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Paez (Portuguesa, Venezuela)

Muncipio Páez, Acarigua

Last modified: 2021-08-26 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: portuguesa | paez | acarigua |
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by Guillermo Aveledo, 7 December 2000


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Overview

The municipality of Páez (177,175 inhabitants in 2011; 425 sq. km) is located in the north-east of the State of Portuguesa. The municipality is made of the Parishes of Acarigua (municipal seat, 143,704 inh.), Payara, Pimpinela and Ramón Peraza (capital, Mijagüito). The municipality is named for General Jose Antonio Páez (1790-1873), a hero of the War of Independence and subsequent President of Venezuela. Páez victoriously led six battles fought against the Royalist troops in the western plains of Venezuela, the most famous of them being the battle of Las Quaseres del Medio (2 April 1819). Appointed in June 1821 commander of the 1st Division of the Venezuelan Army, Páez significantly contributed to the decisive battle of Carabobo (24 June 1821); Bolívar immediately promoted him General in Chief of the Republican Army. In 1830, Páez led the breakaway of Venezuela from Gran Colombia and ruled the country from 1830 to 1847, in spite having been President only for two periods (1830-1835; 1839-1842). He organized in 1842 the repatriation of Bolívar's remains to his home town, Caracas. After years in exile, Páez returned to Venezuela in 1858, being Supreme Dictator for 1861 to 1863. He died in exile in New York.
San Miguel de Acarigua was established on 29 September 1620 by Diego Gómez de Salazar, commissioned by Governor Francisco de la Hoz Berrío; the new settlement was named for the Hacarygua tribe. The village was raided in 1625 by the Caribe ; in spite of the repression exerted by Baltasar Matías de Almao, the inhabitants did not feel safe and refused to re-settle Acarigua. In 1645, the parish priest, Diego de Herrera de Berganciano, relocated the village to the left bank of river Acarigua. The new location of the village was safe but threatened by floods; a subsequent parish priest, Fernando de Heredia, re-located the settlement to a more protected site.
Source: http://alcaldiapaez.gob.ve/ - Municipal website
Ivan Sache, 26 July 2015


The Flag

The flag of Páez is prescribed by Decree No. 22, adopted on 29 September 1998 by the Municipal Council. The flag is horizontally divided red-black with a white, representation of General Jose Antonio Páez in canton. This might have been modelled on the equestrian statue erected in Caracas (http://estatuasdecaracas.blogspot.fr/2011/02/general-jose-antonio-paez.html).
Red is a symbol of the blood shed during the wars of liberation. Black represents the forests and economical development.
Source: http://alcaldiapaez.gob.ve/index.php/alcaldia/simbolos-municipales - Municipal website
Ivan Sache, 26 July 2015


Coat of Arms


from <acariguanet.vezla.com>,located by Dov Gutterman, 4 December 2000