Maturín () is a city in Venezuela, the capital of the

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 ...

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Monagas Monagas State (, ) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. Monagas State covers a total surface area of and, as of the 2011 census, had a population of 905,443. Monagas State is surrounded by Sucre State in the north, Anzoátegui State in the ...

and a centre for instrumental exploration and development of the petroleum industry in Venezuela. The metropolitan area of Maturín has a population of 401,384 inhabitants. Maturín is also a busy regional transportation hub, connecting routes from the northeastern coast to the

Orinoco Delta The Orinoco Delta is a vast river delta of the Orinoco River, located in eastern Venezuela. Location The Orinoco Delta is one of the eight natural regions of Venezuela. It covers the whole of Delta Amacuro State and a few square kilometers o ...

and the

Gran Sabana La Gran Sabana (, ) is a region in southeastern Venezuela, part of the Guianan savanna ecoregion. The savanna spreads into the regions of the Guiana Shield, Guiana Highlands and south-east into Bolívar, Venezuela, Bolívar State, extending fu ...

History

Founding

December 7, 1760, is the official date of the founding of Maturín (according to the Venezuelan Academy of History) by the Franciscan missionary Lucas de Zaragoza. However, the Jesuit priest Pablo Ojer found a document in the

General Archive of the Indies The ''Archivo General de Indias'' (; standard abbreviation AGI; ), often simply called the Archive of the Indies, was created by Carlos III of Spain, Carlos III and inaugurated in 1785. It is housed in the former Consulado de mercaderes, merchan ...

which proves an earlier founding date for the city in 1722.González Oropeza, Hermann (1985): Historia del Estado Monagas. Ediciones Amon C.A., Caracas. (Biblioteca de Temas y Autores Monaguenses; Colección Guanipa; ensayos e investigación). This primitive town was called and its founder was the Spanish governor Juan de la Tornera y Sota. San Juan de la Tornera de Maturín was a city for Spaniards, but it did not survive very long because of the lack of population and few economic resources. Initially, (Lucas de Zaragoza gave this name to Maturín) was a Spanish mission created for the conversion of the nearby

native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...

and Warao people. The Spaniards decided to move to Maturín and in the 19th century it received the category of city and the name of .

Origin of the name Maturín

Maturín was named after an indigenous chief (

cacique A cacique, sometimes spelled as cazique (; ; feminine form: ), was a tribal chieftain of the Taíno people, who were the Indigenous inhabitants of the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles at the time of European cont ...

) who lived with his tribe next to the bank of

Guarapiche River Guarapiche River is a river of north-eastern Venezuela. It flows into the San Juan River. Course Its origin is in the canyon named Puertas de Miraflores in the Turimiquire Range. Together with it flows into a short body named Caño Francés who ...

. He was murdered by a supposed Spanish captain named Arrioja during a battle between tribal members and Spaniards on the site of the town in 1718. Since then the area has been known as ('the place of Maturín'). Some historians have concluded that the name Maturín is instead of French origin. They base their theory on the legend of a supposed French missionary who explored the area at the end of the 17th century. The legend says that the missionary (whose surname might have been Mathurin) baptized a young indigenous boy and gave him the name Mathurin, the boy later becoming . There is also the possibility that the boy may have been named after a 4th-century French saint,

Saint Mathurin Maturinus, or Mathurin (died ca. 300 AD) was a Gallo-Roman exorcist and missionary venerated as a saint. The first source to mention Maturinus is the ''Martyrology of Usuard'', written in 875. In the next century, a biography of Maturinus was com ...

. However, the legend of this supposed French missionary has not been proved yet. Other historians disagree with the theory, arguing that there is a plant with the same name and indigenous place names very similar to the name ''Maturín''.

Independence war

Maturín (as a part of the

Province of Cumaná New Andalusia Province or Province of Cumaná (1537–1864) was a province of the Spanish Empire, and later of Gran Colombia and Venezuela. It included the territory of present-day Venezuelan states Sucre, Anzoátegui and Monagas. Its most imp ...

) was on the republican side during the

Venezuelan Declaration of Independence The Venezuelan Declaration of Independence () is a document drafted and adopted by Venezuelan on July 5, 1811, through which Venezuelans made the decision to separate from the History of Spain (1810–1873), Spanish Crown in order to establish a ...

on July 5, 1811. Five battles took place in Maturín from 1813 to 1814, including the famous

Battle of Alto de los Godos The Battle of Alto de los Godos took place on 25 May 1813 in Maturín, Venezuela, in the Spanish colonial Viceroyalty of New Granada. It resulted in a patriot victory against the forces of Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or rela ...

. In this battle the Venezuelan patriots, led by

Manuel Piar Manuel Carlos María Francisco Piar Gómez (April 28, 1774 – October 16, 1817) was General-in-Chief of the army fighting Spain during the Venezuelan War of Independence. Heritage and early life The son of Fernando Alonso Piar y Lottyn, a Spani ...

