Maracaibo Municipality

Maracaibo is a municipality located in the Northwest of the Venezuelan state of Zulia. With an area of 419 km², it is the fourth smallest municipality in the state, and borders to the North with Mara, to the South with San Francisco, to the East with Lake Maracaibo, and to the West with Lossada. It is made up of eighteen parishes and two cities: San Isidro and the municipal and state capital, Maracaibo.

With 1,624,210 inhabitants, it is the most populated municipality in the state. With 1,585,357 inhabitants, its capital is the most populated city in the state and the second in the country, after Caracas. With a population density of 3876.39, it is the most overcrowded municipality in the state.

History

The concept of "municipality" It comes from the Spanish, who used it to politically and administratively demarcate Venezuelan territory when it was their colony.

After Independence, the administrative political division was done by Districts. In 1862 the Municipal Council of the Maracaibo District was created, under the mayorship of Luis Araujo Guevara. After two long dictatorships, in 1958, Noel Vidal was democratically elected, changing the name of the District to the Maracaibo Municipality.

According to Title I, article 3 of the Organic Law of Municipal Regime of 1978, the municipality constitutes the primary and autonomous political unit within the social organization established in a determined area of territory. It has legal personality and its representation will be exercised by the bodies determined in this Law. Its organization will be democratic in nature and its purpose will be the effective government and administration of the peculiar interests of the entity.

This Law was reformulated in 1989 and establishes that municipal government is exercised by a mayor (executive branch) and a municipal council (deliberative branch), where the latter is responsible for legislating and controlling the former. In 1990, with the direct election of municipal authorities, councilors and mayors, the new Law of Political-Territorial Division of Venezuela came into force, where the states were made up of municipalities and these of parishes.

On January 22, 1995, the Maracaibo municipality was divided to create the San Francisco Municipality, with the Maracaibo municipality adopting its current form.

On June 8, 2005, according to Official Gazette No. 38,204, the Organic Law of Municipal Public Power comes into force, which establishes among its foundations "to develop the constitutional principles, relative to the Municipal Public Power, its autonomy, organization and functioning, government, administration and control, for the effective exercise of the leading participation of the people in the affairs of local life, in accordance with the values of participatory democracy, social co-responsibility, planning, decentralization and transfer to communities and groups organized neighborhoods.

Infrastructure

Roads

Towards the East, ring road 1, part of Trunk 3, connects Maracaibo with Barquisimeto, Carora, Valera, El Vigía, Mérida, Coro and Punto Fijo, through San Francisco, Santa Rita, Cabimas, Tía Juana, Ciudad Ojeda, Bachaquero and other towns. Towards the North, Troncal Highway 6 connects Maracaibo with Maicao, through San Rafael de El Moján, Sinamaica and other towns; Towards the South, it connects Maracaibo with San Francisco, San Cristóbal and Cúcuta, through Villa del Rosario, Machiques, Casigua El Cubo, El Guayabo and other towns. Towards the West, two highways connect Maracaibo and San Isidro with La Concepción and other towns; In addition, a highway connects Maracaibo and San Isidro with San José, Lossada.

Avenues

East-West

Libertador, Sabaneta and Don Manuel Belloso avenues interconnect the Bolívar, Chiquinquirá, Mara, Aranza, Acosta, Dagnino and Higuera parishes. The only metro line in the city, with six stations, is elevated above Sabaneta and Belloso avenues. They have six traffic lights and four distributors, and give access to the Lacustre Terminal; UNIR university; the Arts Center; the Beco Blohn building; Columbus Avenue; the San Andresito, Pasaje Comercio, Famicentro, San Felipe, Plaza Lago, La Redoma, Único, Gran Bazar, Lomas de La Misión, El Sol and El Varillal shopping centers; the Saas and Farmadescuento pharmacies; the Banesco bank; the PDVSA Oil Towers; the municipal markets Las Pulgas and Las Playitas; the Sabaneta outpatient clinic; the headquarters of Saime de Sabaneta; the Santa Rita, Dr. Orangel Rodríguez, Santa María and Zulia schools; the Inés Laredo theater school; the Las Flores, Paul, Virgen Chinita, Remia and La Vega apartment blocks; the Musical Metro Foundation of Maracaibo; Plaza San Miguel, with the homonymous church; the Zulia and El Varillal clinics; McDonald's fast food restaurant; the Sabaneta and Tarazón service stations; the CANTV telephone company in Sabaneta; the Uzcátegui consortium; the Gallo Verde and La Vanega bakeries; the Francisco de Miranda orphanage; the Aeropuerto and Venus hotels; the cable company Inter; and the electric company Corpoelec in Caujarito, among others.

