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Barquisimeto is the capital of Lara State in central-western Venezuela, the country's fourth-largest city and widely known as its Musical Capital, famous for the Divina Pastora procession and its striking modern cathedral. Founded in 1552 as Nueva Segovia de Barquisimeto, it takes its name from an indigenous word for the ash-coloured Turbio River that runs through its valley.
The city's landmarks are a mix of old and modern: the historic Plaza Bolívar and the Teatro Juares, the Museo de Barquisimeto in a former hospital, and the flower-shaped cathedral by Jahn Bergkamp. On the avenues stand the 75-metre Obelisco and the Sol Naciente monument by kinetic artist Carlos Cruz-Diez.
Every 14 January millions of pilgrims walk with the image of the Divina Pastora from Santa Rosa to the cathedral, one of the largest Marian processions in the world. Green escapes include the Bararida Zoo, Parque Ayacucho and the cloud forest of Terepaima National Park just southeast of the city.
Barquisimeto Cathedral, the Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of Carmen, was designed by Jahn Bergkamp and built between 1953 and 1968. Its hyperbolic paraboloid roof gives it the shape of an upside-down flower, with a bell tower standing apart from the main building.
The Basílica de Santa Rosa stands in the old village of Santa Rosa on the east side of Barquisimeto and is the shrine of the Divina Pastora, one of the most venerated images of Mary in Venezuela. The first church was destroyed in the earthquake of 1812 and later rebuilt.
The Divina Pastora Procession in Barquisimeto takes place every 14 January, when the image of the Virgin leaves Santa Rosa and is carried about 7.5 kilometres to the cathedral. Millions of pilgrims join it, making it one of the largest Marian processions in the world.
The Basílica Santo Cristo de la Gracia, known locally as El Cristo, is a Catholic basilica on Carrera 23 in central Barquisimeto. Its first stone was laid in 1940 and the church was blessed in 1955, together with its carved wooden Christ, an image about three metres tall.
The Obelisco de Barquisimeto is a slender concrete tower about 75 metres high, built in 1952 for the 400th anniversary of the city's founding. It is one of the best-known symbols of Lara State, with a lift inside and a clock near its top, and stands in the west of the city.
The Sol Naciente Monument in Barquisimeto is a vast roundabout artwork by kinetic artist Carlos Cruz-Diez, inaugurated in 1989 on Avenida Libertador. Its 32 coloured panels form a circle about 80 metres across, a tribute to the sun and the famous sunsets of the city.
Plaza Bolívar in Barquisimeto lies in the historic centre beside the Church of the Immaculate Conception and the city hall. The site was cleared by the 1812 earthquake and became a square in 1842, and the equestrian statue of Simón Bolívar was placed here in 1930.
The Teatro Juares in central Barquisimeto opened in 1905 as the first theatre in Lara State and took its present name in 1912. After a long restoration it reopened in 2009 with a symphony concert conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, and it still hosts music, drama and dance.
The Museo de Barquisimeto, founded in 1982, tells the history and culture of the city from the former Hospital de la Caridad, a neoclassical building completed between 1878 and 1917. In its inner courtyard stands the small Chapel of San Miguel, built in the 1920s.
The Bararida Zoo and Botanical Park in Barquisimeto is one of the leading zoos in Venezuela, home to several thousand mammals, birds, reptiles and fish. Shaded paths lead past a large collection of native and foreign trees, making it a favourite family outing in the city.
Parque Ayacucho in Barquisimeto was created to mark the centenary of the 1824 Battle of Ayacucho and covers about four hectares near the city centre. Laid out in the French style, it has a monument to Marshal Antonio José de Sucre at its heart and many shady walks.
Terepaima National Park lies in the mountains southeast of Barquisimeto and protects almost 19,000 hectares of forest, declared a national park in 1976. Its higher slopes hold cloud forest, and its wildlife includes howler and capuchin monkeys, deer and the rare jaguar.
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