23 de Enero is a
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
located in the
Libertador Bolivarian Municipality
The Libertador Bolivarian Municipality ( es, Municipio Bolivariano Libertador) is the only administrative division of the Capital District and along with the municipalities of Baruta, Chacao, El Hatillo and Sucre forms the Metropolitan District ...
west of the city of
Caracas
Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...
,
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
. The parish receives its name from the date of the
1958 Venezuelan coup d'état
The 1958 Venezuelan coup d'état took place on 23 January 1958, when the dictator Marcos Pérez Jiménez was overthrown.
A transition government under first Adm. Wolfgang Larrazábal and then Edgar Sanabria was put in place until December 195 ...
which overthrew dictator
Marcos Pérez Jiménez
Marcos Evangelista Pérez Jiménez (25 April 1914 – 20 September 2001) was a Venezuelan military and general officer of the Army of Venezuela and the dictator of Venezuela from 1950 to 1958, ruling as member of the military junta from 195 ...
.
History
Marcos Pérez Jiménez government
In the early 1950s, under the government of General Marcos Pérez Jiménez a Housing Unit apartments designed by architect Guido Bermúdez on the model of "
Cité Radieuse" Swiss Le Corbusier, also used in the Unit was built Housing Tlatelolco (Mexico) with apartments that were granted to the population of middle and lower classes of Caracas. Initially "Urbanization December 2" would be called (in commemoration of the coup by Marcos Pérez Jiménez). However, the current name was assigned by his successor,
Rómulo Betancourt
Rómulo Ernesto Betancourt Bello (22 February 1908 – 28 September 1981; ), known as "The Father of Venezuelan Democracy", was the president of Venezuela, serving from 1945 to 1948 and again from 1959 to 1964, as well as leader of Acción De ...
, with the date January 23 (23 de enero) commemorating the overthrow of the general and marking beginning of democracy in Venezuela.
In 1966, it was decided to separate 23 de Enero from the Sucre Parish and place it under the "parish" category, keeping the same name of "23 de Enero". The parish has had a history of social struggle since then.
Carlos Andrés Pérez government
During the presidency of
Carlos Andrés Pérez
Carlos Andrés Pérez Rodríguez (27 October 1922 – 25 December 2010) also known as CAP and often referred to as '' El Gocho'' (due to his Andean origins), was a Venezuelan politician and the president of Venezuela from 12 March 1974 to 12 M ...
, the
Caracazo
The ''Caracazo'' is the name given to the wave of protests, riots and looting. that started on 27 February 1989 in Guarenas, spreading to Caracas and surrounding towns. The weeklong clashes resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people, thousand ...
, a wave of protests, riots, looting, shootings and massacres, occurred in Caracas beginning on 27 February 1989. 23 de Enero was the one of the first areas in Caracas that began to riot and loot.
[ ]Hugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (; 28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013) was a Venezuelan politician who was president of Venezuela from 1999 until his death in 2013, except for a brief period in 2002. Chávez was also leader of the Fifth Republ ...
also organized the 1992 Venezuelan coup d'état attempts
Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 ''Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since the ...
while in 23 de enero.[
]
Bolivarian government
Since 15 March 2013, the remains of former president Hugo Chávez now rest in the Museum of the Bolivarian Revolution (Cuartel 4 de febrero), also known as the "Montaña Barracks
Montana or Montaña is the surname of:
* Allison Montana (1922–2005), New Orleans cultural icon who acted as the Mardi Gras Indian "chief of chiefs"
* Amber Montana (born 1998), American actress
* Billy Montana (born 1959), American country ...
", the very spot where the coup attempt of 1992 was launched.
Geography
It is located northwest of Caracas, nestled in a series of hills, adjacent to the Catia and Sucre
Sucre () is the Capital city, capital of Bolivia, the capital of the Chuquisaca Department and the List of cities in Bolivia, 6th most populated city in Bolivia. Located in the south-central part of the country, Sucre lies at an elevation of . T ...
parishes. It is a predominantly residential area, with major recreation areas. It is under the municipal government of the Mayor of the Libertador Bolivarian Municipality and the city of Caracas, also being under the regional jurisdiction of the Government of the Capital District , which are in charge of public works in the sectors grouped in 23 de Enero. The security service consists of the Bolivarian National Police
The Policía Nacional Bolivariana ( es, Bolivarian National Police, PNB) is Venezuela's national police force, created in 2009. Law enforcement in Venezuela has historically been highly fragmented, and the creation of a national police force was ...
(PNB), as well as the Venezuelan Army
The Venezuelan Army, officially the National Army of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, Ejército Nacional de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is one of the six professional branches of the Armed Forces of Venezuela. Also known ...
, which has the Cipriano Castro Barracks in the vicinity of the parish, and the Directorate General of the National Reserve (General Command of the National Militia), with headquarters in the Montana Barracks.
Sectors
The parish also has separate sectors such as el Observatorio, La Piedrita, La Silsa, Mirador, El Samán, La Cañada, La zona Central, Monte Piedad, Zona F and others.
Demographics
As of 2009, the population of was 84,650. Most of the area is composed of slums of squatters who have remained in the area since the overthrow of Marcos Pérez Jiménez in 1958.[
]
Crime
23 de Enero has a reputation of violence, robbery, kidnapping and drug trafficking.[ ]Colectivos
''Colectivo'' (English: collective bus) is the name given in Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Paraguay to a type of public transportation vehicle, especially those of Argentina's capital city, Buenos Aires. The name comes from ''vehículos de tran ...
such as the Tupamaros
The Tupamaros – National Liberation Movement ( es, Movimiento de Liberación Nacional – Tupamaros, MLN-T), widely known as Tupamaros, was a Marxist-Leninist urban guerrilla group in Uruguay in the 1960s and 1970s. The MLN-T is inextricab ...
occupy the area where they allegedly partake in or combat crime.[ Colectivo members patrol the area thoroughly with some possessing armbands with the Venezuelan flag, firearms and radios.][ Residents claim that colectivos have reduced crime since they use heavy penalties that were allegedly instilled by former president Hugo Chávez.][
]
Gallery
File:El 23 de Enero en Construcción. Año 1955.png, Construction of the complex in 1955.
File:Urbanización 2 de diciembre.jpg, Original plan of the area.
File:23 de enero Miraflores.jpg, The area as seen from Miraflores Palace
The ''Palacio de Miraflores'' (Spanish for Miraflores Palace) is the official residence of the President of Venezuela. It is located on Urdaneta Avenue, Libertador Bolivarian Municipality in Caracas.
History Construction and decoration
Co ...
.
File:4F Chavez Monument in Caracas.jpg, Cuartel de la Montaña
References
{{Authority control
Parishes of Capital District (Venezuela)
Slums in South America