Barquisimeto

Barquisimeto is the fourth city of Venezuela and calls itself the musical capital, with a long tradition of choirs, orchestras and the tamunangue dance of the surrounding Lara countryside. Its best known event is the procession of the Divina Pastora each 14 January, when the image is carried from Santa Rosa into the city along a route lined by crowds that regularly exceed a million people, one of the largest Marian processions anywhere.

Background

Barquisimeto, founded in 1552, is the capital of Lara state and the seat of Iribarren Municipality in the central-western part of the country. With 1,240,714 people in 2022 it ranks fourth in Venezuela after Caracas, Maracaibo and Valencia. The city lies at about 600 metres and covers 276 square kilometres, 194 of them urban. It is also a centre of industry, trade and transport, and its many music schools earned it the name Music City of Venezuela. The conductor Gustavo Dudamel, who leads the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, was born here.

Source: Wikipedia, "Barquisimeto"

What to look for

• The Divina Pastora procession - a January procession drawing over a million people.
• The Santa Rosa church - the home of the image carried into the city each year.
• The musical tradition - the choirs, orchestras and schools the city is known for.
• The Obelisco - the tower on the city's western edge, a local landmark.

When to go

14 January for the procession, which is the city's defining event. December to April is otherwise the driest season. It is hot and dry through most of the year.

Practical notes

The city itself has few conventional sights and works best around the festival. Accommodation is impossible to find around 14 January without booking far ahead. The centre is congested.

Nearby

Carora is northwest, and Sorte Mountain is east.

Key facts