, obtained a great victory against the Spanish general

Juan Domingo de Monteverde Juan Domingo de Monteverde y Rivas (born Juan Domingo de Monteverde; 2 April 1773 15 September 1832), commonly known as Domingo de Monteverde, was a Spanish soldier, governor and Captain General of Venezuela from June 1812 to 8 August 1813. Mo ...

Antonio José de Sucre Antonio José de Sucre y Alcalá (; 3 February 1795 – 4 June 1830), known as the "Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho" (), was a Venezuelan general and politician who served as the president of Bolivia from 1825 to 1828. A close friend and associate ...

José Francisco Bermúdez José Francisco Bermúdez (23 January 1782, Cariaco – 15 December 1831, Cumaná) was a Venezuelan revolutionary and military officer. A prominent lieutenant of Simón Bolívar, he fought in the Venezuelan War of Independence and rose to the ...

José Tadeo Monagas José Tadeo Monagas Burgos (28 October 1784 – 18 November 1868) was the president of Venezuela 1847–1851 and 1855–1858, and a hero of the Venezuelan War of Independence. Career Presidency In 1846, to head off the challenge from the Libe ...

José Gregorio Monagas José Gregorio Monagas (4 May 1795 – 15 July 1858) was the president of Venezuela 1851–1855 and brother of José Tadeo Monagas.

and

José Félix Ribas José Félix Ribas (; Caracas, 19 September 1775 – Tucupido, 31 January 1815) was a Venezuelan independence leader and hero of the Venezuelan War of Independence. Early life Ribas was the last of eleven sons, born to a prominent Caracas ...

were others who fought in the five battles. The last battle of Maturín (December 1814), however, was a defeat. During the

1814 Caracas Exodus The 1814 Caracas Exodus () or Emigration to the East () occurred during the Venezuelan War of Independence, when Venezuelan Patriots and thousands of civilians fled from the capital Caracas towards the East of the country, after the defeat in the ...

, many soldiers and civilians who had escaped from Caracas during the military campaign of

José Tomás Boves José Tomás Boves (Oviedo, Asturias, September 18, 1782 – Pedro María Freites Municipality, Urica, Venezuela, December 5, 1814), was a royalist caudillo of the Llanos during the Venezuelan War of Independence, particularly remembered for ...

against the Republic, came to Maturín to shelter from the Spanish troops. After the battle of Urica (where Boves died) Tomás José Morales, a Spanish general, decided to take the town. The Republicans defended the town, but they were beaten and many of them were murdered by Morales. The town was destroyed. Some survivors of the last battle rebuilt Maturín two years later.

19th and 20th centuries

Maturín grew slowly during the 19th century due to civil wars (which destroyed the region's flourishing farming and livestock-raising industries and killed many people) and fatal diseases, such as malaria and yellow fever, transmitted by mosquitoes. In 1909 Maturín became capital of the new

Monagas state Monagas State (, ) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. Monagas State covers a total surface area of and, as of the 2011 census, had a population of 905,443. Monagas State is surrounded by Sucre State in the north, Anzoátegui State in the ...

. Before that the town was the capital of the Province Maturín from 1856 to 1859. In the 20th century Maturín grew rapidly due to the discovery of petroleum fields near the town and a health campaign carried out by doctors to eliminate mosquitoes. Maturín has been the headquarters of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Maturín The Roman Catholic Diocese of Maturín () is a diocese located in the city of Maturín in the ecclesiastical province of Ciudad Bolívar in Venezuela. History On 24 May 1958 Pope Pius XII established the Diocese of Maturín from the Diocese of Ci ...

since 1958.

Geography

Maturin is located at 67 meters of altitude and 520 kilometres from the country's capital,

Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (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 northern p ...

. It is right next to the Guarapiche River and is a crossroad for roads towards the center, the Caribbean coast and the

Orinoco River The Orinoco () is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes known as the Orinoquia, covers approximately 1 million km2, with 65% of it in Venezuela and 35% in Colombia. It is the List of rivers by discharge, f ...

Climate

Maturín features a

tropical savannah climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry "winter") and ''As'' (for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

: Aw).

Law and government

Maturín has one municipality: Maturín Municipality; Venezuelan law specifies that municipal governments have four main functions: executive, legislative, comptroller, and planning. The executive function is managed by the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

, who is in charge of representing the municipality's administration. The legislative branch is represented by the municipal council, composed of seven

councillors A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or regi ...

, charged with the deliberation of new decrees and local laws. The comptroller tasks are managed by the municipal

comptroller A comptroller (pronounced either the same as ''controller'' or as ) is a management-level position responsible for supervising the quality of accountancy, accounting and financial reporting of an organization. A financial comptroller is a senior- ...

