Altagracia de Orituco, Guarico State, Venezuela

🇻🇪 Altagracia de Orituco, founded as Nuestra Señora de Altagracia de Orituco is a city in Venezuela, located in the north-east of the State of Guárico, capital of the Municipality of José Tadeo Monagas and former capital of the state.

History On March 1, 1676, the land used to constitute an indigenous people of doctrine, later called Our Lady of Altagracia, was granted, publicly and officially.

It is appropriate to reiterate that the City of "Nuestra Señora de Altagracia de Orituco" began in fact on March 1, 1694 when the allocation of the land to relocate a group of the "Guaiqueries nation" was consummated", which had belonged to the entrustment of Captain Joseph Salvador de Medina until 1687, when this social and economic regime ceased and the indigenous people were delayed from personal service. That concession of territory was made, publicly and officially, in the "Valley of San Miguel de Orituco" by mandate of the Governor of Venezuela, field master Don Francisco de Berroterán, who authorized the chapter of San Sebastián de los Reyes to carry out this official activity, which was executed by Captain Nicolás García Mujica, Alférez Real and ordinary mayor; whom the sources also identify as Nicolás Garmendia Mujica. This town was later constituted as a City of doctrine, with the acquiescence of the Bishop of Venezuela Don Diego de Baños y Sotomayor.

Altagracia de Orituco arose as a result of the abolition of the personal service encomiendas regime. This is the determining historical fact in the origin of this new indigenous population; it is not the protocol event of the opening of an ecclesiastical record book, because this was a routine act, understood as an obligation that the priest had with respect to the Church and the parishioners who had to be attended by him.

It is pertinent to note that Father Juan de Barnuevo, then chaplain of the San Miguel del Rosario Valley, mentioned the population of Altagracia in the first half of 1697: "From the part where the sun rises, the river of Orituco; and from the part of the west, a trench that is between the mountain; and from the northern part, the royal road that passes to the population of said Indians, named the passage of Juan de Laya; and from the southern part, a hawthorn that is a hundred varas above the Treasury of the heirs of Doña María Ana de Mendoza; cutting said border from east to west…"

Toponymy The capital of the Autonomous Municipality José Tadeo Monagas of the Guárico State is called Altagracia de Orituco. The first part of this name corresponds to that of the Virgin of Altagracia and the second to that of the river on which the city has been located since its origins.

The formation of the place name Altagracia de Orituco is the result of a process initiated in the last decades of the seventeenth century, when the dominant Catholicism influenced to name Our Lady of Altagracia to the community of Guaiqueríe Indians.

With the expression Our Lady of Altagracia or only with the word Altagracia they commonly called the city during the eighteenth century; although in the last decades of this and in the first decade of the nineteenth century they would have begun to add that of Orituco; which ended with the decrease in the use of Our Lady in the governmental and popular vocabulary of republican times, perhaps as a result of the separation that occurred between the church and the state.

It is worth remembering that Orituco is a Hispanicized word, from the quichuaUritucu, formed by Uritu voice used by the Inca aborigines to commonly name the parrot akaas, parrots, parakeets among others and by the particle Cu, Co in the sense of adjective augmentative of the same language.

Seen like this, Uritu-cu means parrot, many parrots. The word was finally transformed from Uritu-cu to Orituco. When it was converted into a place name, it would have indicated a place with an abundance of those animals.

It remains to be explained when and how the term Orituco was introduced in the Jurisdiction of today's Municipality of José Tadeo Monagas State Guárico.

It is known that the river and the territory of the Orituco of the Municipality in reference were already identified in July 1634 with the word Orituco written like this, according to documents related to the ecclesiastical visit made by Licenciado Domingo de Ibarra

However, in the mid-seventeenth century the word Uritucu was used to name the three remaining rivers were Conoropa and Corocoro. In addition, Alejandro de Humboldt used the words Orituco and Uritucu in 1800 to identify the same river, when it was in the territory of today's Guárico State.

