Monagas


Monagas State is one of the 23 states of Venezuela.
Monagas State covers a total surface area of and, as of the 2011 census, had a population of 905,443.
Monagas State is surrounded by Sucre State in the north, Anzoátegui State in the west and south, Bolívar State in the south, Delta Amacuro State in the south and east and the Paria Gulf in the northeast.
The state is named after the general and president of Venezuela José Tadeo Monagas, native from this state, and his brother and fellow president José Gregorio Monagas, native from the neighbor Anzoátegui State.
The capital of the state is Maturín.

History

Pre-colonial stage

It dates back to the settlement of the territory by aborigines of different ethnicities hundreds of years ago, among which we can mention the Waraos and Kariña ethnicities, where they were accentuated mainly in the Orinoco Delta and the Chaima Indians in the north of the State. The first aborigines to make a presence in the northern part of the region were the Chaima Indians, belonging to the Capaya tribe. The Capuchin missionary Fray Gerónimo de Muro, with the help of the Carib, Cuaca and Chaima Indians, founded the town of San Antonio de Maturín, which is now San Antonio de Capayacuar, on August 7, 1713.
Although the settlement of the territory was slow, archaeological excavations and commentaries by the chroniclers of the Indies point to the existence of a well-developed village in Barrancas in the year 1530, when the Conqueror Diego de Ordás passed through the area in search of El Dorado. Also in the 16th century missionaries arrived in the highlands and slowly the Christianisation and re-education of the Indians spread to the south; they thus adapted to a more sedentary life.
In the site where Barrancas is located today, archaeological objects and utensils have been found that belonged to the so-called Barrancoid and Saladoid cultures, the oldest of which have been dated 1000 years before the Christian era. The archaeological evidence that has been found has allowed to establish that Barrancas has been uninterruptedly inhabited at least since the 11th century of our era, which makes it the oldest town in Venezuela and one of the oldest in the American continent.

Spanish Colonization

Diego de Ordaz, a Spanish explorer obsessed with finding the legendary site of El Dorado, arrived in the village in August 1531 after traveling up the Orinoco River via the Caño Manamo. Impressed by its number of inhabitants - which he estimated at "more than 400 bohíos" - he decided to go down and meet personally with the cacique "Naricagua", lord of his territories, whose name of the river "Uyapari" was associated with the village. The chronicler Juan de Castellanos, in his Elegies of Illustrious Men of the Indies, describes it as "a powerful town of great people that on the ravines was placed the Cacique of Uyapari lordship".
San Antonio de Capayacuar was founded on August 7, 1713 by the Capuchin missionary Fray Gerónimo de Muro with the help of Carib Indians, cuacas and chaimas.
On April 20, 1731, the Aragonese Fray Antonio de Blesa founded Santo Domingo de Guzmán de Caycuar, the area was inhabited by chaimas and outcasts when the Capuchin missionaries arrived, this settlement would later be called Caicara de Maturín.
A Catholic mission of Chaima Indians with the Capuchin missionary Pedro de Gelsa, founded the San Miguel Arcangel de Caripe settlement on October 12, 1734, which would later become Caripe.
Maturín was founded on December 7, 1760 by the Capuchin friar Lucas de Zaragoza.
The territory where Aguasay is now located was founded in 1769 by Friar Manuel de La Mata.
Uracoa was founded in 1784 by Friar José de Manzanera. In 1799 the German geographer Alejandro de Humboldt and the Frenchman Aimeé Bonpland visited Caripe as part of their trip through Venezuela. Other explorers who toured the area were the Italian Agustín Codazzi and the German Ferdinand Bellermann.