's office, which oversees

accountancy Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the process of recording and processing information about economic entities, such as businesses and corporations. Accounting measures the results of an organization's economic activities and conveys ...

. Finally, planning is represented by the local public planning council, which manages development projects for the municipality.

Mayors since 1990

* María Elena de Cañizales (1990–1992), Democratic Action * José Enrique López Tablero (1993–1995), COPEI,

Movement for Socialism Movement for Socialism – Political Instrument for the Sovereignty of the Peoples (; MAS or MAS-IPSP), is a socialist political party in Bolivia. Its followers are known as ''Masistas''. In the 2005 Bolivian general election, December 2005 el ...

* Domingo Urbina Simoza (1996–2000), (2000–2004), Democratic Action * Numa Rojas (2004–2008),

Fifth Republic Movement The Fifth Republic Movement (Spanish: ''Movimiento V uintaRepública'', MVR) was a Socialism, socialist political party in Venezuela. It was founded in July 1997, following a national congress of the Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement-200, to ...

José Maicavares José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , ...

(2008–2013),

United Socialist Party of Venezuela The United Socialist Party of Venezuela (, PSUV, ) is a Socialism, socialist political party which has been the ruling party of Venezuela since 2007. It was formed from a merger of some of the political and social forces that support the Bolivar ...

* Warner Jimenez (2013–2015),

Popular Will Popular Will (, abbr. VP) is a political party in Venezuela founded by former Mayor of Chacao, Leopoldo López, who is its national co-ordinator. The party previously held 14 out of 167 seats in the Venezuelan National Assembly, the country ...

* Wilfredo Ordaz (2016–2017), (2017–2021),

* Ana Fuentes (2021- Present),

Economy

Maturín is one of the most important cities in the east of the country as its strategic position serves as a bridge to the other states of the region. The city has grown during the last few years mainly because of the increase in the state's oil industry. However, Maturín has been hit hard by Venezuela's recent economic crisis.

Transportation

It is possible to travel there by land or by using

José Tadeo Monagas International Airport José Tadeo Monagas International Airport is an airport serving Maturín, the capital of the state of Monagas in Venezuela. The runway has an additional of paved overrun on its southwestern end. The Monagas VOR-DME (Ident: MUN) and non-directi ...

Higher education

Public universities *

Universidad de Oriente The University of Oriente (UDO), founded in 1958, is one of the main national universities in Venezuela and the main autonomous university institution dedicated to teaching, research and development in Eastern Venezuela. With the commitment to t ...

(UDO-Monagas) *

Universidad Pedagógica Experimental Libertador – Instituto Pedagógico de Maturín Universidad (Spanish for "university") may refer to: Places * Universidad, San Juan, Puerto Rico * Universidad (Madrid) Football clubs * Universidad SC, a Guatemalan football club that represents the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala ...

(UPEL/IPM) *

Universidad Nacional Abierta Universidad (Spanish for "university") may refer to: Places * Universidad, San Juan, Puerto Rico * Universidad (Madrid) Football clubs * Universidad SC, a Guatemalan football club that represents the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala ...

(UNA) *

Bolivarian University of Venezuela The Universidad Bolivariana de Venezuela (UBV, ) is a state university in Venezuela founded in 2003 by decree of President Hugo Chávez. The UBV is a part of the Chávez government's " Mission Sucre" social programs, which aim to provide free hig ...

(UBV) *

Universidad Nacional Experimental Simón Rodríguez Universidad Nacional Experimental Simón Rodríguez is a university in Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (o ...

(UNESR) Private universities *

Universidad Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho Universidad (Spanish for "university") may refer to: Places * Universidad, San Juan, Puerto Rico * Universidad (Madrid) Football clubs * Universidad SC, a Guatemalan football club that represents the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala ...

(UGMA) * Universidad Católica Cecilio Acosta (UNICA) *

Universidad de Margarita Universidad (Spanish for "university") may refer to: Places * Universidad, San Juan, Puerto Rico * Universidad (Madrid) Football clubs * Universidad SC, a Guatemalan football club that represents the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala ...

(UNIMAR) Private Institutes of Higher Education *

Santiago Mariño Polytechnic University Institute The Santiago Mariño Polytechnic University Institute (Spanish: Instituto Universitario Politécnico "Santiago Mariño", IUPSM) is a private university located in Barcelona (Venezuela), Barcelona, Venezuela. History The institution was ...

(PSM) * I

nstituto Universitario de Tecnología Industrial Rodolfo Loero Arismendi (IUTIRLA) * Instituto Universitario de Tecnología Venezuela (IUTV)

Places of interest

Roman Catholic churches

* San Simón Church: the oldest church in Maturín. It was built between 1884 and 1887 and is located in front of the Plaza Bolivar. * Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel: a Catholic church in Romanesque style. Its construction began in 1961 and was finished in 1981. It is located on Bolívar Avenue.

