The historic city of La Guaira was founded in the 16th century on the Caribbean Sea and served as the chief port for Venezuela’s future inland capital Caracas. This early Spanish settlement is a significant example of the adaptation of a colonial urban plan to mountainous, coastal topography. (...)
The historic city of La Guaira was founded in the 16th century on the Caribbean Sea and served as the chief port for Venezuela’s future inland capital Caracas. This early Spanish settlement is a significant example of the adaptation of a colonial urban plan to mountainous, coastal topography. Several important colonial-era buildings and public spaces survive in the old part of the city, including San Pedro Apóstol Cathedral, Ermita del Carmen Chapel, and Guamacho Square. As a result, La Guaira was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1969. However, the social fabric and civic prosperity of La Guaira were severely affected by a series of mudslides in December 1999. Due to this natural disaster and subsequent economic decline in the area, the city’s architectural heritage has been subjected to considerable neglect. In December 1999, the Institute of Cultural Patrimony carried out a survey of the state of conservation of the La Guaira historic center. Of 632 recorded buildings, 13% had been damaged beyond the possibility of restoration. However, restoration of the remaining 83% remained feasible.
El Guamacho is a town square located on the east shore of the Osorio River, and is comprised of approximately 2500 square meters of underutilized space at the southeastern edge of the city’s historic district.
