The Naguanagua () municipality is one of the 14
municipalities
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
(
municipio
A ' () or ' () is an administrative division in several Hispanophone and Lusophone nations, respectively. It is often translated as "municipality." It comes from ''mūnicipium'' (), meaning a township.
In English, a municipality often is define ...
s) that makes up 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 ...
n state of
Carabobo
Carabobo State (, ) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela, located in the north of the country, about two hours by car from Caracas. The state capital city is Valencia, which is also the country's main industrial center. The state's area is and ...
and, according to the 2011 census by the National Institute of Statistics of Venezuela, the municipality has a population of 157,437. The town of Naguanagua is the
shire town
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equivalent term, shire town, is used in ...
of the Naguanagua Municipality.
It forms part of the greater
Valencia, Carabobo, Valencia Metropolitan Area in
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 ...
. It is in the valley of the
Cabriales River
History
In 1547 the river that flowed northwest into Lake Tacarigua (today, Lake Valencia) was first seen by the expeditionary Juan de Villegas and the other men he commanded when they took possession of these lands.
Since ancient times, th ...
at the base of Cerro El Café and the El Trigal Mountain. Valencia and Naguanagua form a continuous urban area. The highway that runs from the centre of Valencia towards
Puerto Cabello
Puerto Cabello () is a city on the north coast of Venezuela. It is located in Carabobo State, about 210 km west of Caracas. As of 2011, the city had a population of around 182,400. The city is home to the largest and busiest port in the count ...
passes through this community; Bolivar Avenue in Valencia becomes University Avenue in Naguanagua on the northern side of a traffic roundabout, or ''redoma''.
Demographics
The Naguanagua County, according to a 2007 population estimate by the National Institute of Statistics of Venezuela, has a population of 143,315 (up from 134,728 in 2000). This amounts to 6.4% of the state's population. The municipality's population density is .
Government
The mayor of the Naguanagua County is Alejandro Feo la Cruz, elected on November 23, 2008, with 45% of the vote. He replaced Julio Castillo shortly after the elections. The municipality is divided into one
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...
(Naguanagua).
From 2000 to 2008 Julio Rafael Castillo Sagarzazu served as the mayor of the city.
History
Prior to the arrival of the Spanish in 1547, the area was inhabited by the
Arawak
The Arawak are a group of Indigenous peoples of northern South America and of the Caribbean. The term "Arawak" has been applied at various times to different Indigenous groups, from the Lokono of South America to the Taíno (Island Arawaks), w ...
people. The name ''Naguanagua'' is a derivation of the name of the chief who ruled the settlement and the surrounding region, Nagoanagoa. In 1553, the encomienda grant for the area was awarded to Pedro Álvarez, the Mayor of
Borburata
Borburata is a small coastal town in Carabobo state, Venezuela, located a few kilometers from the Caribbean Sea. It was long a destination of indigenous peoples, who would gather salt at the sea. It was colonized by the Spanish in the 16th centu ...
. Naguanagua was granted its own parish on 14 May 1782 by the
Bishop of Caracas
The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Caracas is an ecclesiastical territory of the Roman Catholic Church in Venezuela. It was founded as the Diocese of Caracas on June 20, 1637, and was later elevated to the rank of a metropolitan see ...
Don Mariano Martí.
Tourism and places of interest

Downtown Naguanagua features the Parochial Church of Naguanagua, the Parochial House and Bolívar Square. Near the Carabobo Hospital is the Spaniards Road (''Camino de Los Españoles''), Colonial Way at the San Esteban National Park (Parque Nacional San Esteban), where one can to go down to San Esteban town near to
Puerto Cabello
Puerto Cabello () is a city on the north coast of Venezuela. It is located in Carabobo State, about 210 km west of Caracas. As of 2011, the city had a population of around 182,400. The city is home to the largest and busiest port in the count ...
. Also, you can visit La Entrada, a village near Naguanagua where there is the
Atanasio Girardot Monument.
Between the Sport Square are the "Don Bosco Field" (Campo Don Bosco) in the downtown, the "Simón Bolívar Bicentennial Sport Complex" in La Granja, the "Patinodrome of Capremco" and the "University City Sport Complex" in the Campus Bárbula. Naguanagua has the largest shopping centres Carabobo State including Sambil Centre in Ciudad Jardín Mañongo, La Granja Shopping Centre, Cristal Naguanagua Centre in Las Quintas III Stage and Vía Veneto Shopping Center in Ciudad Jardín Mañongo.
Other places include the offices of ''
El Carabobeño
''El Carabobeño'' has been one of the most popular newspapers in the Central Region of Venezuela.
The offices of the newspaper are located in Naguanagua, north of the city of Valencia in the state of Carabobo.
