Trujillo State Map – Venezuela

Draped on the western side of Venezuela, Trujillo State is among 23 federal entities in the country and an area which presents the flavour of the Venezuelan Andes. Considering that the state is considerably small, in comparison with the rest of the states covering about 7,198 square kilometres, Trujillo is plentiful in history, culture and scenery. Its capital is Trujillo, with the largest city, which is most economically active, being Valera. It is divided into 20 municipalities and 93 parishes, and with the 2011 census, it had 686,000 people. Trujillo tends to be called the Portable City due to numerous moves throughout its colonial origin, a statement of the strong spirit of its inhabitants and the first obstacles experienced in regard to native resistance and disasters.

Geographically, the state is characterised by its geographical location that lies in the Venezuelan Andes, having rugged mountains and fertile valleys and Lake Maracaibo. It has been this rare environment that has reshaped its economy, culture and identity. Trujillo also has one of the highest things in Latin America, the Monumento a la Virgen de la Paz, which is a towering statue of the Virgin Mary used as a representation of faith and peace. Although Trujillo has a small population compared to other Andean states, it has been playing an essential role in the national history of Venezuela and is the most important centre of agriculture, traditional and cultural heritage.

History

Trujillo's State history is closely connected with both the local culture and colonisation by the Spaniards. The people inhabiting the area before the influx of white people were the Timoto-Cuica people, an indigenous community whose culture was characterised by high-technology methods of agriculture that comprise terracing farming systems and irrigation canals. They also planted maize, beans, and potatoes, and their endurance would form the initial hardships of the Spanish colonisers who came to develop establishments in the region.

Trujillo was established in 1557 by a conquistador called Diego Garcia de Paredes, who gave a name to the city: Trujillo, which is the same city in the home country group of Extremadura of Spain. Nevertheless, the settlement constantly suffered, with the aggression of the native environment, Kuikas, and natural catastrophes, as a result of which the Spanish had to violently change the location of the town many times. This gave Trujillo the title of La Ciudad Portatil or the moveable city. It was then concluded that, above all, in 1570, the settlement was to be called Trujillo de Nuestra Señora de la Paz, as the people of the region promised peace.

The Province of Merida del Espiritu Santo of Maracaibo, to which Trujillo joined in the colonial period, was under the protectorate of the Audiencia de Bogota. The city was attacked by pirates, one being a disastrous raid by a French pirate known as Michel de Grandmont, who sacked the city publicly in 1677 after plundering the town of Maracaibo. Nevertheless, these needs did not stop Trujillo from developing into a significant agricultural, educational and political hub.

Trujillo was equally a prime character in the independence struggle in Venezuela. It was here that, in 1813, Simon Bolivar conscripted the infamous "Decree of War to the Death" when he had a clear turning point in the struggle against colonialism by Spain. The order was issued in the town of Trujillo and declared that Spaniards who failed to aid actively would be treated as enemies, the Americans (meaning Creoles and other natives) being spared. This audacious statement brought home the gravity of the struggle to gain independence and made Trujillo an indelible part of Venezuelan history.

In 1831, Trujillo was established as a province following its separation from Maracaibo in the year 1931. In 1863, it became a state to the federal constitution, with an initial given title of the Sovereign state of Los Andes before being formally incorporated as the Trujillo state. The situation changed over the years, with the administrative changes being a momentary incorporation with the Great State of Los Andes alongside Merida and Tachira in the year 1881. Trujillo entered the official status of a state again in 1899 and has followed it ever since.

Coffee production, as one key economic force in Trujillo, grew after the late 19th century through to the early 20th century, and helped the port of La Ceiba to become a chief exporting hub. In 1887, trade and connectivity were even further enhanced with the development of the Gran Ferrocarril La Ceiba-Sabana de Mendoza. The railway, however, became less significant with the advancement in the middle of the 20th century when coffee farming started fading away, and the development of road transport occurred. Nevertheless, in spite of these changes, Trujillo was a valuable agricultural state, creating a great share of the food supply in Venezuela.

Culture

The culture of Trujillo is a strong mixture of local traditions, forms of Spanish colonisation, and the spirit of Africa, which can be used to represent multiple origins of Uruguay-Venezuela. The state in question places a significant emphasis on religion, where the most important is Catholicism. One of the evidences of this devotion is the Monumento a la Virgen de la Paz, inaugurated in 1983. It stands 46 meters, with one of the tallest statues of the Virgin Mary in the world, and is a significant pilgrimage place.

The Trujillo culture includes festivals and religious holidays in its yearly rhythm. The most important one is Fiesta de San Benito held in December and January; this incorporates of catholic faith with African drumming rites used as Chimbangueles. They celebrate this festival with music, dance and colourful processions in a syncretic spirit of the Venezuelan culture.

Another foundation of cultural belonging of Trujillo is music. The state is also reputed with Golpe Trujillano, which is a type of music that incorporates indigenous, African and Spanish musical influences. Represented by string instruments, maracas, and drums, this genre has become used as a result of the cultural melding that took place in the region in the past. Although the younger generations nowadays have fallen in love with such modern genres as reggaeston and salsa, that actually, cultural music is still celebrated as a distinguishing characteristic of local origin.

Language

The official and most commonly used language in Trujillo, like the rest of Venezuela, is Spanish. The Spanish in Trujillo still has regional intonations, however, due to the Andean environment and the native and colonial history of the state. The accent is softer than the Colombian coasts, and wordings commonly have words that can be traced to their own native languages, especially to those of the Timoto-Cuica people who had occupied the land in the days past.

Along with the Spanish language, the historians who have shaped Trujillo also included the immigration waves, especially in the late 19th century and the early 20th century, when the Europeans, Italians and Portuguese in large numbers immigrated to the area. Although these communities are almost fully assimilated, remnants of their linguistic and cultural input are found through the use of family names, gastronomic culinary mindset and local business practice.

Geography

Trujillo is among the most pronounced states of Venezuela in the geographical Morganism since it is situated along the Venezuelan Andes. It borders Zulia and Lara to the north, Merida and Barinas to the south, Portuguesa to the east and Lake Maracaibo to the west. Such a strategic position provides the mountainous terrain, as well as low-end, fertile land, and an area quite diverse and agricultural in terms of production.

The topography of the state can be dominated by the Sierra de Merida, which is a component of the Andes mountain range which runs through the southwest to northeast cross-boundary of Trujillo. The mountains have been subdivided into three branches, which are separated by the valleys of the Motatan and Bocono rivers. The Teta de Niquitao is the peak that is the largest in the state, and it reaches a level of 4,006 meters above the sea level that is, the mountain is one of the highest in Venezuela.

The climatic conditions of Trujillo have a great variation depending on the altitude. The climate in the lower places, especially the valleys, is a tropical one, and temperatures have reached a high of 32 °C in places such as Monay. On the contrary, the paramo regions at elevation are significantly colder with average temperatures of about 4degC. Temperate climate, which is used to have an average deficit annually of 23.5degC has been experienced at the capital city, Trujillo, which is at an altitude of about 1,200 meters above sea level. The annual precipitation of rainfall ranges from 936 millimetres per year, which aids the agricultural activities of the state.

Geography Flat plains, e.g., the Sabanas de Monay, are also a part of the state, and so are the swamp shores of Lake Maracaibo. All these diverse landscapes are helping in the development of microclimates, which consequently are capable of nurturing diverse agricultural production. Trujillo, one of the leading Venezuelan states as regards production, is also recognised as one of the leading states in the cultivation of plantains, bananas, potatoes, carrots, lettuce, cabbage, and pineapples.

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