Legend of the name of Altagracia de Orituco There is a legend that attributes the origin of the name Altagracia de Orituco to a dispute between the Cacique Chapaiguana (whose name baptizes a street in the town) and Diego de Aragort. According to this story, Chapaiguana presented himself to the Council of the Indies demanding that he be returned some lands of his property that had been usurped by Aragort. It is said that the chief of the deceased won the case and that the king of Spain, moved by the loyalty of Chapaiguana, granted him the High Grace of not paying real taxes. From that moment on, their lands were called Altagracia de Orituco.

Health The town has a wide range of care centres, both public and private, that provide various services, both to Gracitanos and foreign citizens. • José Francisco Torrealba Hospital: Libertad Street, with Sixto Sosa Street and Hurtado Ascanio Avenue. • IPASME: Av. Chapaiguana, between Calle Sixto sosa and Carabobo. • Orituco Medical Center: breezes of the diamond. • C.D.I Urbanization el diamante, Avenida 1 • Camoruco Assistance Module. • Del Llano Polyclinic: Avenida Bolívar No. 11, with Adolfo Chataing Street. Phones 0238 3343211 to 13 • C.D.I Ipare de Orituco. • Ambulary of the Breezes. • Peña de Mota's Assistance Module. • Botalon Outpatient Clinic.

Note: A dialysis room and a parachot room are currently being managed to annex the Altagracia Hospital; and the construction of a new University Hospital for Altagracia is also being managed.

Basic Services The town has a good service infrastructure at all levels, most with deficiencies such as: aqueducts, telephony (CANTV), electricity (Corpoelec), signal for cell phones (Movilnet, Movistar and Digitel), DirecTV Concessionaires, Public Registry, Civil Registry, Public Notary, and others that include a cadastre department of the mayor's office and a public services office that include Urban Toilet.

Geography: Relief Most of it is surrounded by valleys. To the north, it has low mountains and hills of the Cordillera de la Costa.

Geography: Hydrography The main rivers are the Orituco, the Memo and the Macaira. The main water supply of the José Tadeo Monagas Municipality is the so-called "Guanapito Reservoir".

Geography: Vegetation Grass vegetation, combined with shrubs and trees, covers most of the area. There are two variants of jungle: jungles at the base of the mountain range and on the river banks, and gallery jungles, with rich woods such as mahogany. The irrational exploitation of these spaces quickly extinguishes many species.

There are also other species such as moriche, samán, cují negro and chaparro.

Fauna There is a wide variety of species, such as the corocoro, the peacock, the paují, the pink pavita and the chirindera. In the pipes and morichales, species abound such as the catfish and the coporo, the water dog, the deer, the cunaguaro and the tigrito, also known as the jaguar.

Mineral resources • Silice sands • Coal • Cement • Gas • Oil • Plaster • Zinc.

Local economy In recent years it has been transformed from an urban centre of a traditional economy, to a town of varied activities, aimed at meeting the requirements of goods and services necessary for the consumption of the region of which it is its center. The areas of: San Rafael de Orituco, San Francisco Javier de Lezama, Libertad de Orituco and Paso Real de Macaira among others depend on it.

The banks based in the town are: Banesco, Banco de Venezuela and Bicentenario (2 branches).

Altagracia had a branch of BBVA Provincial, however, it closed in 2021 after 34 years of service. It is important to note that this bank starred in a hostage-taking event in 2008.

Economy: Tourist Industry It constitutes an area with a unique content of attractions and resources of its own use by a special tourism. The greatest advantages for tourism development are offered by the type and amount of natural resources present.

Festivals, Fairs, and regional activities, provide an intermittent but effective source of income to artisans and other peripheries of this trade.

The problem of the effective development of this area lies in the lack of tourist services close to resources and the few access facilities. The structures of Altagracia de Orituco are not very modern and respond to agricultural needs. The buildings are predominantly horizontal.

Guatopo National Park It was created on March 31, 1958. It includes the mountainous region of the inland mountain range, between Santa Teresa del Tuy and Altagracia de Orituco. It has an area of 122,464 ha. The vegetation is of humid tropical forest and semi-humid formations. The fauna is wild and very rich in mammals.

