Barinitas

Barinitas is a town and parish located at the foot of the Andean Cordillera in Barinas State, Venezuela. It is the capital of Bolívar Municipality and an important area of Barinas State. Barinitas is also known as "La Cuna de los Poetas" ("The Cradle of Poets")^[2] and "Cielo Roto" ("Broken Sky") owing to its heavy rainfall.

The locality was founded on 26 June 1628 under the name of Nueva Trujillo de Barinas, as part of the first stop of the so-called "Travelling City" (Ciudad Viajera), an itinerant process of colonial settlements. The settlement was established on the Moromoy plateau, named after the abundant presence of acacia langlassei trees, characteristic of the area.^[3]

The name Barinitas was adopted after the renaming of the locality previously known as Nueva Trujillo de Barinas. The term is a diminutive of "Barinas", a name which, according to various sources, derives from the indigenous word Varyná, corresponding to a native ethnic group of the region.^[4]

At the end of the 17th century, the inhabitants of Nueva Trujillo de Barinas moved to the site known as San Antonio de los Cerritos, where the city of Barinas is located today. This relocation was motivated both by resistance from indigenous communities and by the proliferation of bachacos (leaf-cutter ants), a pest that affected the settlements of the time and which persists in the region.^[3]

Its economy is based on agriculture and livestock, specifically coffee and cacao cultivation. Because Barinitas functions largely as a dormitory town of Barinas city, the local economy is not strongly self-sustaining.

Geographically, the town sits on a plateau extending over 12.8 square kilometres (4.9 sq mi). Among its natural attractions are El Cacao hill, easily accessible; the Parángula stream; the Santo Domingo river; the El Cacao waterfalls; the Cerro Azul páramo, where countless marine fossils emerge at high altitude; and the hot springs adjacent to the hamlets of La Barinesa and Las Doradas. There are also the Los Panches stream by the La Mula sector, and at the end of the El Cacao road are the cold and crystalline waters of the Pagüey river, the source of the aqueduct that supplies water to Barinitas.^[5]

Barinitas is called the Cradle of Poets of Barinas State, with the best-known including the siblings Arvelo Larriva (Alfredo and Enriqueta), Mario Surumay Qüenza, Luis Alberto Angulo Urdaneta, Luis Alberto Angulo (Rivas), José Gavidia Valero, Charly Rondón Santiago, Noel González, Alexi Gómez, David González Lobo, Leonardo Martínez L., Cristóbal Angulo and Marisela Moreno. Poets born in or near the town who have been associated with it include Rafael Ángel Insausti, Jesús Enrique Guédez, Pedro Castro (Municipal Poetry Prize, Bolívar Municipality 2010), Orlando Araujo, Roldán Montoya, Alberto José Pérez, Leonardo Ruiz, Alhadyn Belandria and Ana María Oviedo Palomares. The town's patron saint is Saint Eleutherius. Barinitas was the second capital of Barinas State.^[3]

The town cemetery contains some tombs from the end of the 19th century, and numerous colonial-style houses survive in the town's historic centre. The municipality also has sites of historical value, such as a castle built around 1700 located in the Terrazas de Santo Domingo.^[5]

• Moromoy Park: Located between Calle 6 Independencia, Carrera 1 and the Intercomunal de Barinitas. It has facilities for camping, walkways, a children's playground and spacious green areas with trees brought from other geographic regions. It was declared a park during the government of General Marcos Pérez Jiménez.
• La Barinesa Bathing Resort: Located in the southeastern part of Barinitas, in the La Barinesa sector. The resort features clean and crystalline waters that descend from the Andean slopes, ideal for rafting and beginner kayaking. Spaces are made available within the resort for recreational activities on holidays. It has public facilities including restrooms, kiosks with grills, food and drink sales, parking and a camping area.
• Bosque de Aguas Socio-productive Project: Located next to La Barinesa, the project provides spaces for talks on the hydrographic importance of the Santo Domingo river for Barinas State, as well as on the various tree species found there, composting and humus-making techniques, a seed bank, and other environmental activities.
• El Cacao Sector: Located at the end of the main avenue of Barinitas, in the La Cochinilla sector, the area is reached by taking the road that climbs the left side. It is a tropical humid forest with gallery forests. The area is favoured for its scenic landscapes, suitable for excursions, hiking and mountain biking. Along the route, typical local flora and fauna, natural waterfalls and some traditional rural architecture can be seen.