Cabruta is a

Venezuelan 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 ...

fishing town on the

Orinoco The Orinoco () is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes known as the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3 percent of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia. It is the fourth largest river in the wor ...

river in

Las Mercedes Municipality The Las Mercedes Municipality is one of the 15 municipalities (municipios) that makes up the central Venezuelan state of Guárico and, according to a 2010 population estimate by the National Institute of Statistics of Venezuela, the municipality ha ...

Guárico State ) , anthem = '' Himno del Estado Guárico'' , image_map = Guarico in Venezuela.svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Location within Venezuela , pushpin_map = , pushpin_map_a ...

, site of a

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

mission, and the site of a proposed bridge across the

Caicara Caicara or Caiçara may refer to: People * Caiçaras, the traditional population of the coastal regions of the southeast and south of Brazil * Júnior Caiçara (born 1989), Brazilian footballer Places Brazil * Caiçaras Club, a private club on th ...

, Bolívar State.

History

In 1531 by

Diego de Ordaz Diego de Ordaz also Diego de Ordás (; 1480 in Castroverde de Campos, Zamora province, Spain – 1532 on the Atlantic) was a Spanish explorer and soldier. Early career Diego de Ordaz arrived in Cuba at a young age. Serving under the orders ...

mentioned the indigenous village there, with the name 'Cabritu'. In 1556, Martin Lopez mentioned that it was an

Arawak The Arawak are a group of indigenous peoples of northern South America and of the Caribbean. Specifically, the term "Arawak" has been applied at various times to the Lokono of South America and the Taíno, who historically lived in the Greater ...

village with the name 'Caburute'. The 17th century saw a number of plans to fortify Cabruta, and in 1643 Juan de Ochoa Gresala y Aguirre was authorized to establish a Spanish port and found a city to be called 'Triunfo de la Cruz y Nueva Cantabria'. However, it was not until 1647 that Miguel de Ochogavia y Jacinto de Carvajal actually arrived, coming down the

Apure River The Apure River is a river of southwestern Venezuela, formed by the confluence of the Sarare and Uribante near Guasdualito, in Venezuela, at , and flowing across the Llanos into the Orinoco. It provides significant transportation in the area. Orig ...

, and with the help of chief Maguare began the improvements. Just eleven years later (1658) the Spanish left Cabruta. It wasn't until 1720 that two capuchine missionaries, formerly with the gold-seeking expedition of Marcos de Castro, settled there and their mission was approved in 1722, but then abandoned to be taken up by the Jesuit Bernardo Rotella in 1733.

Economy

There was a

fish processing The term fish processing refers to the processes associated with fish and fish products between the time fish are caught or harvested, and the time the final product is delivered to the customer. Although the term refers specifically to fish, in ...

and freezing center in Cabruta, which closed in 1998. Cotton is grown in the surrounding area and a textile processing plant has been proposed. The Venezuelan government has also proposed building an oil refinery there.

Geography

Cabruta is located near the geographical center of Venezuela. This was one of the reasons that proposals were made for constructing a

planned city A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...

as a new capital for Venezuela near Cabruta. These proposals were made and abandoned in the 1970s.

Local Geography

Several hills surround the vicinity of Cabruta. These are * Cerro Cabruta, a 200m hill 1.74 km (1.08 miles) west of Cabruta. * Cerro Caribe, a 126m hill 3.46 km (2.14 miles) northwest of Cabruta.

Transport

In 2006, a railway to Cabruta was commenced, but the project is on hold, as is Puente Mercosur, the associated bridge across the Orinoco for road and rail, which has been planned as the third crossing of this river.

References

External links

* in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

Press release (10 July 2006) "Pescadores de Cabruta fueron capacitados en cultivos piscícolas" Instituto Nacional Investigaciones Agricolas
"Cabruta fishermen learn

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" in

Press release (August 8, 2006) "PDVSA to build three new refineries in Venezuela"
''World Energy News'' Item 76895 Populated places in Guárico {{Guárico-geo-stub