Yaracuy

The Yaracuy valley lies between Venezuela’s coastal ranges and the western highlands. Its fertile land supported farms and settlements as colonial society expanded into a region inhabited by Indigenous peoples. San Felipe developed in the valley during the eighteenth century, its streets and churches serving the surrounding agricultural country. Streams descend from the mountains toward the Yaracuy River and the Caribbean.

In 1729 Philip V granted San Felipe the title of city, and its council was established in 1731. The town prospered through agriculture and trade, but on 26 March 1812 a powerful earthquake destroyed much of it during Venezuela’s war of independence. The ruined streets and buildings of the old city preserve the memory of a settlement abruptly devastated in the midst of political upheaval.