North-South

Las Delicias and René Moreno Camacho avenues interconnect the Aranza, Chiquinquirá, Bolívar, Villalobos, Ávila and Coquivacoa parishes. They have twenty-two traffic lights, a distributor with Beltway 1, and an overpass over Las Delicias and Sabaneta avenues. They give access to the Universal churches of the Kingdom of God, Sobre la Roca, Pentecostal La Cruz, and Catholic churches La Asunción and San Vicente de Paul, with the school of the same name; the Ramón Laguna thermoelectric plant; the PDVSA service stations, La Ranchería, Los Haticos, Nigale, El Carmen, Las Delicias, Doble R, Delicias Norte, D' Empaire and El Portal; the Kimura, Las Delicias, Palmera, Las Morochas, Gaby, Delicias Plaza, El Turpial, Arrendajo, Imedeca, Guanaguanare, Tamaiba, María Paula, Karina, Vertice and El Parque apartment blocks; the Rebeca Soto de Morelo, El Brillante, Ramón Pompilio Oropeza, Los Robles and Nuestra Señora de Fátima schools; Decolevine home store; the hardware stores Tornillos y Acero, Ferremapoca, Ferrum, La Casa Azul and Ferretotal; the Josefa Camejo dock; the automotive stores La Japonesa, Autovidrios Latinos, Texas Motors and Rústicos del Norte; the AGA gas company; the agricultural companies Agrocentro Mersan and Protinal; the Banco de Venezuela, Provincial, Bicentenario and four branches of the BNC; the Traki clothing store in Los Haticos; the El Brillante, Comercasur de Los Haticos, Enne, Justo y Bueno, and Fasto supermarkets; the dealerships Autos Venezuela, Toyota's Toyoccidente, Mitsubishi's Fuji Motors, and Ford's Millennium Cars; the Venezuela spinning mill; the textile company Jatsu; the cement company Venezolana de Cementos; the parcel companies Domesa, Tealca, Zoom and MRW; the Angelini shopping centers —with the Banesco bank—, Bazar Center, Simón Bolívar, Cima —with the Traki clothing store—, Gran Bazar, Ciudad Chinita, Oeste, Unicentro Naro, Supercenter —with the Supermarket supermarket—, El Pilar, Delicias Plaza, El Savio, Riviera Mall, Ciudad Trinidad, Paseo Delicias, Las Delicias —with the Latino supermarket—, Bulevar Delicias, Doral Mall —with the Synergy gym—, North Center —with the Central Park amusement park—, Terra Nostra and Prime; the Regional Brewery; the IUTE and José Gregorio Hernández universities; the Indusalca salt factory; the construction companies Laticon and Omycca; the Sardi gym; wholesale fish and vegetable markets; the municipal and Aeroexpressos Executive terminals; the municipal markets Las Pulgas and Las Playitas; The justice palace; the El Cuadrado and El Redondo cemeteries; the San Lucas clinics, D' Empaire and Tomocid; the Oeste and Paseo 72 business centers; the Farmagrande, Farmabien, Farmapunto, Farmatodo, Maraplus de Las Delicias, Maraplus de Los Coches, Farmaexpress de Las Delicias and Maraplus Norte pharmacies; Mega Party party store; the Regional building; the Ivoo and Megahogar appliance stores; the Delicias hotel; the fast food restaurants Papa Pollo, McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Peperoni and Esquina 3; the restaurants Piamonte, Mi Ternerita and Ok Cosecha; the still life of The Queen; the IPPLUZ institute; the command of the Zulia State Police; the Clinical, Military and Adolfo Pons hospitals, with the IVSS pharmacy; the Jardín La Estrella nursery; the electric company Corpoelec; the residential complexes Oasis Garden, Palma Dorada, Portal del Lago, Villas Oasis, Villa Mediterránea, Villa Alameda, and the military Blanca Aurora, among others.

