Designed by the famous engineer Paul Venezuelan Lustgarten, was built in concrete or reinforced concrete and has a length of 8678 meters and 134 batteries. At its core is the bridge-type bridge atirantado, their bases are anchored to the bottom of Lake Maracaibo at a depth of 60 meters (to allow vessels of up to 45 m in height may come to light over the lake and 235 m) , With two lanes per direction. It supports an average traffic of 45 thousand cars per day.

The bridge allowed to unite both sides of the lake and connect in an expeditious manner to the city of Maracaibo with the rest of Venezuela. The initial projects for the bridge were scrapped because it was considered that a metal structure would require much maintenance, given the humid climate of the area. In addition to require little maintenance, in Venezuela cement is a material less expensive than steel and maintain the esthetic requirements of the work.

For its construction were used 138 thousand tons of cement, 20 thousand tons of metal, 67 thousand linear meters of drilling piles and the workforce of more than 2,600 people.

The bridge was planned and executed in part in the government of General Marcos Perez Jimenez, who because of his overthrow, is unable to complete work on the book for what it is inaugurated on August 24, 1962 by the president of Venezuela, for the time Rómulo Betancourt. It was for several years, the world’s longest bridge of its kind and remains one of the reinforced concrete in the world.

Importantly, it is considered the first modern bridge of its kind, in fact the technology for offshore construction was designed entirely by Venezuelans, which involved the design of barges for hincado pile (barges hammer) and for the kind of pile introducing the lake bed, accessories for the distribution of loads to be hoisted, technological milestones that have gone unnoticed and for which there are few historical records.

Two years later, on April 6, 1964 at approximately 22:45, the super tanker Esso Maracaibo, which loaded with 262 thousand barrels of crude oil (for a total weight of 36,000 tons), the ship suffered a glitch in the room turboalternadores of which got out of line power plants of the spacecraft, was launched immediately and alert the captain and chief engineer ordered the emergency maneuvers to launch stern anchors with winches steam, that the purpose of trying to change the course of the ship and vararla on the banks of sand surrounding the ship channel, but only managed to ship virara about its stern, in turn toward the east coast of the lake, but for the short distance rozaron cells 31 and 32, Eng. Lustgarden said in an interview for the SAPGRU that the incident angle with respect to the axis of the ship channel was 15 degrees, which caused the collapse of 249 m from the structure.

It should be noted that the action of turning to the emergency rudder of the ship to avoid hitting power batteries, was not completed successfully and depended solely on the action of the stern anchor for the ship to turn on its axis, the nature of this action was to avoid the impact against the Central Battery resulting in greater damage to the structure. Killed 7 people who were in three vehicles and a truck that fell over the edge. The bridge was repaired in eight months involving the Creole Petroleum Co. and the company Hereema, among others.

At present the facility has an exhibition room and audiovisual room where he planned documentary on the techniques used to build the structure, guided walks Facilities for the control and monitoring of the bridge, lookouts with binoculars coast and other tourist atractivios and cultural.

At the beginning of the twenty-first century has been renovated and illuminated in its six major pillars, thereby using 96 luminaries of 600 W, which can change color. This system of manufacturing Danish lighting was designed to be contemplated from the city of Maracaibo.

The General Rafael Urdaneta bridge or bridge over Lake, as it is called locally, crosses the narrowest part of Lake Maracaibo in Zulia state, northwest of Venezuela, and connects the city of Maracaibo with the rest of the country. He was named in honor of General Rafael Urdaneta, Zulia hero of the independence of Venezuela.

San Benito Filadelfo, called the Black or the Moro was born in the year 1526 in an Italian village of San Fratello name, located in the province of Messina, Sicily. His parents were African slaves, but unlike them, he was free thanks to the promise that the love of his parents when he was not yet born. As a gesture of kindness, the love the couple promised to color, the first child who had granted him freedom. And so it was.

“As actually happened, the eldest son of Christopher Manassari and Larcari Diana, was free and that is why we Cristobal, he called by name Benedict, which means free,” said the pastor of the Church of the Morochas The city of Cabimas, Luberto Rios.

From a very young man, St. Benedict began in the religious world. In the twenties he joined a group of Franciscans eremitas, becoming since then in a faithful follower of the example of the saint from Assisi. It was never a priest, but that was no impediment to being a selfless spiritual guide that earned him, among other things, the appointment of superior of the Convent of Santa Maria de Jesus, in Palermo, where he was 24 years of his life.

Benedict was a cook special. What good would come of spicy stews Anafe friar’s black? What exquisite desserts angélicos prepared cuisine repostero color of coal? What delectable menu would come out of their hands stained recias and cook lego? The story does culinary memory of this. The uniqueness of Benedict is that, in addition to being a good cook, is admirable for his piety, for his humility and the miraculous healings that lavished.

Later he became master of novices and, as has, again cook, that was what he loved. It was, in the strictest sense, a saint among pots. What matter the color? The sick people storm the convent kitchen, the Black, asking for healing prayer for his unerring and his gesture of taumaturgo between the fumes of the cooker, the smell of the pots, pans from the mist and Monde on the day. He was a man of extraordinary kindness and a sublime prayer.

Drums and alcohol

The cult of the saint black, is also known as San Benito, in our country goes back to the days of La Colonia. It tells the story of a group of evangelists Spaniards came to the peoples of South Lake, as Bobures and Gibraltar, with the aim of bringing the word of the Lord of slaves.