19th and 20th Centuries

In 1856, the Province of Maturín was created, separated from that of Cumaná. By 1864 the Maturín State was ratified. But in 1879, Monagas was annexed to the State of Oriente and, from 1891 to 1898, it belonged to the State of Bermúdez.
In 1904, Maturín became the capital of the Monagas district of Bermúdez State, whose capital was Cumaná. For a long time, Monagas was an extremely poor state. During the 16th and 17th centuries, the plains and swamps north of the Orinoco, under the rule of the Caribs, made alliances with the French and Dutch as a policy of tenacious resistance against Spanish domination. On ancient maps these lands are called Caribana, kingdom of the Caribs.
Although the settlement of the territory was slow, archaeological excavations and commentaries by Indian chroniclers point to the existence of a well-developed village in Barrancas in the year 1530, when Conqueror Diego de Ordás passed through the area in search of El Dorado. In the 16th century, missionaries arrived in the highlands and slowly the Christianisation and re-education of the Indians spread to the south; they thus adapted to a more sedentary life.
In 1909 the State of Monagas was created with its current boundaries. In honor of General José Tadeo Monagas. In 1924 the Standard Oil Company starts the oil exploration activities in the area of Caripito that experiences a slight repopulation. With the bursting of the Moneb No. 1 well, in the Quiriquire field in 1928, oil exploitation begins and the area reaches an important impulse in its urban development due to the arrival of migrant labor, particularly from the Caribbean islands.
In 1929 the Standard Oil Company begins to build the storage yard and the deep water dock on the San Juan River and on October 15, 1930 the Creole Bueno tanker leaves the port of Caripito with 20 thousand barrels of oil bound for Trinidad.
In 1935, the aquatic terminal of Caripito was inaugurated, located on the San Juan River, where S-42 seaplanes of the Pan American Airways company arrived and included it in the Central American and Caribbean route.
In 1936 the Caripito International Airport is selected by the aviator Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan as the second stopover of their trip around the world staying at the Standard Oil Company facilities. The event was widely publicized in the world press and the company gave them the logistical support to continue the flight through South America.
On November 15, 1940 the city of Punta de Mata was founded. On December 28 of that same year the first oil well was drilled in that area, in addition the Legislative Assembly of Monagas considered the convenience of creating the Bolivar District and integrated to its territory the municipalities of Punceres and Colon, designating Caripito as the capital, according to the decree of January 19, 1940, signed by Governor Jose Maria Isava on January 30 of the same year.
Under the direction of the Corporación Venezolana de Guayana, several hectares of Caribbean pine were planted between Barrancas and the nearby town of Uverito, an activity that significantly boosted the development of the area. By the 1970s, it was the most important population and port in the state of Monagas, mainly due to the lack of land road connections to the main nearby cities, such as Tucupita and Puerto Ordaz, although today it continues to be an important center for the collection of goods and passengers to these cities.
In 1976, the assets of Creole were nationalized and were managed by Lagoven, later by Corpoven and now by PDVSA in association with Repsol. By closing the refinery in 1976 and the oil terminal in 2002, an attempt was made to boost agricultural activity to take advantage of fertile areas by growing cocoa, pepper, Chinese ocumo, white ocumo and yucca.
The newspaper El Oriental was founded in 1982 in the city of Maturín. On August 20, 1983, the State Legislative Assembly declared the creation of the Municipal Council of the Libertador Municipality, in accordance with the provisions of the law of Political Territorial Division of the State of Monagas, allowing the creation of the Libertador Municipality. Since 1989, with the administrative reforms that were approved for the whole country, the state of Monagas elected for the first time in a direct and secret way its own governor and Legislative Assembly.

Geography

Relief

The state has many plateaus and savannas located in the southwest. In the northeast and the southeast there are deltaic savannas in which rivers such as San Juan, Guanipa, Caño Mánamo, Río Tigre flow into. In the northwest there is a group of mountains belonged to the eastern mountain range. This mountain range is divided in two massifs: the massif of el Turimiquire and the massif of Caripe. Cerro Negro is the highest mountain of Monagas State. The mountain landscape presents a geological material of Cretaceous age, constituted exclusively by sedimentary rocks, predominantly sandstones, shales and limestones, being the main geological formations: El Cantil, Barranquín, Guayuta and Querecual; it has elevations between 400 and 2 300 m.a.s.l., with valleys and depressions.

Climate

The weather is hot in the area of the Llanos, while it is cold in the mountains located in the north of the state. The average temperature in the low areas is between 25 and 28 °C. In the area of the town of Caripe the cold temperature permits the cultivation of certain kind of typical plants from cold weathers as roses and strawberries. The level of rainfalls in the state is between 530 and 1400 mm during the year.
Dominated by a rainy tropical climate with some local variations that respond to various factors such as altitude, wind and proximity to the sea. Most of the state, in the southern strip, has a climate typical of savannahs with dry seasons that can last up to six months, which produces a severe water shortage. The average annual temperature of Monagas is approximately 27º C. In Maturín, Temblador and Uverito, average temperatures are between 26° and 27° C.