It has four important recreational facilities: Agua Blanca, Santa Crucecita, Quebrada de Guatopo and Hacienda La Elvira. Excursions and long walks can be made in them. It is located between the municipalities of Independencia, Lander and Acevedo of the state of Miranda and the municipality of Monagas of the state of Guárico.

Guanapito Reservoir Main water supply and treatment source for the Orituco, especially for the valleys, and that is revealed in the area where the population of Guanape once existed.

The dam is built with cement, stone and sand; its gates are constantly monitored by a checkpoint; which in the event that it does not work is manually backed up.

Morros de Macaira Natural Monument The Morros de Macaira Natural Monument is a natural monument located in the San Francisco de Macaira parish, in the José Tadeo Monagas municipality. It was created in 1978. It covers an area of 99 hectares. Throughout the region, it is common to find limestone rock massifs, furrowed caves, small waterways and deep vertical peaks.

The western edge of the monument is determined by the road that connects Altagracia de Orituco with San Francisco de Macaira.

Its greatest attraction is the calcareous formation of great paleontological and environmental value. It is made up of three massifs, which house numerous caves crossed by river torrents. The vegetation is mainly composed of semi-deciduous forests and semi-deciduous scrubs in the mountain forest region of the mountain range of the coast of Venezuela.

Cruz de Peña de Mota The Monument to the Concord, better known popularly as "La Cruz de Peña de Mota", is a monument formed by a masonry rock located on the hill to the north of the town, known as the "Cerro de Peña de Mota". It was inaugurated on April 19, 1910, in commemoration of the centenary of the cry of independence of April 19, and has remained as the traditional hallmark of the city.

Laguna de Pedregal Located at the end of the El Diamante Urbanization, it occupies an approximate perimeter of 400 m and a maximum filling depth of 15 meters. Its surroundings are lined with herbaceous vegetation and large trees.

Tinapuy Falls There are four waterfalls located in Altagracia de Orituco on the road via Guatopo. The first has a large smooth rock where the folded water goes down to another rock through which visitors go up and down. The second has a rock in the form of a sloping wall with a waterfall in the middle. The third is a very flat rock similar to the first - to get to it you have to walk upstream. The fourth rock is the largest of all, if you want to see it you have to take the green roads because it is a huge rock formation.

Infrastructure and transport The public transport system in the town is usually deficient in terms of quality of service. In November 2007, more than 60 units were inaugurated for the transport of the town. The municipality has a good infrastructure of services at all levels, such as: aqueducts, electricity, gas network, telephone, mail, telegraph, basic, secondary and university education, urban toilet, health system, transport, especially with regard to the urban area of Altagracia de Orituco, capital of the municipality.

Access Roads Altagracia de Orituco is a central pole, it is the eastern town of the Guarico state, therefore it has an axis with the North, South, East and West, it has four entrances, the one from the North through the Vía de Guatopo, the one from the South through that of San Francisco Javier de Lezama, the one from the West through the one from San Rafael de Orituco and the one from the east through the Paso Real de Macaira to go to Barcelona. It is one of the most important axes of the Guárico State.

Avenida Ilustres Próceres

Located between Hurtado Ascanio Avenue and the Saladillo sector, it is the main access road in an area that is characterized by being the highest concentration of establishments for commerce and services. It stands out for being the only one with a sector illuminated by posts, located on its central island, in addition to having four channels for vehicles after the Rómulo Gallegos Boulevard better known as El Chala, en route to Paso Real, but in the part that includes the central centre of the town, and now it is a highway with large buildings from which the construction of a high of great magnitude that will reach the shawl are reintegrated.

Apamate or De Altagracia Airport of Orituco Address: National road, via the east (twenty minutes from Altagracia de Orituco).

Civil construction consisting of a take-off and landing runway 1000 m long. It was built in 1970, approximately. At the entrance it has the office building, a construction of blocks, columns and romanilla windows surrounded by a wide corridor. Attached is a tank to store water and a booth for surveillance. For a long time the facilities were deteriorated, but in recent years the Government of the State of Guárico has given itself the task of restoring the place.

