The Guipuzcoana Company

This Basque Company began operations in 1730 in order to curb smuggling and enforce an exclusive trade between Spain and the province of Venezuela. Remained active for 50 years and promoted the economic and political development of the region.

Photo: Wikipedia

His performance strengthened the productive sectors of Venezuela, urging them to fight and defend their interests. In the early eighteenth century, there were some companies that were involved in the trade of Spanish colonies, as was the case of the Royal Society of Guinea, trading company of French origin who sold slaves, and the Company Seat English, it had to also handle supply of slaves.
These companies used to smuggle the seat, which greatly hurt the economic interests of the metropolitan government and the King of Spain. Consequently, the illegal trade increased alarmingly, and it was necessary to combat against it.

These circumstances gave way to the creation of the Royal Company Guipuzcoa. It was incorporated on September 25, 1728, under a royal charter that issued the King Felipe V, for there was a reciprocal and exclusive trade between Spain and the province of Venezuela. It operated from 1730 to 1785, and had great influence on the economic, social and political development of the colony. It worked on the basis of shares belonging to Basque capitalists, mainly in the province of Guipuzcoa in northern Spain.
Today works at the seat of the former company, administrative headquarters of Vargas State, although is also located the museum of the entity, that you can visit and learn more about the history of the city.

Photo: Nuestra Historia Colonial 

Getting to the Guipuzcoana Company:
If you are a passenger, you can go to the Metro station La Paz and from there use the Metrobus system to La Guaira, you can also use the bus system from the Capitolio Metro station and Gato Negro station.
If you go down in Vehicle to La Guaira, you must go through Caracas-La Guaira highway, and head to the port of La Guaira, it is right in front of this.
After visiting the Guipuzcoana House you could give you a relaxing swim in the beaches of the Central Coast.

Campo Carabobo, where Venezuela was born

 If we approach the Venezuelan independence history we find that the most important battle Venezuelan history was the Battle of Carabobo. Today the area where the battle took place is an important monument that revives the history of this important event:

 Campo Carabobo (Photo: Luis Benshimol ) 

 Campo Carabobo is located 30 minutes approx. from the Metropolis shopping center of Valencia, 10 minutes after the Tocuyito bridge, in the way to Tinaquillo , if you go by car is through the Valencia -Campo Carabobo , Highway after the San Blas freeway.

 If you are traveling by buses you can grab the bus that pass through the Campo Carabobo in the terminal Biglow of Valencia, the route you need to take is the folliwng: metropolis, freeway san blas, Campo Carabobo-Valencia highway, in the way to san carlos, pasing through Tocuyito continue to Campo Carabobo, by the highway. Campo Carabobo is open every day and you can enjoy the gardens and trees besides skating and jogging.

Recommended Days to visit: Friday, Saturday and Sunday, because these days the guards, ( two stationary soldiers ) secured the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in honor of all the soldiers who died that day and make changes on duty each 2 hours, and every change a kind of ceremony, it is very interesting to witness , this is recorded video.

 A bit of History: 

 The monumental complex of Campo Carabobo was declared a National Historic Landmark and Historic Heritage Site on July 3, 1961 . The site consists of several monuments built between 1921-1936 of which stands the Triumphal Arch of Carabobo.

Photo: Visual History of Venezuela 

 The Battle of Carabobo:
 By far the most important success in Venezuela after the signing is the battle of Carabobo. In 1819 the patriot army starts to make its way. They crossed the Andes, emulating the passage of Hannibal over the Alps. This fabulous adventure culminates in Gámeza and the Vargas swam, where the Venezuelan army defeats the Spanish.

 On December 17, 1819 Bolivar full field his dream of creating La gran Colombia. In February 1821 fighting resumed in Venezuelan territory with the battle of Carabobo. Bolívar orders all patriotic armies that focus on the central regions of the country. In June, Bolivar arrives to Tinaquillo camping in an army of 6,500 soldiers. Páez , Cedeno and Plaza are the main bosses. The Spanish 5,000 soldiers were led by General La Torre, but were low morale.

 Battle of Carabobo (Photo: Daily Dawn ) 

 On June 24, 1821 occurs in the Campo de Carabob , where a beautiful monument that commemorates the famous battle today. It Apure and the British battalions were immortalized, blew themselves Cedeño their live , Black Square and the First and the quintessential Ranger , Páez , were covered with glory . The battle was fierce and cruel, but the victory over the royalists finally sealed the independence of Venezuela.

Patria! And since it between nettles and glasses, has sought its aurora. Today I look at how low the people's anger about rumblings Reds unleashed flames to give this sacred field laurels! In the village I am: a man who has dreamed of ...! César Rengifo .

