Chapter VIII

THE STATES OF THE “CENTRO”: DISTRITO FEDERAL, MIRANDA, ARAGUA,
AND CARABOBO 135

La Guaira—Heat—Port-works—The Brighton of Venezuela—Sugar
plantations—Streets and _botiquins_—_Guarapo_—La
Guaira-Carácas Railway—A great engineering
feat—Carácas—Climate—Population—Streets—Buildings—The
Salón Elíptico—El Calvario—El Paraiso—“La India”—Water
supply—Trams and telephones—Lighting—Industries—The Guaire
valley—Coffee—Miranda—Ocumare del Tuy—Petare—Central
Railway—Vegetable snow—Carenero Railway—Rio Chico—Los
Teques—Great Venezuelan Railway—La Victoria—Sixteen-fold
wheatfields—Maracay—Grazing lands—Cheese—President
Gomez’s country house—Villa de Cura—An epitome of the
State—Lake of Valencia—Cotton—Carabobo—Valencia—Cotton
mills—Montalbán—Deserted vineyards—Wild rubber—Puerto Cabello
Railway—The port—Meat syndicate—Club—Ocumare de la Costa—What
is bad for man may be good for cocoa—Mineral resources.

CHAPTER IX

ZULIA 149

The Lake of Coquibacoa in the sixteenth century
and now—Wealth and importance of the State—Area
and population—Waterways—Forests—Mineral
wealth—Savannahs—Maracaibo—Harbour and
dredging schemes—Cojoro—Wharves and warehouses
of Maracaibo—Exports—Population—German
colony—Buildings—Industries—Tramways—_Coches_—Lake
steamers—Ancient craft—The comedy of the
bar—Railways—Communication with Colombia—Altagracia—Santa
Rita—A western Gibraltar—An eventful history—San Carlos de
Zulia—Sinamaica—Vegetable milk—Timber—Copaiba—Fisheries—The
“Maracaibo Lights.”

CHAPTER X

THE ANDINE STATES: TÁCHIRA, MÉRIDA, AND TRUJILLO 157

Access—Roads versus railways—Mineral
wealth—“Maracaibo” coffee—Forests—San Cristobal—Water
supply—Industries—Roads—Rubio—Táchira Petroleum Company—San
Antonio—Lobatera—Colón—Interrupted communications—Pregonero—El
Cobre—Old mines—La Grita—Seboruco copper—Mérida—The
Bishop and the Bible—Eternal snows—Earthquakes—Electric
light—Road schemes—Gold and silver—Lagunillas—_Urao_—Wayside
hospitality—Puente Real—Primitive modes of transport—Las
Laderas—The Mucuties valley—Tovar—Mucuchíes—The highest town
in Venezuela—The _páramos_—Timotes—Trujillo—Valera—Water
supply—La Ceiba Railway—Betijoque and Escuque—Boconó—Santa
Ana—Carache—Unknown regions—Possibilities of the Andes.

CHAPTER XI

LARA, YARACUY, AND FALCÓN 171

The original Venezuela—Ancient
cities—Communications—Barquisimeto—Fortified
stores—Productions—The Bolivar Railway—Duaca—Aroa
copper-mines—A precarious house-site—In the mine—Bats and
cockroaches _El Purgatorio_—Blue and green stalactites—San
Felipe—The Yaracuy valley—Nirgua—Yaritagua—Tocuyo—The “coach”
to Barquisimeto—Quíbor—_Minas_—Carora—An ill-advised
scheme—Siquisique—Steamboats on the Tocuyo—San Luis—Coro—The
first cathedral of South America—Goat-farms—Fibre—La
Vela—Capatárida tobacco—Curaçao—A fragment of Holland—A mixed
language—Trade—Sanitation—The islands.

CHAPTER XII

IN THE “ORIENTE.” NUEVA ESPARTA, SUCRE, PART OF MONÁGAS, AND THE
DELTA TERRITORY 181

Restricted use of term “Oriente”—Margarita—Asunción—Porlamar
and Pampatar—Macanao—A primitive population—The
priests, the comet, and the people—Cubagua—Pearl
fisheries—Coche—Cumaná—Las Casas—A diving feat—Petroleum
and salt—Fruit—The Manzanares—Cumanacoa—In the hills—San
Antonio and its church—The Guacharo cave—Humboldt—Virgin
territory—Punceres—Oil-springs—The Bermudez asphalt
lake—Carúpano—_Ron blanco_—Sulphur and gold—Rio
Caribe—Peninsula of Paria—Cristobal Colón—An ambitious
project—The Delta—The _Golfo Triste_—Pedernales—Asphalt
and outlaws—In the _caños_—Tucupita—Barrancas—Imataca
iron-mines—Canadian capital for Venezuela—Guayana Vieja.

CHAPTER XIII

THE LLANOS. MONÁGAS, ANZOÁTEGUI, GUÁRICO, COJEDES, PORTUGUESA,
ZAMORA, AND APURE 193

The great plains—An ocean without water—“_Bancos_” and
_mesas_—Drought and flood—A living floor—Streams which flow
upwards—Heat—Cattle and horses—Imported butter—Methods
of milking—Civil wars—Future prospects—A mean annual
temperature of 90° F.—Barcelona—History—The massacre of the
Casa Fuerte—Survivors—Guanta—Coal of Naricual—Aragua de
Barcelona—Maturín—Low death rate—Caño Colorado—Bongos—Athletic
boatmen—_Casitas_—Travelling on the Llanos—An _hato_—Areo—An
ancient cotton press—The men of Urica—Churches and wayside
shrines—A gruesome monument—Calabozo—Barbacoas—Ortiz—Zaraza and
Camaguan—San Carlos—Barinas—Guanare—Past prosperity and future
prospects.