Plaza Bolívar de Altagracia de Orituco Address: Rondón Street with Avenida Chapaiguana and José Martí, in front of the Mayor's Office of the Municipality of Monagas.

Public space with an area of approximately 10,000 m², made up of green areas with low-sized trees that surround a central area, cemented and delimited by stone walls, in which the statue of the Liberator Simón Bolívar is located. This square also has wide corridors or terracotta floor walkies and concrete benches in the surroundings. Because it is located on a slope, it has long stairs that lead to the central courtyard. There are inaugurations of educational, sports and commemorative activities that bring together the community.

History of the Plaza Bolívar In the final decades of the nineteenth century, the neighbors of Altagracia were very concerned about the dilapidated state of the church, and the panorama of desolation presented by Plaza Bolívar. At the end of the 21st century, when I attended several meetings where the neighbors requested the arrangement of both spaces. In those years, the remembered priest of the town Alberto González was a parish priest, who convinced the inhabitants that the most urgent thing was to repair the church, since a part of the roof could collapse and cause a tragedy. Faced with the priest's dramatic argument, the inhabitants agreed to fix the cathedral first and then take care of the square. The local authorities were able to immediately assume that commitment, because for several years there had been an economic boom in Altagracia, as a result of the large production of coffee that the haciendas of Guatopo and Macaira had. And that's how, quickly, the works began and the church was practically like new, being reopened in 1888.

The urgency of building the square was reactivated in the early years of the twentieth century. The neighbors complained about the shameful state of the land with the bust of the Liberator Simón Bolívar. In connection with this, the first bust of the Liberator was donated by General Gracitano Manuel Sarmiento, who at that time was President of the State of Guárico. This bust was brought to the village in a cart pulled by oxen. Then, for 1924, it was replaced by another, made of marble, which was inaugurated on July 5 of that same year, on the occasion of the commemoration of Independence Day; being Civil Chief of the Monagas District, General Julio J. Faría.

After many meetings, the neighbors finally managed to appoint a Development Board that was made up of the engineer Rodulfo Pérez Vargas and the Messrs. Fernando G. Acosta and Horacio Ruiz. Subsequently, the local government issued a resolution, in January 1907, authorizing the engineer Pérez Vargas to carry out his design, plans and begin the construction works. In fact, that same year they began and the next the masonry part was completed, missing only the railings, hired to a blacksmith in Caracas that took several years to deliver them. Finally, after a long wait, January 1, 1912 was inaugurated.

In 1966, during the government of Raúl Leoni, leader of the Democratic Action (AD) party, the municipal authorities demolished the square and built a "modern" one, typical of a "progressive" people, with a lot of cabilla and concrete, totally changing its original structure. The marble bust of the Liberator was replaced by an imposing bronze statue, by the Municipal Council of the Monagas District, whose president was then the Gracitano high school graduate Alí de la Cueva.45

Parish Temple of Our Lady of Altagracia Address: Chapaiguana Avenue and José Martí Street, in front of Plaza Bolívar.

Also called Cathedral, it is the main Church of the town and headquarters of the Parish of Our Lady of Altagracia, it has a tower with its bell tower, inside are among others, the image of Our Lady of Altagracia, patron saint of the town, its festivity (of religious character) is celebrated in January, and that of St. Michael the Archangel Copatron of the town whose feast is officially celebrated through the civic parade, choice of the queen of the Fairs, bulls, dawn llanero among other acts. During Holy Week, the arrival of tourists is appreciated with their participation in religious activities whose fervor is reflected in the Holy Wednesday Procession of the Image of the Nazarene.

His current parish priest is Father Cruz Rafael Mujica.6

Parish Temple of Our Lady of Sorrows ADDRESS: Vereda 5, diagonal to Bolivar Square. Urbanization Dr. José Francisco Torrealba (Camoruco)

It is the headquarters of the Parish of Our Lady of Sorrows, which includes the different communities in the eastern area of Altagracia de Orituco.