Warairarepano’s cross lights up the hope in the Venezuelans hearts

Warairarepano’s cross lights up the hope in the Venezuelans hearts: 

 The minutes go by, the city remains cold and gray for a moment, but those who live there are waiting, as always, the sunrise to light up the eternal city of red roofs. Fortunately, those that live in the city know that not only the sun rays will brighten the city during the days of Christmas, but also a representative icon of the city, as every year the Warairarepano ‘s cross will light the hearts of the Venezuelans.

 Maybe Ottomar Pfersdorff a engineer of the old Caracas Electricity, and the idealist behind the traditional cross never imagined that an act to demonstrate the efficiency of the electricity company would become a symbolic icon that join the Venezuelans families. The tradition began when the national electricity worker planned a symbol to account for the importance of the electrical industry for the country. Their experiment surprised many as it began by turning off the lights of the rooms at the Hotel Humboldt from floor 1 to 14, while the others remained on, so that the reproduction of the image was as big as a Christian cross 30 meters high.

 Over the years the experiment improved and resulted in a large structure that lights on every first of December. This time will be its 48th anniversary. Religiously from anywhere in the city of Caracas residents and visitors turn their eyes to the stunning Wararairarepano, which holds within it a great structure, a symbol of Christianity and emblem of the great Venezuelan people who believe in their country.

The mummies of doctor Knoche, the mausoleum of Waraira Repano

few weeks ago I heard the strangest story. The intriguing story of Dr. Knoche "the embalmer of the Avila" here it is in case you want to get to know new places in Caracas:

Doctor Knoche:

Dr. Gottfried Knoche was born in Germany the 17th of March 1813, in the German region Halberstadt (Prussian Empire), located in the actual German region Sajonia-Anhalt, where you can find the famous gothic church of Halberstadt.

He studied in the University of Friburgo in 1837, afterwards he worked at it’s Hospital. Knoche left Germany and went to Venezuela in 1840, there he started living in La Guaira, where he took care of the health of Germans that were already living there. In La Guaira he reestablished the "San Juan de Dios Hospital" between 1854 and 1856.

His life’s most important research was the invention of a method in which he was able to mummify corpses without taking their organs out, instead he injected a solution (made out of aluminum chloride) in the jugular vein of the corpse.

He basically used this method in body's that were not claimed in the morgue of the San Juan de Dios Hospital in La Guaira. He transported these corpses with horses to his ranch, outside of La Guaira. Inside his ranch he had a lab with dozens or corpses that he embalmed. This way Knoche was able to practice and improve his embalmer’s technique. He even was mummified dogs and put them in the entrance of his mausoleum.

He created a mausoleum in which he planned to put all the members of his family, after they had died and had been embalmed. There is not much information on the causes of death of the Knoche family members. His daughter Anna, her husband Heinrich and the doctor's brother Wilhelm, were some of the bodies the doctor embalmed and put up as exhibition in the familiar mausoleum.



Dr. Knoche died in his ranch, Buena Vista, in 1901 at the age of 88 years. After he died he was put on his corresponding spot in the familiar mausoleum. Amelia Weimann, last member of the family that lived in the ranch Buena Vista, said that the doctor left instructions on how to embalm him. He even left the needle ready.
Knoche's Legends:
Testimonies tell that it was very common that the corpses of the morgue in the San Juan de Dios Hospital that were not claimed were immediately taken to the Buena Vista ranch.

The most famous case is the one of a corpse that didn't want to be mummified. The body fell from the back of the donkey that was taking him to the farm, when the corpse fell from the donkey it loosed its head so it became impossible to embalmed. This body was never found.

Another story is that the doctor didn’t just mummify humans he also embalmed animals. With his “miraculous” formula he embalmed his pets and placed them like guardians of the mausoleum.


Another Knoche legend narrates that a person who was visiting the mausoleum after the doctor died drank what he thought was an alcoholic drink; instead he got petrified as a consequence of his imprudence. Later on, his body was confused with one of the doctors mummies and was put in an exhibition in the mausoleum.
The neighbors of Knoche are still afraid to pass through his ranch at night. They believe that the soules of the dead live in the house in the form on fireflies.

After the dead of the doctor Knoche Amelie lived there for 25 years surrounded by mummies. This was the born of the witch of the Avila.

The legend of the witch says that Amalie in her senile years sitting on the bench of the mausoleum was able to speak to birds. People who have gone to the mausoleum say that inside you can feel the presence of Amalie.
In our next post we will explain how to get to the mausoleum.