Geography

Parish Organization

The Maracaibo municipality is made up of 18 parishes:

The Maracaibo Municipality is also covered by three Beltways:

• Circunvalacion 1 (Recorre los Municipios Maracaibo y Municipio San Francisco hasta el Puente General Rafael Urdaneta)

• Circunvalacion 2 (Recorre Los Municipios Maracaibo y Municipio San Francisco)
• Circunvalacion 3 (Recorre el Municipio Maracaibo)

Tourism

Places of interest

• Palacio de los Condores (Sede de la Gobernación del Estado Zulia).
• Municipal Palace (Sede de La Alcaldía del Municipio Maracaibo)
• Carabobo Street.
• Lake Maracaibo.
• Monument to San Sebastian (Patrono de Maracaibo)
• Basilica of Our Lady of Chiquinquirá.
• Baralt Theatre.
• Capitulation House.
• Hospital Central "Doctor Urquinaona"
• General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge (located in the municipality of San Francisco)
• Maracaibo Art Centre Lía Bermúdez.
• Baralt Square.
• Centro Comercial Doral Center Mall
• Hospital Universitario de Maracaibo
• Mercado las Pulgas (Centro de Maracaibo)
• General's home in Chief Rafael Urdaneta.
• Legislative Palace of the State Zulia
• Plaza Bolívar de Maracaibo
• Centro Comercial Sambil Maracaibo
• Vereda del Lago Park.
• Maracaibo West Square
• Marina Park.
• Urdaneta Park
• Mangrove Common Park ''Land of Dreams''
• Plaza de las Banderas
• Maracaibo Children's Hospital
• Elevado de Delicia
• Avenida La Clean
• Plaza el Angel
• Monument to the Virgin of Chiquinquirá
• MACZUL (Museum of Contemporary Art of Zulia)
• Zulia Public Library
• Cemetery San Sebastián
• Cemetery The Square
• Indio Mara Square
• Plaza de La República
• Sacred Heart of Jesus
• La Curva de Molina
• Centro Comercial Ciudad Chinita
• Calle 72
• Calle 77 or Avenida 5 de Julio
• 93rd Street or Urdaneta Avenue (old Av. Padilla)
• Angelito de Amparo
• Mall Gallery Mall
• Bucare Garden
• Boulevard Saint Lucia
• Kilómetro 4 (Located in the Limits between the Municipality Maracaibo and San Francisco)
• Carro Chocado (Located in the Limits between the Municipality Maracaibo and San Francisco)
• Maracaibo Country Club
• Avenida 91 Via La Concepción (Via Towards the Municipality Jesus Enrique Lossada)
• San Tarcisio Church
• Museum City of God
• Hospital Madre Rafols
• Maracaibo Metro
• Hospital Chiquinquirá

Politics and government

Mayors

Period	Mayor	Party political	% of votes	Notes
1989 - 1992	Fernando Chumaceiro		42,84	First mayor under direct elections
1992-1995	Fernando Chumaceiro		56.73	Reelect
1995 - 2000	Manuel Rosales		-	Second mayor under direct elections (general elections were held in 2000 due to the adoption of the 1999 Constitution)
2000 - 2004	Gian Carlo Di Martino		56.05	Third mayor under direct elections
2004 - 2008	Gian Carlo Di Martino		49,58	Reelect
2008 - 2009	Manuel Rosales		59.90	Fourth mayor under direct elections (come to Peru in April 2009 as a political exile)
2009 - 2010	Daniel Ponne		-	Acting Mayor (up to the 2010 special elections)
2010 - 2013	Eveling Trejo de Rosales		58.64	Fifth mayor under direct elections (the municipal elections scheduled for the end of 2012 are postponed 1 year)
2013 - 2017	Eveling Trejo de Rosales		51,74	Reelect
2017 - 2021	Willy Casanova		50.42	Sixth mayor under direct elections
2021 - 2025	Rafael Ramírez Colina		51,47	Seventh mayor under direct elections

Municipal Council

Period 1989 - 1992

Period 1992 - 1995

Period 1995 - 2000

Period 2000 - 2005

Period 2005 - 2013:

Period 2013 - 2018:

Period 2018 - 2021

Period 2021 - 2025