Hydrology

The rivers of the state belong to one of the two basins that are located in the state. The basins are the basin of Atlantic Ocean and the basin of the Orinoco River. Rivers such as Guanipa, Río Tigre, Morichal Largo, Caño Mánamo, Amana, Tonoro, Tabasca, Uracoa flow into the Orinoco River. On the other hand, the rivers Guarapiche, San Juan, Río de Oro, Caripe flow into the Atlantic Ocean. The rivers of the Atlantic Ocean basin come from the mountains located in the northwest of the state and the rivers of the Orinoco river basin come from the many plateaus located in the southwest of Monagas State and from Anzoategui State.
It has an extensive hydrographic network with a fairly uniform geographical distribution, with the Guarapiche River standing out in the area of the tables. The rivers are numerous and of little depth, marking the end of the piedmont in which three river basins are located with course north-south that are: that of the rivers Amana-Areo, Guarapiche, Púnceres-Aragua. From west to east the rivers Tácata, Tonoro, Caris, Guanipa and El Tigre cross the state. Monagas State has a great number of moderate rivers and streams, among the main ones;

Vegetation

The vegetation is the intertropical one. This vegetation is adapted to the different altitudes, weathers and kinds of soil of the state. Typical trees are el araguaney, la ceiba, el jobo, el aceituno, la vera, la palma de moriche and el mangle. The State of Monagas has a very wide biodiversity like other states in Venezuela. More than 2000 species of vascular flora have been catalogued within the Monagas territory The most symbolic tree of the Moriche along the Morichal Largo River. The dominant vegetation in the north of Monagas State is the rain forest, like the one found in the mountainous area of the San Juan River valley and the Acosta and Caripe municipalities. In these cold areas, it is possible to grow temperate plants such as strawberries and roses. However, in the flat regions, towards the south-east of the state, intertropical savannah vegetation dominates, such as thorn bushes, grasses, cujíes and other varieties that have adapted to the conditions of the state such as Ceiba, jobo, Caribbean pine, jabillo and carob tree. Another variation of the vegetation present in Monagas State, can be found along the banks of the main rivers, where extensive forests of mangroves, palms and morichals have been formed.

Protected areas

, was created in May 1975 by the Venezuelan government to protect the ecosystem surrounding the Guacharo's Cave. The park has a surface area of and covers the mountainous areas of Acosta and Caripe municipalities in Monagas state and Ribero municipality in Sucre state.
Alejandro de Humboldt National Monument can be located inside the park El Guácharo. This national monument was created in 1949 to protect the Guacharo's Cave. This national monument is named after the German explorer Alexander von Humboldt, who visited the Guacharo's cave in 1799.
Another protected area is Guarapiche Forestal Reserve, which protects the forests located at the bank of Guarapiche and San Juan Rivers.

Municipalities and municipal seats

  1. Acosta
  2. Aguasay
  3. Bolívar
  4. Caripe
  5. Cedeño
  6. Ezequiel Zamora
  7. Libertador
  8. Maturín
  9. Piar
  10. Punceres
  11. Santa Bárbara
  12. Sotillo
  13. Uracoa

    Demography

The population of Monagas State has increased since the 1920s due to the opening of its oil fields. The majority of its inhabitants are Mestizo|mestizos; that is, they result from the progeny of native Indians, Black Africans and White Europeans. Many people from neighbouring states as Sucre and Nueva Esparta, as well as persons from other countries as Spaniards, Italians, Portuguese, Syrian, Lebanese and Chinese have immigrated to the state because of the petroleum industry and business opportunities. The majority of the population is concentrated in the northern area of Monagas state. At least fifty percent of inhabitants live in the capital state Maturín. The most populated cities are: Maturín, Punta de Mata, Caripe, Caripito and Temblador.
Monagas also has inhabitants of the Warao and Kariña ethnic groups.

Race and ethnicity

According to the 2011 Census, the racial composition of the population was:
Racial compositionPopulation%
Mestizo54.8
White359,47338.8
Black42,6184.6
Other race1.8

Economy

The main economical activity is the exploitation of oil. Many towns as Punta de Mata, El Tejero, Temblador depend on this activity.
Other towns as Caripe and San Antonio live off agriculture and livestock farming. Coffee is planted in the areas next to the towns of Caripe and San Antonio. Cocoa is being cultivated near Caripito. Maize, tomato, sugar-cane, tobacco, banana, rice, yucca and tropical fruits grow in other areas.
Cattle is concentrated in the southern and western parts of Monagas, where there are great extensions of savannas and plateaus.
The state has forests with its corresponding industry.
Because of the oil exploitation Maturín is a main commercial and banking centre in the east of Venezuela.

