Tucupido

Tucupido is a town in Guárico State, Venezuela, located in the Llanos region. It is the capital of José Félix Ribas Municipality and, as of 2015, was estimated to have a population of over 55,000.

The town occupies the watershed between the Tamanaco River and the Jabillal stream. The Tucupido River flows into the Tamanaco northeast of the town, while the Jabillal stream forms the Tucupido Reservoir to the south. Tucupido lies at 130 m above sea level, with an average temperature of 28 °C and average annual rainfall of 950 mm.

History

The Tamanaco region began to become known to Europeans from 1538, when the conquistador Antonio Sedeño, coming from Trinidad, crossed the area, which was then inhabited by the Palenque and Cumanagoto nations. These groups retreated during the second half of the 18th century in the face of advancing Spanish royalist forces. The native peoples practiced controlled burning, hunting and logging; their way of life was gradually transformed through the action of Capuchin friars sent from Cumaná.

In 1760 Fray Anselmo Isidro de Ardales founded Santo Tomás Apóstol de Tucupido as a mission town with 200 Cumanagoto and Palenque indigenous people. The town was partially destroyed after a series of fires set in the interest of regional landowners. On 6 March 1783 it was visited by Bishop Mariano Martí, who found 483 inhabitants and 105 houses, as well as several cattle ranches scattered through the territory. Between 29 and 31 October 1791, landowners Cristóbal Salvatierra and Manuel López donated these lands to the original townspeople.

Independence period

During the Venezuelan War of Independence, from 1813 onward, Tucupido was the scene of various encounters between republican and royalist troops. On 1 February 1814 it was occupied by the patriots after having served as a supply center for the Army of the East during its march to the central region; on 4 May of the same year, Pedro Zaraza defeated the royalist N. Barrazola there.

The royalist Justicia Mayor of Tucupido, Lorenzo Figueroa Barrajola, ordered the death of independence leader José Félix Ribas on 31 January 1815. Ribas was taken to the Plaza Mayor where he was shot. His body was dismembered at the foot of a tree a few meters from the square, and his head, fried in oil, was sent to Caracas, where it was displayed in an iron cage in the Plaza Mayor.

In May 1819 the patriot officer José Jesús Barreto defeated royalist troops under the command of Gregorio Armas. Between 1822 and 1828 Tucupido suffered from raids by bandits, who on several occasions plundered and burned the town, driving its inhabitants to the countryside. The friars emigrated and the remaining population was left vulnerable to regional epidemics. In 1842 the presbyter Juan Santiago Guasco arrived to attend to the health of his parishioners during a cholera outbreak.

19th and 20th centuries

In 1852, Tucupido formed part of the Cantón of Chaguaramas, with a population of 878. In 1853 it was attached to the population of Zaraza (Chaguaramal de Perales). In 1859 it served as headquarters for Ezequiel Zamora during the Federal War. In 1872 Tucupido had a district of its own, belonging to the Departamento del Unare.

Between 1890 and 1892 it became a center of conservative operations against the government of Joaquín Crespo, led by the José Ángel Hernández Ron. Between 1891 and 1920, Tucupido is reported to have had 13,000 inhabitants and 1,877 houses, with significant social problems chiefly relating to health and education. In 1944 oil exploration was conducted by the Venezuelan Atlantic Refining Company. In recent decades, technical agriculture has developed, based on maize, rice, cotton and tobacco. There are oil fields in operation by PDVSA. The town is connected by road with Valle de la Pascua () and with Zaraza ().

Production of cheese and lard has been traditional. The town features artisan crafts, hotels, primary and secondary schools, and the Raúl Rafael Soto Agricultural Technical School. The Tucupido and San Rafael de Laya parishes depend on it. Population by census: 7,047 (1961); 9,504 (1971); 19,970 in the municipality (1981); 15,457 (1990); 28,927 in the municipality (2000).

Geography

The José Félix Ribas Municipality is located around longitude 65° 46' W and latitude 9° 17' N, at an elevation of approximately 428 m above sea level. The municipality is in the northeastern part of Guárico State, bounded:

• North: Cagigal Municipality of Anzoátegui State and Monagas Municipality of Guárico State.
• South: El Socorro Municipality.
• East: Zaraza Municipality.
• West: Infante Municipality.

Relief

Although the Llanos are characterized by flat relief, Tucupido is semi-rugged, with savannas, semi-mountainous areas in the northern part of the municipality, rolling regions, plateaus and small hills.

Climate

The region has a rainy savanna climate, with mean annual temperatures between 28 and 30 °C. Two seasons are observed: a dry season from November to April, and a rainy season from May to October, with mean annual precipitation of 900–1,200 mm, most abundant in August.

Hydrography

The most important river in the José Félix Ribas Municipality is the Tamanaco River, which flows into the Unare River. The river is dammed at the Tamanaco reservoir (El Bostero, Infante Municipality). Tucupido also has streams that are important water sources for the region, including the Quebrada Honda, Quebrada Chiquero, Coporo River, Tucupido River, Jabillal River and the Coco e' Mono, Jabillal and Pueblito reservoirs, used in proportion for intensive agricultural activity through irrigation systems and channels. The Jabillal reservoir is designated for the town's drinking water supply.

Vegetation and soils

Vegetation is varied, with abundant xerophyte () vegetation. In most of the municipality, Tertiary sedimentary rocks crop out, covered by variable thicknesses of residual soils with frequent alluvial materials. The soils are mainly clay and silt of medium to low plasticity, and sandy with hard consistency. In general the soils are stable, allowing the construction of moderately loaded structures. To achieve greater productivity, the soils require the use of NPK fertilizers such as urea, potassium chloride and diammonium phosphate, since nutrient content is low.

Demographics

The José Félix Ribas Municipality had a population of 28,927 in the 2000 census. By the 2015 census, the population was 55,000. The largest part of the active population is employed in public service or the informal economy, while around 30% of the population is rural and engaged in agriculture and livestock-raising, with industry, commerce and services at smaller scale.

See also

• Guárico
• José Félix Ribas Municipality
• Llanos