When the José Francisco Torrealba community, known as Camoruco, was founded, there were inhabitants who had experiences of faith. At that time, there was only one parish in the town, in this case, Our Lady of Altagracia, so people who wanted to attend a Eucharist or other festival and religious activity, had to congregate in that temple.

When the community of Camoruco had approximately 300 families, in November 1966, the vicar of the Parish Ntra. Mrs. de Altagracia, Father José Madrazo, together with the community, managed before the Ministry of Justice in the Office of Worship, the construction of a chapel that would later be called Ntra. Mrs. de Los Dolores, and would become dependent on the parish of Our Lady of Altagracia.

In 1967, the San José Obrero Parish was founded, its first parish priest being Father Armando Rivas. The chapel Ntra Sra de Los Dolores becomes dependent on this new parish.

In the mid-1970s, the construction of the chapel was completed and began to become the main religious epicenter of the community.

On September 15, 1970, the first patronal feast of Ntra was held. Mrs. de Los Dolores in the community of Camoruco, with the celebration of a Eucharist officiated by Father Rivas, parish priest of San José Obrero.

Already on September 15, 2006, the chapel Nuestra Señora de Los Dolores becomes a Parish after being canonically erected by the 2nd Bishop of the Diocese of Valle de la Pascua Mgr. Ramón José Aponte, and Father Pedro Pablo Aguilar takes possession of it, becoming the first parish priest.

On August 1, 2010, Father Pedro Pablo Aguilar handed over his position as parish priest of the Nuestra Señora de Los Dolores Parish to Father Santiago León Fernández, who is the current priest of the parish.

Among one of the most outstanding visits that this parish has received, is that of the then Apostolic Nuncio in VenezuelaMons. Pietro Parolin, current Secretary of State of Vatican City, on March 20, 2011, who held a Eucharist and entrusted Our Lady of Sorrows for the people who suffer and suffer.

His current parish priest is Father Santiago León Fernández.7

Headquarters of the Mayor's Office of the Municipality José Tadeo Monagas Address: End street illustrious heroes, sector la Playera

Republican construction. It was the home of an illustrious character and is currently the headquarters of the Mayor's Office, the Municipal Police and the Union of the José Tadeo Mongas Municipality. It is located in front of the square and surrounded by houses, two squares, trees and benches. Located on a high made of bleed, wood and earth. The floor is made of cement and ceramic. It is the first and, so far, the only house of the Municipal Legislation.

Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes ADDRESS: Chapaiguana Avenue with Carabobo Street, La Cumaná sector It was built in 1904 and in 1907 it collapsed and was remodeled by the family of María Teresa Herrera de León. According to tradition, the sick were taken to this place to pray the rosary. The grotto is a single-body structure in front of which there are five steps, three large and two small; a half-wall with bars and a double-leaf metal gate. On its right and left side there is a half wall with bars. On the latter rests a metal structure that serves as a support for a gable sheet metal roof where a metal cross is erected. Inside the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, the floor is terracotta. It has four wooden benches, a natural stone wall in the background (the grotto itself) and a smaller grotto where the image of the Virgin is housed.

Plazoleta Manuel Ríos ADDRESS: Avenida Ilustres Próceres with Calle Pellón y Palacios, in front of the Solar de La Playera

Public space that serves as a meeting point for the community, especially for students from the multiple schools in the area. It has an approximate area of 500 square meters, made up of low-sized green areas with large roads and trees. It has a fenced area where an honorary pillar is located. It is necessary to recover the wall of the southern area and provide lighting. The institution responsible for this property is under the legal obligation to take the necessary measures to preserve and safeguard it, notifying the Institute of Cultural Heritage about these actions.

Saladillo Shopping Area Rómulo Gallegos Boulevard or Saladillo Commercial Zone, popularly known as El Chala, is a popular meeting and recreation space. Inaugurated in June 1992, this tourist boulevard is made up of thirty commercial premises, a bus stop, police station, recreational square, toilets, telephone boxes and green areas. It is a popular place in the sector thanks to the commerce and the passenger terminal.