Tourism

Natural heritage

At university level Monagas state has the following public university institutes:
In Caripe
In Caripito
In Maturín
In San Antonio
  • Núcleo del Instituto Pedagógico de Maturín, was created on July 28, 1983, by Decree No. 2176 of President Campins. The existing public pedagogical institutes in Venezuela, which operated autonomously, were integrated into the UPEL as nuclei by Resolution No. 22 dated January 28, 1988.
And these private university institutes:
In Caripe
  • Instituto Universitario Pedagógico Monseñor Arias Blanco.
In Maturín
  • Universidad Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho. Only postgraduate studies.
  • Universidad Cecilio Acosta. Only postgraduate studies.
  • Universidad de Margarita.
  • Universidad Santa María.
  • Instituto Politécnico Santiago Mariño.
  • Instituto Universitario de Tecnología Industrial Rodolfo Loreto Arismendi.
  • Instituto Universitario de Tecnología Venezuela.
In Punta de Mata
  • Instituto Universitario de Tecnología de Cumaná .
  • Universidad Nacional Abierta.
Piar
  • UNEFA
Temblador'''
Monagas state has a culture very similar to other eastern states of Venezuela. Natives of Monagas share with the population of the eastern states the quick manner of speaking the Spanish language, the food, some musical rhythms as the galerón or el Joropo, typical clothing as Liquiliqui of Los LLanos and the veneration for the Virgin of El Valle.
The Maturín Carnival stands out for the parade in the center of the city of floats and parades made by the communities, educational institutions, public agencies and private companies. After the parade, musical shows are held at the local sports complex, in addition to the act of electing the Carnival Queen.
The Festivity of the Virgin of the Valley is celebrated in September. There are processions with the image of the Virgin of the Valley in several areas of the city.
The San Simón Fair is held to celebrate the anniversary of the city's foundation. It takes place in the first week of December. Shows such as dances, food exhibition, horse show, coleo, musical group presentations, agricultural and handicraft exhibitions are held. It takes place in the Chucho Palacios Fair Complex. It is named after San Simón in honour of Simón el Zelote, the patron saint of Maturín.
The burning of Judas, this event takes place on Easter Sunday, where they light a doll with fire. In recent years these dolls have been personalized by contemporary politicians.
The ipure snake is a typical dance of San Antonio de Capayacuar and spread in the State of Monagas, where girls or women dressed usually in yellow and black, dance in the form of the movement of a snake.
The town of Aguasay is known for its weaving that is made from a plant that is grown in that town called Curagua. On 2 December 2015, the fibre and fabric of the Curagua of Venezuela was declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO at its annual meeting in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia.
The Genarito Bull Dance, consists of a parranda where several couples of dancers, a bull, a veterinarian, a nurse, a bullfighter and musicians. The song of the Bull of Genarito is performed by Juliocesar Aguilera Simoza, a native of the town of Aguasay.
The Monkey Dance is an indigenous dance in which people hold each other by the waist, one after the other, and form lines. Guided by someone disguised as a monkey, participants walk through the streets in the manner of a human train to the Monkey's Plaza. Previously most of the dancers darken their faces with indigo and soot and dye their clothes with colours. They also play with water, paint, flour, azulillo and soot in the manner of a carnival. Then "El Mono" invites those present to join the ritual, if they don't, they will give light straps to those who refuse. It is celebrated every year on December 28th.
The Dance of the Trembler was first performed on November 15, 1989. It consists of dancing with a trembler made of cardboard and cloth. Three people go inside the trembler and three couples go around it. The instruments used for this dance are a bandolin, four, a drum and maracas.

Handicrafts

Chinchorro of Moriche

This art consists of carefully weaving the fiber of the moriche palm, once it is salcochada and spun, this fiber is tied to special sticks and woven between them, giving it the shape of a sheet, which when the cabulleras are placed at their ends, it takes the form of a chinchorro.

Sangrito

This name is due to the fact that the raw material used for the elaboration of this handicraft is extracted from the roots of a tree that bears its name because when it is cut, its roots tend to bleed; it is easy to mould as it is a very soft and light wood. The Warao Indians use this material to mold animal figures that live in the forests and rivers that they frequent.

Warao Craftsmanship

Produced by the Warao Indians, according to the use given to the object, without being separated from the work element. The raw material is plant fibers, mostly moriche and sangrito wood, with which they carve figures, animals, also make necklaces with peonies, vulture seeds and tears of San Pedro, among other materials. In addition, they make harpoons, buoys, shields, arrows, candles, roofs, ropes, pitchforks and bridges. The craftsmanship of the Warao reflects their organizational idiosyncrasy, as well as their magical world: nature, spirit, man.

