalities of Aragua (unnumbered)

Aragua comprises eighteen municipalities (municipios):

Tovar Municipality

1. Bolívar (San Mateo)
2. Camatagua (Camatagua)
3. Francisco Linares Alcántara (Santa Rita)
4. Girardot (Maracay)
5. José Angel Lamas (Santa Cruz)
6. José Félix Ribas (La Victoria)
7. José Rafael Revenga (El Consejo)
8. Libertador (Palo Negro)
9. Mario Briceño Iragorry (El Limón)
10. Ocumare de la Costa de Oro (Ocumare de la Costa)
11. San Casimiro (San Casimiro)
12. San Sebastián (San Sebastián)
13. Santiago Mariño (Turmero)
14. Santos Michelena (Las Tejerías)
15. Sucre (Cagua)
16. Tovar (Colonia Tovar)
17. Urdaneta (Barbacoas)
18. Zamora (Villa de Cura)

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1873	110,828	—
1881	108,085	−0.31%
1891	94,195	−1.37%
1920	97,251	+0.11%
1926	105,849	+1.42%
1936	129,746	+2.06%
1941	138,235	+1.28%
1950	189,891	+3.59%
1961	313,274	+4.66%
1971	543,170	+5.66%
1981	891,623	+5.08%
1990	1,120,132	+2.57%
2001	1,449,616	+2.37%
2011	1,630,308	+1.18%
Source: "XIV CENSO NACIONAL DE POBLACIÓN Y VIVIENDA - Resultados por Entidad Federal y Municipio del Estado Aragua" (PDF). Instituto Nacional de Estadística.

With 8.28% of the country's total population, Aragua is the sixth most populous state in Venezuela. As of 2015, the state had a total population of 2,093,224 inhabitants, primarily concentrated along the coast and in the lower valleys. The Aragua valleys are among the most densely populated regions in the country, driven by the rapid industrialization of Maracay. The city's metropolitan area exceeds 2.1 million residents, including approximately 230,000 people within an area of influence that extends into the neighboring states of Carabobo and Guárico.

Race and ethnicity

According to the 2011 Census, the racial composition of the population was:

Racial composition	Population	%
Mestizo	—N/a	51.9
White	763,351	43.4
Black	63,319	3.6
Other race	—N/a	1.1

The regional population is highly diverse, reflecting significant immigration from the 1950s to the present. Most residents are of mixed descent, with ancestral roots primarily involving Spaniards, local Indigenous peoples, and Africans. The highest population density and the largest urban areas are located in the north, where white inhabitants comprise the majority in the municipalities of Tovar, Mario Briceño Iragorry, and Girardot.

The Tovar Municipality is populated almost entirely by people of German descent. This area was the site of Colonia Tovar, a town founded by German immigrants arrived in Venezuela during the 19th century.

Rancho Abu Hanna in Turmero, Santiago Mariño Municipality

Municipality	Capital	Population (2015)	%
Bolívar	San Mateo	42.200	1.97 %
Camatagua	Camatagua	20.140	0.9 %
Francisco Linares Alcántara	Santa Rita	208.710	9.57 %
Girardot	Maracay	720.035	34.16 %
José Ángel Lamas	Santa Cruz	36.800	1.56 %
José Félix Ribas	La Victoria	150.081	6.86 %
José Rafael Revenga	El Consejo	52.400	2.34 %
Libertador	Palo Negro	140.850	6.23 %
Mario Briceño Iragorry	El Limón	126.313	4.76 %
Ocumare de la Costa de Oro	Ocumare de la Costa	14.205	0.62 %
San Casimiro	San Casimiro	29.900	1.25 %
San Sebastián	San Sebastián	24.841	1.09 %
Santiago Mariño	Turmero	250.091	11.53 %
Santos Michelena	Las Tejerías	43.208	1.87 %
Sucre	Cagua	146.670	6.62 %
Tovar	Colonia Tovar	15.600	0.7 %
Urdaneta	Barbacoas	23.880	1.01 %
Zamora	Villa de Cura	182.206	6.94 %

Transport

Aragua's road network spans 2,170.5 km and consists of trunk, local, branch, and sub-branch routes. Approximately 47.7% of this network is paved. The most significant routes include the Regional Highway of the Center (Trunk 1), which connects Aragua with the states of Carabobo and Miranda and the Capital District; Trunk 2, which traverses the state from north to south to reach Guárico; and local roads 6 and 7, which provide access to the Aragua coast.

Old trains of the Gran Ferrocarril de Venezuela. El Consejo, Aragua

Culture

Handicrafts

Aragua is home to several towns noted for traditional handicrafts, including Colonia Tovar, Magdaleno, La Villa, Tocorón, and Palo Negro.

Traditional Events

Traditional events in the state include the Velorio de Cruz de Mayo, La Llora, Toro de Colores, and San Juan Bautista. Other traditions are the Pastores del Niño Jesús of El Limón and Chuao, as well as the Diablos Danzantes of Cuyagua, Cata, Ocumare, Turiamo, and Chuao; of the eleven brotherhoods in Venezuela, five are from Aragua. The region also features the Burras Tradicionales, Joropo Central, Parranda Central, Gorilas de San Mateo, and the Jokilis and Gorilas of Colonia Tovar.

