Travel Guide Calderas

The region of Calderas (35 185 ha) is bounded to the north with the state of Trujillo, to the south with the Alramira region, to the east with Cruz Paredes and to the west with that of Mérida. Calderas's story lost in the ashes of burnt documents during the horrific fires of 1859 and 1893. Only oral transmission has allowed this history to be rebuilt. Due to the connection of Calderas with the village Niquitao, this lovely plateau was inhabited by Xexetes and not Barinas Indians as in Altamira. Conquered in 1620 by Captain Alonzo de Velazco, companion of Juan Andres Valera (founder of Barinas, present Altamira). Pacification lasts eight years. Since its foundation, Calderas has been a refuge for people looking for a new destination, war-affected and landless farmers from Tuñame, Las Mesitas, Escora, Pueblo Llano and Las Piedras. In 1730, Spanish missionaries planted coffee in Venezuela. It was in 1892 that the first seeds arrived at Perla de Piedemonte (Calderas area). In 1906, production reached 150 tonnes at the price of 20 bolivars 100 kg. The municipality of Bolívar has the privilege of producing the best coffee, but the sector has suffered a great deal from a policy against producers. Previous governments under the WTO cut opened the import market to the detriment of local producers who had to sell bread for a loaf of bread. Little by little the banana plantations and, above all, livestock farming have outpaced the production of coffee. These new activities then generated a dangerous environmental change by accelerating the geomorphological process. For seven years, Chávez's government has launched a coffee rehabilitation plan (a diamond plan). Today, the region also cultivates sugar cane, platanos (vegetable bananas), topochos (small bananas), lawyers, papayas, watermelons, lemons, mangoes, fruit of passion, grapefruit, onions and coriander… it starts to feel good!