Barquisimeto

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), but in 1562 they inhabitants asked for permission to move to another site due to strong winds blowing in the place. Finally, Barquisimeto was moved to the north plateau of the Turbio River in 1563. …

Barquisimeto is built on the terrace of the same name, on the banks of the Turbio River, about 600 meters (~2000 feet) above sea level, gradually sloping from 520 metres (1,710 feet) in the eastern part of the city to 700 metres (2,300 feet) in the west. As the city lies at the northern edge of the Andes, it is bounded on the south by mountains with elevations ranging from 1000 meters to over 2000 meters, such as Loma de Leon (which is the nearest peak to the city, 1331 meters above sea level), Cerro Patriciera (1629 meters a.s.l.), and Cerro Lara (2251 meters a.s.l.). To the northwest of Barquisimeto there are the Saroche hills (e.g. Cerro Copeyal at 1323 meters a.s.l.) and to the northeast there are the Sierra de Aroa mountains (e.g. Cerro Atravesado at 1712 meters a.s.l.). Barquisimeto is located in central-western Venezuela, 363 km (226 mi) from Caracas, the country's capital city. …

The city's modern Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the cathedral of the episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Barquisimeto. The Divina Pastora (Divine Shepherdess) is a statue of the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus, with a lamb at her side. It is considered to be one of the most important religious icons of Venezuela. Divina Pastora is the patron saint of the city of Barquisimeto and of the Venezuelan National Militia. The original image dates from 1735. Divina Pastora is celebrated in a procession on January 14 of each year, when a massive Marian procession occurs, considered to be one of the largest in the world, attracting thousands of pilgrims. The statue is removed from its shrine and is carried on the main streets of Barquisimeto in a procession which starts at the Iglesia de la Divina Pastora in Santa Rosa until it reaches the Barquisimeto Cathedral. …

The Transbarca system is a new "bus rapid transit" (BRT) system under construction, which was originally planned to use trolleybuses. When construction began, in 2006, the system was projected to serve an average of 170,000 people per day when completed, using 80 trolleybuses operating along 30 km (19 mi) of exclusive lanes, across the metropolitan area. Service was planned to include an express route of 22 km (14 mi) along with one local route of 8 km (5 mi). With 52 stations, the BRT system is to include a centralized system of communication and security, and structures for easy access for elderly and disabled people. It is to be complemented with feeder routes, covering the areas of Greater Barquisimeto the BRT line will not serve, which will connect with the main line at terminal stations. …

Junior Alvarado (born 1986) - Thoroughbred racing jockey Rafael Cadenas (born 1930) - poet and essayist, winner of the Cervantes prize in 2022 Gregorio Camacho (1933–2002) - painter Pedro Carmona (born 1941) - economist who served briefly as acting president of Venezuela in 2002 Carlos Carrasco (born 1987) - Major League Baseball pitcher Gabriel Coronel (born 1987) - actor and singer Gustavo Dudamel (born 1981) - conductor and violinist Andrés Giménez (born 1998) - Major League Baseball player for the Toronto Blue Jays Carlos Mendoza (born 1979) - Major League Baseball coach and current manager of the New York Mets Amleto Monacelli (born 1961) - professional ten-pin bowler Dori Parra de Orellana (1923–2007) – politician Manny Piña (born 1987) - Major League Baseball player Ana Rugeles (1914–2012) - composer and music educator