Caracas is Caracas
Simón Alberto ConsalviThis page was developed by the Venezuelan Embassy in Japan
Santiago de León de Caracas, the name of a calendar's apostle and of the indigenous tribe that lived there. During the XVI century it must have been a strikingly peaceful valley, a door to paradise, with the best climate in the world and the most perfect light reflecting off the hills of the Avila, a light that changes its colors depending on the provenance of the sun's rays and on the green of the mountains. Four centuries after Diego de Losada, the painter Manuel Cabre left evidence of such marvel. For those of us who now inhabit the city and for the fortunate travelers, the Avila is still an enchantment and a delight, a marvel and a mirror of peace.
The XIX century was a turbulent time for the city of Caracas. The revolutionaries and thinkers who, on April 13, 1810, told the Captain General that they would no longer abide by the rules from across the Atlantic, were born here. And it was here that Venezuela's Independence was declared and that the revolution's proclamations were cast to the world. At times Caracas fell into patriots' hands, at other times into the hands of the Royalists, as dictated by the fate of the troops and the battles. In 1814, in fear of the formidable Asturian José Tomás Rodríguez Boves, the city was left practically deserted. People chose to run, abandoning everything rather than to set eyes on Boves, which would have been like staring at death in its face.
Our colonial era was poor and the city mirrored it. There were no dazzling palaces nor temples full of gold. Cubagua's pearls, if precious, went another course. The civil wars unraveled and the city paid a dear price for the privilege of being the capital. As during the War of Independence, it fell from one's hands to another's. During the seventies, General Antonio Guzmán-Blanco appeared on the scene. Besides being an autocrat he was a civilizer who wanted to transform Caracas into a small Paris. This is what his critics say, but the truth is that for the first time someone dealt with the city and its planning criteria. It cannot be said, one hundred years later, that the civilizing Autocrat has been outdone (in terms of his vision). Guzmán-Blanco left us the Municipal Theatre, the Federal Capital, Venezuela's old Central University, the Calvary Promenade. He remodeled a colonial prison and transformed it into what is today The Yellow House, formerly the headquarters of presidents and now of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He reconstructed churches, even though he was not very religious. For Guzman-Blanco, architecture was not just a matter of planning. It was also, and above all, a sign of power. The Autocrat was building status for himself.
By the end of the XIX Century Caracas had a little more than 100,000 inhabitants. In 1936 the population barely exceeded 200,000. With the advent of oil and democracy the city suddenly burst. By 1971 it already had more than 2 million inhabitants and now, in the nineties, close to 4 million. Diego de Losada's valley has been transformed. During 400 years it perdured as the conquistadors had seen it and enjoyed it. The Avila, however, remains. And it is no small matter to be able to count with so peaceful and noble a mountain.
Little is left of the Caracas of the red roofs of Enrique Bernardo Nunez and Juan Antonio Pérez-Bonalde. It is barely a nostalgic entry. Caracas is today a cosmopolitan and also mundane metropolis. Begging leave of historians and chronicles, one could say that it is a city with barely 50 years of bewildered stride. But, is Caracas one city or many bearing the same name? Perhaps the latter is more akin to the truth. Caracas Metropolitan area has 360 square kilometers and the "Protected" area (national parks) covers 84,300 hectares. The city has been expanding in such a fashion that it is difficult to identify all of its parts, so much so that one could very well think that it is many cities within a large one. From one valley Caracas spills into another which could be another city in its own right.
Caracas is pleasant. Passers-by enjoy the city as its inhabitants do. Caracas offers all the comforts of a modern city. Every day of the year the climate is like none other, women are beautiful, people are amiable. There are grand hotels, excellent and extremely varied restaurants, sports and recreational facilities, and the privilege of being few minutes from the seashore and the mountains. One can choose the climate one prefers for the weekend: mountain or sea air. Few other cities in the world can offer this.
Finally, Caracas is a contemporary city. We have not narrated here all of its history. We simply wish to report that Caracas is pleasant and dynamic, that it is an important economic relations center and it offers diversity and good taste in culture, art and architecture. The Sofia Imber Museum of Contemporary Art, the Fine Arts Museum, the Teresa Carreno Theater Complex, the National Library, the National Arts Gallery, are all illustrations of Venezuela's development. Those interested in the arts will find in Caracas its most varied manifestations, both in public and private collections such as those of the Museum of Contemporary Art and Venezuela's Central University as in private collections. Music, Theater, Dance; Caracas may not have everything but it offers almost all that is needed to enjoy life and also enrich the spirit. For sure, Caracas is not New York, or Paris or London or Rome. Caracas is Caracas and Caracas is not one but many cities that the passer-by can hardly perceive, as they seem to hide behind the hills of the valleys that hide behind other valleys.
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