{"id":14938,"date":"2021-04-29T19:37:18","date_gmt":"2021-04-29T23:37:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/spanish\/?p=14938"},"modified":"2021-05-05T09:23:42","modified_gmt":"2021-05-05T13:23:42","slug":"region-centro-occidente","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/spanish\/region-centro-occidente\/","title":{"rendered":"Venezuela\u2019s Natural Beauty: Regi\u00f3n Centro-Occidente"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Morrocoy National Park, Falc\u00f3n, Venezuela. Image courtesy of Lalo Hernandez, available on Unsplash.com<\/p><\/div>\n

One of the most picturesque regions of Venezuela is the one known as \u201cCentro-Occidente\u201d\u2014literally \u201cthe Midwest\u201d, comprising four states: Cojedes, Falc\u00f3n, Lara, and Portuguesa.<\/p>\n

This region is regarded as a geographical hub connecting the western, the central and the eastern reaches of the country, having more than 2,000 kilometers of highways linking the coastal zones to the north, \u201clos Llanos\u201d (the plains) to the south and to the east, and the Andean range to the west.<\/p>\n

Although Centro-Occidente\u2019s economy is varied, its main resources lie in the tourism, oil and agricultural industries. That is why Morrocoy National Park (in Falc\u00f3n), and the Card\u00f3n and Amuay oil refineries (also in Falc\u00f3n) are viewed as some of its chief landmarks. But what other sights has to offer Venezuela\u2019s Midwest to any visitor?<\/p>\n

Starting with Falc\u00f3n state, Mount Santa Ana is one of its natural monuments, located right in the middle of the Paraguan\u00e1 Peninsula. Around 50 kilometers to the south, the well-known M\u00e9danos de Coro National Park (Dunes of Coro) offers an overwhelming sandy landscape that stand in contrast to the 13 keys between the towns of Tucacas and Chichiriviche on Morrocoy National Park\u2014on the eastern side of the state\u2014, though both are very frequented by tourists.<\/p>\n

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Dunes of Coro, Falc\u00f3n, Venezuela. Image taken from Pixabay.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Cape San Rom\u00e1n, on the Paraguan\u00e1 Peninsula, is the northernmost point of the country, from which the Caribbean island of Cura\u00e7ao can be spotted. A little to the south, the beaches of Ad\u00edcora attract windsurfers all year round.<\/p>\n

There are other two national parks in Falc\u00f3n: Cueva de la Quebrada del Toro, located 15 kilometers from Santa Cruz de Bucaral, and Sierra de San Luis, right in the center of the state.<\/p>\n

Of course, no one should forget about strolling through the cities of La Vela and Coro, which have been keeping their colonial architecture almost intact.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Lara state may have one natural monument\u2014Loma de Le\u00f3n, a refuge for endemic and endangered species\u2014but five national parks: Terepaima, at the eastern end of the Andes mountainous range; El Guache, on the south side of Yacamb\u00fa Park, where the states of Lara and Portuguesa border each other; Yacamb\u00fa, in the southeast portion of the state; Dinira, at the confluence of four different valleys; and Cerro Saroche, in the central-western part.<\/p>\n

Barquisimeto, Lara\u2019s capital city, is home to the only passenger railroad in the country, which connects it to the cities of Puerto Cabello, Acarigua, and San Felipe. However, there are two other neighboring localities that are a must to any one visiting: El Tocuyo, thanks to the Church of Nuestra Se\u00f1ora de la Concepci\u00f3n and its unique altarpiece; and Qu\u00edbor, home to the Archaeological Museum of Qu\u00edbor and the Aboriginal Cemetery, both exhibiting pre-Columbian artifacts found in the area nearby.<\/p>\n

Lara is known as an artisan state; the largest towns where hand-made pieces are shown and sold are Tintorero, Cubiro, Sanare, and Carora.<\/p>\n

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Image by\u00a0David Mark<\/a>\u00a0from\u00a0Pixabay<\/a><\/p>\n

For its part, Portuguesa offers access to four national parks: Dinira, in the Sierra de Barbacoas, which covers sections of Lara and Trujillo states; El Guache, at the beginning of the Andean Cordillera; P\u00e1ramo de Guaramacal, in the western part of the country; and Terepaima, to the southeast of Barquisimeto.<\/p>\n

In Portuguesa\u2019s capital, Guanare, one may find the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Coromoto, as well as the Sanctuary of Coromoto, Venezuela\u2019s patron saint.<\/p>\n

Finally, Yaracuy has the distinction of being the place of the mountain of Mar\u00eda Lionza, on the Nirgua Massif, in Chivacoa. San Felipe, its capital, is home to a monument dedicated to Yaracuy, the eponymous Indian chief-warrior.<\/p>\n

Another famous Yaracuy town is Guama, where we could still find the childhood home of Jos\u00e9 Antonio P\u00e1ez (1790-1873), a national hero nicknamed \u201cel Centauro de los Llanos\u201d (lit. Centaur of the Plains).<\/p>\n

There are two national parks in the state: Tirgua (General Manuel Manrique), located between Carabobo state and the municipality of Nirgua; and Yurub\u00ed, in San Felipe\u2019s northern part, on a sector called Cerro El Tigre-Chimborazo.<\/p>\n

The Centro-Occidente, as well as the Centro and the Oriente regions of Venezuela, is a real trove of nature and history waiting to be discovered by tourists and local alike.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

One of the most picturesque regions of Venezuela is the one known as \u201cCentro-Occidente\u201d\u2014literally \u201cthe Midwest\u201d, comprising four states: Cojedes, Falc\u00f3n, Lara, and Portuguesa. This region is regarded as a geographical hub connecting the western, the central and the eastern reaches of the country, having more than 2,000 kilometers of highways linking the coastal zones…<\/p>\n

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