Chacao Municipality, Miranda
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| Chacao Municipality, Miranda Municipio Chacao, Miranda |
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country | Venezuela | ||
| State | Miranda | ||
| Seat | N/A | ||
| Founded | September 27, 1769 | ||
| Incorporated | November 26, 1880 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Leopoldo López (Primero Justicia) | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 12 km² (4.6 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2001) | |||
| - Total | 64,629 | ||
| - Density | 5,385.8/km² (13,949.2/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | VST (UTC-4:30) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | not observed (UTC-4:30) | ||
| Website: http://www.chacao.gov.ve/ | |||
The Chacao Municipality is one of the five political and administrative subdivisions of the city of Caracas. The other four are Baruta, El Hatillo, Libertador and Sucre. This legal entity is known as the Caracas Metropolitan District. Chacao is also one of the 21 municipalities that comprise the state of Miranda, Venezuela.
It occupies the mid-eastern portion of the Caracas valley, north of the Guaire river, bordering with the other urban boroughs on the east, south and west, and the Avila National Park on the north.
The municipality is the absolute center of Venezuelan upper and upper-middle class, and possibly one the most affluent geographical areas in the entire Latin American world. Chacao is home to a large number of the old Venezuelan aristocracy, as well as to many prominent intellectuals, artists and businesspeople. The Cathedral and Bolivar Square area, known as 'Pueblo de Chacao' was home to Spanish, Italian and Portuguese immigrant waves, and today represents a middle class stronghold in the municipality. Small pockets of poverty are also present. Known as barrios, they are rarities in the area. Some of the best known are Pajaritos and El Pedregal and are surrounded by luxury condos and opulent houses.
Many of the city's older (CCCT), larger (Centro Sambil) and most luxurious (Centro San Ignacio) malls are located within the Chacao territory. The township also controls the most transited pedestrian access to the Avila National Park (Sabas Nieves), a hugely popular destination for fitness-obsessed caraqueños. Other attractions include a blooming gourmet restaurant district in the neighborhoods of La Castellana, Altamira and Los Palos Grandes, a Center for Performing Arts (CELARG) and the newly inaugurated Centro Cultural Chacao, a public space dedicated to concerts, art expositions and other cultural activities. Parque del Este, the biggest urban park in Caracas, although largely in neighboring Sucre territory, has one of its main entrances in Chacao, making it a popular recreational and exercise area for the inhabitants of Los Palos Grandes and other Chacao neighborhoods.
The borough has also gradually become a financial center, after many of the country's banks moved their headquarters to the previously residential neighborhood of El Rosal, fleeing a disorganized and growingly business-hostile city downtown. The main street artery, Av. Francisco de Miranda and its vicinity, rivals Caracas' old downtown in office space availability, and is strongly preferred by foreign companies with established offices in the country. Some signature office buildings include Parque Cristal, Centro Letonia, Torre HP, Atlantic Building, Centro La Castellana, Multicentro Empresarial del Este, Centro Lido, Forum Tower, Shell Tower, and other important architectural landmarks. Several other office buildings are occupied by government-controlled entities such as the Pequiven and Banco del Tesoro towers.
A dwindling traditional Venezuelan private sector has given way for new short-term businesses and franchises that bloom around the city thanks in part to soaring oil prices and in part to a lack of investor confidence in the country's long-term prospects. Chacao is again an important player in this money wave craze, with commercial and residential Real Estate prices among the highest in the entire nation. The residential neighborhood of Campo Alegre has on average the highest priced square meter in the country.
The current mayor is Leopoldo López Mendoza, who was re-elected for the 2004-2008 term, and has played a prominent role in anti-Chávez politics over the past 8 years. Unsurprisingly, Chacao has represented a stronghold for the Venezuelan opposition. Anti-Chavez votes have steadily represented between 85 and 95% of the total votes in the borough, throughout the length of Mr. Chavez's 9-year long administration.
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[edit] History
In Cumanagoto language Chakau (Chacao) means Sand
The municipality was named after the Indian Cacique Chacao, who died defending his territory in 1567, the year when the city of Santiago de León de Caracas was finally established after more than three decades of unsuccessful foundation attempts by the Spanish. The chosen location for Caracas Plaza Mayorand Cathedral was on the west side of the valley, making the fertile lands of Chacao (on the mid-east side) a great place for agricultural crops and establishment of haciendas. Spanish conquistador Diego de Losada, founder of the city of Caracas, included these lands in his jurisdiction.