Its main competitor in the area is ...
'' newspaper on University Avenue, Los Guayabitos Park, the
Botanical Garden of Naguanagua (Salvador Feo La Cruz Avenue), Paseo La Granja Park (Venezuela Avenue), Liberty Park or the Peace Park (Liberty Corner, 10th Street Avenue of Las Quintas, La Granja), Park of Attractions "Dunas" near the first World Trade Centre of Venezuela, "Hesperia Río Convention Center" (Mañongo Road, Mañongo), and the Park of Attractions "Ditto Park" (Tazajal).
Universities
Naguanagua is the home of the main student campus of the University of Carabobo (''Spanish:Universidad de Carabobo'' (UC)). The administrative offices are in Valencia proper. The campus is quite large and operates as a separate community with its own security, transportation, and legislative body. Also, there are other universities such as University College of Administration and Trade (Colegio Universitario de Administración y Mercadeo CUAM) near Bárbula Bridge, the National "Open" University (Universidad Nacional Abierta UNA) in El Retobo, the National Polytechnic Research University of the Armed Forces (Universidad Nacional Experimental Politécnica de las Fuerzas Armadas
UNEFA
The National Experimental University of the Armed Forces (Spanish: ''Universidad Nacional Experimental Politécnica de la Fuerza Armada Bolivariana'', UNEFA) is a Venezuelan public university associated with the Venezuelan armed forces. Founded in ...
) in Las Quintas I stage, and the Bicentennial University of Aragua (Universidad Bicentenaria de Aragua UBA) in La Campiña.
Transport
Roads
Road transportation inside the city is provided by the Centre Regional Highway (Autopista Regional del Centro (ARC) and major arterials such as University Avenue, Salvador Feo La Cruz (North - South) Avenue(old Cemetery Avenue), Valencia Avenue, Naguanagua's Bolívar Avenue, Salvador Feo La Cruz (Easth-West) Avenue, 190 Avenue, Salvador Allende Avenue (University City Campus Bárbula Universidad de Carabobo).
Rail
The
Puerto Cabello and Valencia Railway
The Puerto Cabello and Valencia railway is a defunct railway in Venezuela. The railway was constructed in the 1880s to link Valencia, then the country's second city, with the Caribbean port of Puerto Cabello. It closed in the 1950s.
Planning the ...
closed in the 1950s. A new railway is being constructed from Puerto Cabello to
La Encrucijada. One of the stations will be in Naguanagua municipality, and it is planned that there will be an
interchange
Interchange may refer to:
Transport
* Interchange (road), a collection of ramps, exits, and entrances between two or more highways
* Interchange (freight rail), the transfer of freight cars between railroad companies
* Interchange station, a rai ...
connecting the national rail system with the
Valencia Metro.
In 2016 work on the Puerto Cabello railway was described as "irregular and marked by slow payments by the client as a result of the
country’s poor economic conditions, mainly related to the drop in the price of oil."
Neighborhoods
190
Agua Linda
Arturo Ramírez
Av. 181 Valencia
Barrio Unión
Barrio Oeste
Bella Vista
Brisas de Carabobo
Brisas del Café
Campus Bárbula - Ciudad Universitaria -
Caprenco
Carialinda
Chaguaramal
Ciudad Jardín Mañongo
Centro Histórico de Naguanagua
Colinas de Girardot I
Colinas de Girardot II
Colón
Democracia
El Cafetal
El Naranjal I
El Naranjal II
El Pinar
El Piñal
El Retobo
El Rincón
Guayabal
Guaparo ''Naguanagüense''
Güere
Gonzalez Plaza
La Begoña
La Campiña I
La Campiña II
La Campiña III
La Cidra
La Florida
La Granja I
La Granja II
La Llovizna
La Luz
La Querencia
La Sabana
La Coromoto
Las Palmeras
Las Quintas I
Las Quintas II
Las Quintas III (Quintas del Norte)
Lorenzo Fernández
Los Candiles
Los Caracaros
Los Guayabitos
Malagón
Mañongo
Monte Sión
Negra Matea
Nueva Esparta
Palma Real
Parque Naguanagua
Puente Bárbula
Rotafé
Santa Ana
Santa Eduviges (Vivienda Rural Bárbula)
Santa Marta
Tarapio
Tazajal
Terrazas de Naguanagua
Terrazas de Paramacay
Valle Verde
References
External links
naguanagua-carabobo.gob.veMunicipal Government of Naguanagua siteNaguanagua Forest
{{DEFAULTSORT:Naguanagua Municipality
Municipalities of Carabobo
Populated places established in 1782
1782 establishments in the Spanish Empire