El Valle del Espíritu Santo is a village near

Porlamar Porlamar () is the most populated city, major seaport and major center in the state of Nueva Esparta, Venezuela. It is situated on the southern coast of Margarita Island, one of three islands in the Caribbean Sea off the South American mainland wh ...

, in the

Nueva Esparta The Nueva Esparta State (in Spanish: ''Estado Nueva Esparta'', ) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela, states of Venezuela. It comprises Margarita Island, Coche, Venezuela, Coche, and the lightly inhabited Cubagua. The state is located off the ...

state of

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

. Founded as the capital of the island in 1529, El Valle del Espíritu Santo is just north of Porlamar. It is the birth town of

Santiago Mariño Santiago Mariño Carige Fitzgerald (25 July 1788 in Valle Espíritu Santo, Margarita – 4 September 1854 in La Victoria, Aragua), was a nineteenth-century Venezuelan revolutionary leader and hero in the Venezuelan War of Independence (1811– ...

and his sister,

Concepción Mariño Concepción Mariño Carige Fitzgerald (1790 – 1854) was a woman involved in the Venezuelan War of Independence. Biography Born on 1790, in El Valle del Espíritu Santo, Mariño was raised in a wealthy family. She was the daughter of Santiago M ...

, as well as where the patron of the island, the Virgin of El Valle appeared. The village has a pink-and-white church honoring the Virgin of El Valle. Visitors go to the village all year-round, but especially on her feast day in early September.

The Virgin of El Valle Church

The basilica of Our Lady of El Valle is a building with two main towers. On the inside, it is very well illuminated. The figure of the virgin is in the altar, venerated by all the locals and all the fishers from the country, because she is their patron. The windows are simple and bright. The Diocesan Museum is located next to the church.

Santiago Mariño Museum

The Santiago Mariño Museum is located in front of the church. This is the town were Santiago Mariño, one of the independence heroes, was born. The museum is simple, but interesting. The construction is a typical colonial house with an internal garden. In the rooms, there are many paintings and furniture from the independence years. The museum is only open in the morning.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:El Valle del Espiritu Santo Populated places established in 1529 Populated places in Nueva Esparta Margarita Island