Barrancoide craftsmanship

Its main material is clay, which after being molded is baked and painted, making figures such as: dolls, vases, facades of houses, among others. Finally it is taken to the sale, finding it in different zones of the State.

Cuisine

Typical dishes of Monagas state are arepa, cachapa, casabe, empanada, mondongo, queso de mano, jalea de guayaba, carne en vara. Fish are a very important food for the cuisine of a native of this state. In Christmas is traditional to eat hallacas, pan de jamón, torta negra, ensalada de gallina, dulce de lechoza. In the holy week cuajado de morrocoy is a typical dish for the belief that is profane to eat meat in these days. Also in the Holy Week is typical Cuajado de cazon in the area of the Eastern coast.

Dances

Typical dances of Monagas state are el Baile del Mono, holds on each 28 December in the town of Caicara and el Baile de la Culebra, celebrated in the town of Ipure next to San Antonio of Maturín.

Religion

The predominant religion of this state is Christianity. Catholicism is the Christian branch which has the biggest number of followers. It is the consequence of the evangelization made by catholic missioners, as the Franciscans, in 17th and 18th centuries. The capital, Maturín, is seat of a catholic diocese since 1958.
On the other hand, the blending of catholic rites with the rites of other religions like the Indian and African ones is very extended. For example, it is usual to find people who venerate María Lionza, the Indian chief Guaicaipuro and Felipe the Black.
Some Protestant churches have been established in different towns around the state. Among them are Pentecostals, Lutherans, Baptists, Adventists of the Seven Day, Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses. Anglicans has a church in the area of Caripe.
Islam is practiced by some immigrants from Arabic countries, although they do not have a mosque in the state. It is possible to find in Maturín followers of Buddhism, Hinduism, Methaphysics, and other faiths.

Public holidays

Public holidays include:
Apart from that each town celebrates public festivities in honor of its patron saint when his/her day is held.
Regional anniversaries are

Flag

It was created by Julius Caesar Adrían, on July 10, 2002.
The meaning of the shapes and colors included in the Flag is as follows:
*Sea blue: Represent Delta, Rivers, Lakes and Reservoirs.
Image: The image of Juana Ramirez La Avanzadora which represents the heroism of the Monaguense woman.
The coat of arms of the State of Monagas is divided into two quarters: in the upper quarter, in a green field, there is a plow, a rake and a sickle, which are intertwined with a bundle of spikes, attributes of agriculture; and in the lower quarter, on the green field representing the plain, and blue background cut by the horizon, there is, in the shade of a large tree, a bull symbolizing breeding, and in the distance a galley of hills. A silver bar crosses diagonally through both barracks, and on it we read: "Resisted with courage". The extremities of four rifles placed in the pavilion, appear holding the Shield, and between the bayonets of these a horse head turned to the right of the Shield. Under and between the lower part of the rifles, there is a red and black ribbon, representative of the war to the death, and in it a broken key symbolizing that his capital was forced, but never surrendered. As an ornament they appear on the flanks of the Shield, between their crossed feet, a plain palm and a sugar cane stem.

Sports

From Amana of Tamarindo, town of Maturín municipality
From Barrancas
From Caicara
From Caripe
From Caripito
From Chaguaramal, town of Piar municipality
From Guanaguana, town of Piar municipality
From Maturín
From Musipán, town of Ezequiel Zamora municipality
From San Antonio
From Uracoa
Like the other 23 federal entities of Venezuela, the State maintains its own police force, which is supported and complemented by the National Police and the Venezuelan National Guard.
Monagas has the five branches of public power in Venezuela, and is autonomous and equal to the rest of the states of the Federation:

Executive Power

It is formed by the Governor of Monagas, and a cabinet of State Secretaries of his confidence who assist him in the management of the government and are officials of free appointment and removal, an attorney, autonomous institutes and state foundations.
Governors chosen in Popular Election
It consists of a unicameral parliament called the Legislative Council of the State of Monagas, which is responsible for approving the regional budget, passing state laws and supervising the management of the state governor.

Judiciary

It depends on the judiciary at the national level organized through the Judicial District of the State of Monagas.

Citizen Power

Formed by the State Moral Council and the State Comptroller General's Office, the latter being responsible for overseeing the proper use of the resources available to the regional government

Electoral power

It depends on the National Electoral Council at the national level that organizes the region through the so-called Main Electoral Board of the state of Monagas

State Constitution

Monagas is organized on the basis of the Constitution of the State of Monagas, adopted by the Legislative Council on 21 March 2002.