As the majority of the inhabitants of these two peoples of color slaves brought by white people, obviously can not introduce a Holy blank, that’s why I decided to show the evangelizers the figure of Saint Benedict of Palermo.

Since then, and thanks to the miracles and favors that San Benito was giving those men and women repressed, initiated the worship of the Holy black.

The feasts of St. Benedict of Palermo in the Punjab are very particular, as the tap dancing and drumming, and alcohol are central to its veneration. The chimbanguele is the official dance that runs in honor of the saint of color.

San Benito Ajé!, is the exclamation point when it is said with hands extended upward and sideways, and to the sound of the drums are approaching the black saint who is charged by four men who also danced to the rhythm of chimbanguele .

“The slaves who had nothing to offer to San Benito. The only thing they owned was their dancing and consuming alcohol to forget their sorrows. From there is where the tradition of dance when I get in procession and to get liquor on his feet, but not in the body, “he said the pastor of the Church of the Morochas The city of Cabimas.

The priest noted that “it is a serious fault that the holy baths with rum or any other kind of alcohol. It is also considered severe that people are drunk on behalf of San Benito. Can take because that is the tradition, but not to get drunk. ”

Para el pueblo marabino, noviembre no es un mes cualquiera. Desde hace mas de 25 años, este mes es sinonimo de fiesta, alegria y devocion. Aunque en Maracaibo el espiritu festivo puede respirarse desde los primeros dias del mes, la Feria de la Chinita comienza oficialmente el 10 de Noviembre. Corridas de toros, exposiciones sociales y artesanales, fiestas y los tan esperados ” amaneceres gaiteros”, ademas de un sinfin de otras actividades, hacen que durante esas fechas en Maracaibo no haya excusa para no divertirse. Alli se organizaran inumerables parrandas desde temprano, se colocaran gigantescas tarimas con impresionantes sistemas de luces y sonido, para que el publico disfrute de espectaculos. Tambien se realizara el tradicional desfile en honor de la Virgen de la Chinita. En este simpatico espectaculo, se muestran diversas manifestaciones culturales, como trajes tipicos, bailes propios de la region del pais, historia y tradiciones, acompañados de una gran diversidad de disfraces y encantadores personales que deleitan a grandes y chicos presentes.

ESTA NOCHE AMANECEMOS….

AMANECEMOS PARRANDIANDO……..

El 17 de noviembre es la vispera de la fecha mas importante de toda la feria. Es en ese dia cuando se realizan los esperados amaneceres gaiteros, fiestas impresionantes, donde se reunen cantidad de estrellas musicales y por supuesto, inumerables agrupaciones gaiteras para celebrar en los mas exclusivos locales y clubes de Maracaibo. El amanecer gaitero mas importante de todos es el organizado en la plazoleta de la Basilica de la Chinita, en el que miles de personas disfrutan de la contagiosa musica gaitera, alabando con sus cantos a la patrona regional. Para cerrar con broche de oro y honrar a la Santisima Virgen de Chiquinquira, el 18 de noviembre, la comunidad marabina se vuelca hacia la Basilica para asistir a los oficios celebrados en su honor, y asi dar fin a dias de intensa actividad y diversion. Si usted desea vivir esta hermosa experiencia, entonces no se olvide este noviembre acercarse a Maracaibo, pues como bien dice una gaita: “Venite pa´Maracaibo a la Feria de la Chinita, aqui la cosa es bonita en el Bello Paseo del Lago”
®Ricardo Valdivieso Cervera

Una de las cosas mas particulares de los Zulianos, Marabinos, Marauchos o como se nos quiera llamar es la comida. Ya que nos esforzamos por mantener nuestras tradiciones, aunque algunas veces las personas nos vean como locos.

La comida en el Zulia es rica en grasas, carbohidratos y proteinas; desde el desayuno (principal comida segun los entendidos) el Maracucho se preocupa, por ingerir gran cantidad de Carbohidratos: Para empezar podemos desayunar con “Pastelitos, Empanadas, Yoyos, Tequeños, Papas de Queso, Papas de Carne, y cualquier cosa que se le parezca.”

El Almuerzo, no deberia faltar un buen platano asado (sea maduro o verde) y el trozo de queso, acompañado todo esto con cualquiera de los siguientes ingredientes, arroz, carne en cualquiera de sus variaciones, sopas, Pastas, y para pasar o bajar toda la comida, un buen Jugo de Fruta o algun refresco (dicese Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Frescolita..)

La cena, alli la situacion es mas variada, ya que puede pasar desde una arepa, sandiwch o hasta repetir parte del almuerzo.

Cuando ya la noche ha caido, y luego de unas birras, o whiskys (fines de semana) lo tipico es hacer una parada antes de llegar a casa y comerte una buen “tumbarrancho” o una buena hamburguesa, un pan con queso, o salchiqueso, y luego ir a dormir tan tranquilo.

Una caracteristica muy particular del Zuliano es el apego a sus tradiciones, que muy a pesar del paso del tiempo se mantienen gran parte de ellas intactas en la memoria del Maracucho.

La GAITA es una de ellas, de día, de noche, en agosto o en diciembre este ritmo repiquetero representa la ideología del zuliano, su carácter jovial y dicharachero, su inclinación a la alegría y a la justicia y, por sobre todo, su inagotable devoción.