Parks

Parque de La Guaricha Parque is the Galician, Portuguese and Spanish word for "park", and may refer to: * Parque (TransMilenio), a metro station in Bogotá, Colombia * Parque (Lisbon Metro), in Portugal * Parque (Santurce), a subbarrio in San Juan, Puerto Rico * Battle ...

: a zoological park located on Raúl Leoni Avenue. *

Parque Menca de Leoni Parque is the Galician, Portuguese and Spanish word for "park", and may refer to: * Parque (TransMilenio), a metro station in Bogotá, Colombia * Parque (Lisbon Metro), in Portugal * Parque (Santurce), a subbarrio in San Juan, Puerto Rico * Battle ...

: a former zoological park. It lost its status when the Parque de La Guaricha was built. Located on Juncal Avenue. *

Parque Andrés Eloy Blanco Parque is the Galician, Portuguese and Spanish word for "park", and may refer to: * Parque (TransMilenio), a metro station in Bogotá, Colombia * Parque (Lisbon Metro), in Portugal * Parque (Santurce), a subbarrio in San Juan, Puerto Rico * Battle ...

: located on Raúl Leoni Avenue. * Parque Padilla Ron: located in Las Cocuizas sector. *

Parque Rómulo Betancourt Parque is the Galician, Portuguese and Spanish word for "park", and may refer to: * Parque (TransMilenio), a metro station in Bogotá, Colombia * Parque (Lisbon Metro), in Portugal * Parque (Santurce), a subbarrio in San Juan, Puerto Rico * Battle ...

: located on Universidad Avenue, next to the Universidad de Oriente. *

Parque de los Guaritos Parque is the Galician, Portuguese and Spanish word for "park", and may refer to: * Parque (TransMilenio), a metro station in Bogotá, Colombia * Parque (Lisbon Metro), in Portugal * Parque (Santurce), a subbarrio in San Juan, Puerto Rico * Battle ...

: located in Los Guaritos sector.

Museums, theatres and art galleries

* (Cultural Complex of Maturín): a group of buildings where some cultural institutions are located such as the Art School "Eloy Palacios", the Virtual Library and the Museo Mateo Manaure (Museum Mateo Manaure). The Francisco de Miranda Square and a pedestrian art gallery belong to the complex. * (Culture House): a small theatre located on Bolívar Avenue. * (Art Gallery of the CONAC): it belongs to the network of art galleries of the CONAC. Located inside the Centro Comercial Guarapiche.

Others

* Amana del Tamarindo: a small town located thirty minutes from Maturín. It received its name from a tamarind tree located in the town, like the Amana River. Under this tree, which still exists, was the birthplace of José Tadeo Monagas. * Plaza Bolívar: the main town square of Maturín and also the oldest of the city. In front of it is the Palacio de Gobierno (built in 1942), where the governor of the state of Monagas carries out his duties.

Gallery images

File:Monumento al Leon en el Parque La Guaricha.jpg, La Guaricha Park File:Cine Movie Planet en Maturin.jpg, Movie Planet Cinema File:Museo Mateo Manaure.jpg, Mateo Manaure Museum File:Avenida Bolivar, Maturin 001.jpg, Bolívar Avenue in Maturín File:Atardecer desde el paseo aerobico.jpg, Sunset in Maturín

Sports

Sports facilities

Estadio Monumental de Maturín The Estadio Monumental de Maturín (Monumental Stadium of Maturin) is the largest stadium in Venezuela by seating capacity, with 52,000 spectators. It was one of the venues of the 2007 Copa America. It is also the home stadium of the Monagas Spo ...

* Complejo Polideportivo de Maturín (Sports Complex of Maturín).

Teams

Monagas Sport Club Monagas Sport Club is a Venezuelan professional football team competing at the top level, the Primera División Venezolana. It is based in Maturín. Their home stadium is the Estadio Monumental de Maturín. The club received the nickname of “'' ...

: local soccer team * Cangrejeros de Monagas: basketball team

Other Sports Disciplines

Paddle tennis is played at the Once Padel courts in Tipuro, Maturín. On June 28, 2024, the new club's facilities were inaugurated, located within the Kariña Hotel and Club Palma Real, prior to the Maturín Paddle Masters. Additionally, there is a children's baseball team called Criollitos Monagas. Local soccer leagues are organized by the Monagas State Football Association (AFEM). There are teams like Atlético Maturín and Academia Monagas SC, belonging to lower categories such as the Under-12 and Under-14 categories. Furthermore, there are sports schools like the Professor Antonio Mejía School dedicated to promoting the practice of this sport.

References

External links

Municipal website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maturin Cities in Monagas