Dr. José Francisco Torrealba Hospital Construction of three bodies. The first of them has twenty-eight overlapping windows, two doors - one made of metal and one made of glass that make up the main entrance of the enclosure. The second, has twenty-four windows; and, the third, shows a smooth wall with protruding edges where the beams rest. It offers within its facilities not only health services, but also a social pharmacy, a cafe and a parking lot.8

Transport: Public The city has various types of transport, consisting of taxis, motorcycle taxis, cars per post, the so-called "trucks", buses, and trucks and pick up´s that charge an amount higher than the minimum ticket per user, from 2017 due to the transport crisis derived from the national shortage of spare parts, piracy has multiplied, with which a total deficit in urban transport is still manifested, added to the growth of the population, it constitutes a total chaos to the "peak" hours in which lately, people resort to walk long distances, or use bicycles even with the danger of being robbed. For more than 5 years, the mayor's office has not been dedicated to asphalting the transport roads, demarcating pedestrian crossings, establishing traffic signs, stops, nor is the expansion of routes observed, but on the contrary, transport units have been reduced by almost 80% in the last 2 years.

Media: Television In the city, the channels: Venevisión, Televen, Tves and Venezolana de Televisión are received in an open television signal by a repeater antenna currently out of service.

It has local television stations such as Orivisión TV, the Televisora del Orituco (TVO), the official channel of the mayor's office. Likewise, Clip TV had an extinct television station that went off the air due to theft of its equipment.

It also has the Altagracia Satellite or Cable Image Corporation, a local cable system that shows channels in the area, national and international.

Media: Print These are the local newspapers: • Newspaper "La Voz de Orituco" • Newspaper "El Visor" edited by the Mayor's Office of the Municipality of Monagas. • The Weekly "The Wall of All"

Regional newspapers also circulate, such as: • The Antenna • News to the Day • The Nationalist • La Prensa del Llano • Daily Day • SoloGuarico

Digital Media • The Voice of Orituco9 • Find Out Altagracia • News from Orituco • Altagracia Plus • Altagracia website (WEBDEALTA)10

Radios • Guaraña 97.5 FM • Activate 104.9 FM • The New Wave 95.9 FM • Fullness 102. 1 FM • Reborn 101.1

The city has two local radio stations that currently broadcast only three of them, all of them with Frequency Modulated (FM).

Telephony There are also cable television providers and broadband Internet connections, CANTV public telephones in various streets of communities in the town of Gracitana. Fixed telephony systems are operated by the country's two largest telephone exchanges, Telefónica and CANTV, while cellular mobile telephony is operated by the country's main ones Movistar, Mobilitynet and Digitel.

Gastronomy It has a great gastronomic variety, typical dishes such as venom, stick meat, hand cheese, boiled beef and chicken, paloapique, sweets such as milky, jelly, preserves, catalinas, mango juice, carato, pelón bun, coconut preserves, cachapa, green bun, papelón with lemon, cane juice, pavilion, etc.

Black parties Musical ensembles that improvise verses and interpret the marisela and the guaraña on holy dates such as San Juan Bautista, San Pedro, San Pablo, Virgen del Carmen, Santa Rosa, San Ramón and las Marías. Each group usually consist of six men who share the lines of tenor, tenor and singer, wear cardboard hats with bows, extensions of shiny paper and glass inlays; and finally, they execute the drums, maracas and cuatros. One of the members of each set dressed as La falsa - a man who simulates a female voice - who wears a flower dress, a wide-brimmed hat with a wig, espadrilles and makeup. Among the best known black party in the State of Guárico, are: black party of the Reyes brothers, Los Auténticos black party, Gómez party of the Bank of Guanape, Landaeta brothers black party, Romero black party, Black party of Sabana Grande, Los Utreras black party and Black Party.