The township of Chacao was founded by an immigration wave of the San Bernabé earthquake victims, June 11, 1641. It was officially made a Catholic parish with the foundation of San José de Chacao church.
After repeated epidemics and calamities that knocked down Caracas, the Town hall and the Governor and Commander in chief of the Province, Don Jose Solano y Bote, in 1764, thought about transferring the entire city to this location, an idea that was rejected by Caracas Bishop Mauro Tovar.
Maria Alexandra was the queen of chacao
[edit] From parish to municipality
On April 15 of 1769, again the neighbors of Chacao, raise their voice to ask for the creation of a new independent ecclesiastical parish of the Parish of the Candlemas. Don Francisco Palaces and Sojo, that now were Lieutenant of Greater Justice, makes the new request before the Bishopric. After evaluating the economic conditions to satisfy the exigencies with the Bar, in issued Decree the 27 of September of 1769, the separation of Chacao of the Parish of the Candlemas is granted.
With use from the 30 of September of that year, officially the new parish under the protection of San José was proclaimed and their territorial, same limits settled down to him that show until today. The 2 of October of 1769, the Presbítero Br. Juan Antonio Cróquer received as his Cures Temporary, the Parish of San jOse de Chacao of hands of the Bishopric. The 6 of November, the Parish is put under aid to choose its first priest being elect the Father Jose Antonio Garci'a Mohedano who assumes their position from the 18 of January of 1770. With the intention of surpassing the crisis that presents/displays the Parish, Mohedano Father tries to cultivate coffee seeds and presents/displays the project to Don Bartholomew Blandín, the Father Pedro Ramon Palaces and Gil de Arratia known like “Sojo Father”. The culture achieves a full success in 1786, happening to become Chacao one of the main coffee zones of Venezuela. They would spend 95 years, so that the 29 of /February of 1864, another decision of great importance for Chacao was assumed. In this case Falcon corresponded to General Juan Crisóstomo, that after summoning a Constituent National Assembly, reorganized the Caracas state denominating it Federal District.
This district was constituted by 3 departments, between these; Liberator, within who Chacao appeared like Foreign Civil Parish. This situation lasted 16 years, until General Antonio Guzmán Blanco, by Decree incorporated from the 26 of November of 1880, to Chacao like Foreign Municipality of the Urbaneja District of the state Bolivar, district that after the 22 of September of 1881, step to be called Sucre District of the state Miranda conformed by the foreign municipalities Baruta, the Hatillo and Chacao, having to Petare like Capital Municipality. With the entrance in use of the Reformation of the Statutory law of Municipal Regime in 1989, the figure of the Sucre District disappears, inasmuch as the foreign municipalities ask for their autonomy when legally fulfilling the necessary requirements demanded by the laws. They are satisfied thus Baruta, the Hatillo, Sucre and Chacao like Municipalities. The 13 of November of 1991, by request of a Promotional Meeting the autonomy was granted to him to the Chacao Municipality; and the Legislative Assembly of the State Miranda promulgated the Law of Creation of the Chacao Municipality, published in Official Newspaper of the State Miranda, the 17 of January of 1992.
The 22 of January of 1992, the Legislative Assembly administered an oath in the Seat Bolivar de Chacao to the members of the Organizing Meeting, that were in charge to create the conditions so that the community could choose, the 6 of December of 1992, to the members of the first municipal government of Chacao. The 4 of January of 1993, Irene Sáez Conde, are administered an oath like the first mayoress of the Chacao Municipality, whereas the first Municipal Council was integrated by Ivonne Attas, Alberto Palazzi, Cecilia Pocaterra, Cornelio Popesco, Maria Quintana, Francisco González, America Rivera, Ingrid Diaz and Alí Morales. Also they were administered an oath Jose Aveledo like Contralor Municipal and Rafael Contreras like Receiver Municipal Solicitor. Of equal way, the 6 of January it was installed the first Parochial Meeting, presided over by Adrián Diaz and conformed in addition by Caesar Febres Lamb, Either Dib, Jose Luis Prieto and Eleazar Lozada.
[edit] Sites of interest
- San Ignacio Mall
- Sambil Mall
- Plaza Francia
- Centro Cultural Chacao
- Centro Lido
[edit] External links
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