Museums

• Museo Aeronáutico de Maracay: Military and civil aeronautical technology museum created in 1963 in the spaces where the Aragua Air Base and the first Military Aviation School in the country used to operate.

Sukhoi Su-30MK2 of the Venezuelan Air Force at Libertador Base, Aragua

• Museum of Anthropology and History of Maracay: Museum of archaeological findings of the states of Aragua and Carabobo that were found as of 1889 during the government of General Guzmán Blanco, when the main towns and cities began to be built.

Mario Abreu Museum of Contemporary Art (MACMA): with an important collection of plastic arts from the 20th century.

• CADAFE Museum: this museum is located in the parish of Choroní, in the Girardot municipality.
• Colonia Tovar History and Craftwork Museum: one of the most important and interesting attractions of Colonia Tovar is its museum. In it, its creator, the city's chronicler, Professor Néstor Rojas, has put a great deal of his life into showing visitors and residents a piece of the history of the Colony.
• Museo Nacional de Suelos CENIAP: This museum is located in El Limón de Maracay. It has more than 600 soil micromonolites and 11 macromonolites from 20 states in Venezuela. A micromonolite is a small representation of a soil profile accompanied by information regarding the profile (horizons and characterization) and information regarding the collection site of the samples (climate, landscape, use, etc.).

Theatres

• Teatro Ateneo de Maracay: the original name was the "Teatro Circo Maracay" the work was sent to build by General Juan Vicente Gomez to the meridian Epifanio Balza Davila, its architecture is based on the Art Deco style, but due to the bad temper of General Gomez this does not have a particular style.
• Maracay Opera House: the work was entrusted to the architect Luis Malaussena, who together with Carlos Raúl Villanueva developed the monumental project full of sobriety within its spectacular nature where horizontal lines predominate while some free spaces compensate for the heaviness of this predominance.

Henri Pittier National Park

Tourism

The state of Aragua is famous within Venezuela, especially for the variety and beauty of its beaches, natural monuments, extensive green areas, and for the Colonia Tovar, a territory colonized by the Germans.

Henri Pittier National Park

Henri Pittier National Park is the oldest park in the country, since it is the first national park decreed in Venezuela, originally created in 1937 with the name of Rancho Grande and renamed in 1953 with the name of that Swiss geographer, botanist and ethnologist, who arrived in Venezuela in 1917 and classified more than 30 thousand plants in the country. The park has an irregular and abrupt topography. Its geological constitution is basically of metamorphic igneous rock. Likewise, there are rocky coastal environments. Its altitude ranges from sea level to 2430 m at Cenizo peak. Orchids, ferns, and climbing vines abound.

Pico Codazzi Natural Monument

Pico Codazzi Natural Monument is one of the highest peaks of the Coastal Range and is characterized by rainforest vegetation on its slopes. It takes its name from the Italian naturalist-cartographer and geographer Agustín Codazzi, who arrived in Venezuela in 1827. It was he who promoted the mobilization of German farmers to that area, giving rise to the Colonia Tovar.

Playa Grande (Grande Beach), Choroni

Natural heritage

• Onoto Hot Springs
• Villa de Cura Hot Springs.
• Bay of Cata.
• Bay of Turiamo
• Choroní.
• Ocumare.

Turiamo Bay

• Ensenada de Café.
• Chuao.
• Cuyagua.
• Ensenada Juan Andrés.
• Ensenada Puerto Maya.
• Lake of Valencia.
• Tasajera Mountains.
• Manantial La Peñita and El Banco.
• Codazzi Peak.
• Aroa.

Sindoni Tower

Built heritage

• Sindoni Tower.
• Ateneo de Maracay Theatre.
• House of Culture of Maracay.
• Culture House of La Victoria.
• Casona de Santa Rita.
• Colonia Tovar.
• Institute of Anthropology and History of the State of Aragua
• Aeronautical Museum.
• Archaeology Museum.
• Museum of Fine Arts.
• History Museum.
• Military History Museum.
• Casa del Ingenio San Mateo
• Ornithological Museum.
• Maracay Opera House.
• Zoo of Maracay.
• El Limón Tower

Sports

José Pérez Colmenares Stadium, Maracay

The Tigres de Aragua, a team of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League, represents the state and plays in Maracay. Aragua F.C. is a soccer club In Maracay.

• Aragua Fútbol Club
• Toros de Aragua
• Aragua Voleibol Club
• Tigres de Aragua
• Proyecto Alcatraz Rugby Club

Media

Regional Television

• TVS
• TeleAragua
• TVR
• ICT TV
• NOVA TV
• Aragua TV

Newspapers

Puerto Maya, Aragua

The main newspapers are:

• El Aragüeño.
• El Siglo.
• El Periodiquito.
• El Clarín de La Victoria.
• Ciudad MCY.

Radio

• Aragueña 99.5 FM
• Rutas 90.7 FM

See also

• States of Venezuela
• Dancing devils of Corpus Christi
• Tren de Aragua, notorious international gang believed to have started in Tocorón prison in the state

External links

• Ciudad Maracay. Information about Maracay and Aragua State
• (in Spanish) INE, Population statistics for Aragua