Dance of the kimbángan blacks Rite brought to Venezuela by slaves from Africa during the colonial period of the seventeenth century who began to worship San Juan as patron saint. The celebration lies in a wake and a mass for the saint, accompanied by the sounds of the drum, guitar, four and maracas that allow the dance couples - guided by a pair of old dresses in a wide cardboard hat, lined with tissue paper and ribbons, carrying a wooden club with which they direct the dance - to simulate a confrontation, change cadence when hooking their arms, and perform a waltz around a star drum. Each song hides greetings and protests that reveal the longing for freedom. The ritual ends with a dance to the sound of sticks and leathers pretending a battle that ends with three drum beats and with the singing Oh, yo yo.

Burning of Judas in Altagracia de Orituco It is a very old tradition that takes place on Easter Sunday. From early on, funds are collected in various alcabalas located in each sector for the clothing of the doll that consists of a quirky suit with a tie, handkerchief, stockings, shoes or boots. Once the Judas is done, he walks on a donkey, cart, bicycle or cart, depending on the area. In the afternoon before the burning, traditional games are made and a will is drawn up in which local characters are named. Finally, fireworks are placed that the celebrants will make explode once the burning begins.

Celebration of San Juan in the Municipality of José Tadeo Monagas The seven parishes This tradition was born during the colony in the town of San Francisco Javier de Lezama. The Africans enslaved in the Tocoragua hacienda were forced to worship San Juan. Since then, on their day off work, Afro-descendants paid tribute to the saint. His songs reflect the rejection of the imposed cult: "I take out your eyes", "you are not my God", "it's my day off and I must sing to you". Afro-Venezuelans took the saint from the hacienda to the church to start the mass to which they were not allowed to enter because of their social status. At the end of this, they celebrate the procession to the sound of the drum. Then, they place the saint at the front door of the church and the Afro descendants dance while they play the round drum. The saint is kept under the ringing of three drum beats. Finally, Afro-Venezuelans go to the prefecture to ask for the start of the party. This begins with the jinca, a dance that represents the struggle for freedom. The celebration consists of the singing of improvised verses (lucero), the waltz dance as a couple and the toq.

Velorio de Cruz Religious and social festival held during the month of May, where the most famous reciters in the country sing fulías accompanied by music of four, guitar, maracas, harp and drum.

The Burriquita The main character of this dance wears a costume that allows him to represent a donkey and a rider at the same time. He dances to the beat of a joropo, does pirouettes, brags and performs all the things of the donkey and her rider.

Joropo's Dance The joropo is sung and danced throughout Venezuela. It is not only a danceable expression, but also a party where corridos, galerones, blows, passages and other folkloric tones are sung and danced. It takes place at any time of the year and the reason can be a baptism, birthday or the celebration of a patronal feast. The music of the joropo is played with typical instruments such as cuatro, macas and harp, which accompany songs and choruses.

The shoeing and brushing Which are steps of the joropo, they are mixed in the state with typical turns of the region such as the swirl, the fourth and the toriao.

The Coleo It is a popular manifestation that has currently been elevated to a sports discipline, so it is developed under a set of rules. It starts from the colony, with the work of the man in the herd in the fight to catch and tame the cattle that was lost in the extensive savannas. When the llanero could not link a bull, he had to go to the tail, go ahead and give him a fall that would weaken him to cover him. This activity is becoming fun for the laborers and then it is proliferating by the peoples who assume it within the program of their activities. The coleo is spread to the plain, the music and its themes the hat, the horse and the cattle are authentic expressions of the plain that strengthens our cultural heritage. The coleo also inspires the copleros and sings and improvises coplas to the coleadores.

Children's Folk Festival Espigas del Orituco Of great cultural value, especially for the student population, this festival has been held annually for twenty-five years. With it, the general public maintains the love and interest in the local, inviting the continuous investigative and dissemination process of the activities it sponsors. All those schools that are attached to School District 5 for the lines participate during the five days of the week: male and female solo voice, declamation, oral narration, joropo, folk dances, poster, crafts, counterpointing, performance of musical instrument, folkloric research and folk theater. Each of these categories requires from the protagonists the appropriate use of the clothing with respect to their performance.

Religion In Altagracia de Orituco there are various professions of faith, among which the Greek Orthodox Church, the Islamic Church, the Anglican Christian Church, Lutheran, Evangelical, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses and Seventh-day Adventists stand out. The Catholic Church is the most far-reaching.

Mother Candelaria of San José, second Venezuelan Santa. Susana Paz-Castillo Ramírez, (1863-1940) known as Mother Candelaria of San José, or simply as Mother Candelaria is a Blessed of the Catholic Church co-founder of the Carmelite Sisters of Mother Candelaria or Venezuelan Carmelite Sisters who was born on August 11, 1863, in Altagracia de Orituco, in the State of Guárico, in Venezuela.

She has been officially recognised by the Catholic Church as Blessed since April 24, 2008, being the second Venezuelan to achieve the glory of the altars after Mother Mary of St. Joseph. Daughter of Francisco de Paula Paz Castillo and María del Rosario Ramírez. His father was a man of great heart, with knowledge of naturopathic medicine who enjoyed the appreciation of his neighbors. He died on November 23, 1870, when she was 7 years old. Susana Paz Castillo Ramírez's paternal grandmother was Doña Candelaria Pérez y Bolívar who was a cousin of the Libertador Simón Bolívar.

La Guaraña Musical piece composed of quartets of improvised verses and consonant rhyme. Accompanied by a humming choir made up of three voices. The stanzas are performed by two singers (the tenor and the tenor). They allude to moments or spaces lived during the presentation of the black parties. They are the farewell song of the group, of the place or house where they are, so they are charged with a deep emotion and sadness.

The Marisela Musical piece composed of quartets of octosyllabic verses, with the modality of sextes. It represents a greeting, a permission and a conquest. It is a cheerful and enthusiastic execution; enthusiasm that is accentuated in the tones executed by the cuatrista with a lively and rhythm.

Tambor Orituqueño Harmonic rhythm produced by the singing of luceros and by the coup de jinca, accompanied by a performance of palm drum and deer leather and maracas in addition to two singers and a choir of eight members. The star is made up of four songs: half star, star, the crying and the guarapo; the verses are composed on the basis of a counterpoint or on the basis of a compliment. The jinca, on the other hand, is an accelerated rhythm, with a coarse of leather and stick, where the dancers make loose movements along with the conversation between the singers.

Education Lyceums Public • Ramón Buenahora Educational Unit. (1930) • José Francisco Torrealba Educational Unit. (1973) • Altagracia Educational Unit (known as "The Technique"). (1979) • Andrés Bello Philosopher Educational Unit. (2019)

NOTE: Currently in the city there is a structure of an abandoned high school that is located in the "El Charco" sector,11121314

Private • Padre Juan de Barnuevo School Educational Unit (primary and secondary) • Educational Unit Colegio Nuestra Señora de Altagracia, formerly "Madre Candelaria", (primary and secondary) • San Pablo Apóstol School Educational Unit (primary and secondary) (in the process of closing) • Francisco de Miranda General School Educational Unit • Libertador School Educational Unit (it was closed in 2018) • Battle of La Victoria School Educational Unit.

NOTE: In Altagracia de Orituco most private institutions have the modality of basic education and general secondary education together, and previously there were also three institutions that only had the modality of general secondary education, however, with the closure of the Colegio Libertador Educational Unit in 2018 it was left with only two. Likewise, the Educational Unit Colegio San Pablo Apóstol will soon be closed, which would leave the institutions with primary and secondary modalities in two.

Education: University • National Experimental University Rómulo Gallegos (UNERG) - Nucleus of Altagracia de Orituco. • Open National University • Simón Rodríguez National Experimental University • Pedagogical Experimental Liberator (broken link available in the Internet Archive; see the history, the first version and the last). • Bolivarian University of Venezuela • University Institute of Technology of the Plains • National Institute for Educational Cooperation • Bolivarian University of Venezuela.