1555, year of foundation of Valencia, capital of the state of Carabobo, in Venezuela. For those who do not know about this country, let me tell you that this city is of transcendental importance. It was in this place where the troops led by Simón Bolívar, managed to defeat the second most powerful empire of the 19th century; Spain. In fact, the photograph, which is the cover of this post, shows a life-size statue of the Libertador (as Bolívar, our hero, is known in Venezuela) pointing to the exact spot where the Battle of Carabobo took place, and where freedom was cemented...
Last week, on 25 March, I went to visit the neighbouring city of Valencia. I loved what I found in the Historic Centre there. I had not been there for too many years. I had forgotten that there is a feeling of admiration, nobility and epicness that is related to my nationality.... Many times, as Venezuelans, we have forgotten the greatness that has forged our own wonderful history. A great friend, upon seeing the photographs that I will exhibit here, told me something that moved me but left me speechless in equal proportion. And it had been a long time since I had experienced something like that; to be honest, I had a small personal reconciliation with my own country.
"Venezuela is much more than the last 25 years of its recent history". That sentence left me speechless. Normally, feeling a connection to the piece of land where I was born is not something that is very much part of my personal culture or my own way of perceiving what happens in my life. However, there are places that have such a specific weight that they generate such an impacting influence that it is impossible to ignore certain things... Personally, Valencia is a city that I don't tend to love too much, but it has places so full of history that it simply inspires you deeply.
I assume that the people who pass around these centenary places are not really aware of the transcendence that exists behind each step that is taken... Honestly, I feel a bit nostalgic. I was born in a place, which currently bears no relation to the place it is today... In other words, what I knew, culturally and humanly, is nowhere near what we have as a country today. I noticed this curious fact when taking photographs. The Plaza Bolivar in Valencia is one of the most important squares in the country. Its floor is polished granite (a luxury worthy of a palace), every cubic centimetre is an absolute luxury in honour of Liberty, and no one cares....
Perhaps it's the wrong perspective I'm trying to explain, but that day I visited the historic centre of Valencia, I spent several hours photographing and adapting the light to find what I wanted to capture in images. But I couldn't help but notice the high school kids walking, and missing everything around them. Likewise with the people who decide to sit on the benches there and just stare blankly. I even tried to capture this "phenomenon" on camera but I couldn't. I didn't have the right lens. I lacked the right lens.
Geographically speaking, what you are seeing in the photographs shows the literal centre of the city. Which in the configuration of Latin American cities means that right from there, and outwards, as if it were an expansion, the city began to take shape. Today, almost 2 million people live in the capital of the state where I live, the beloved, ancient and powerfully historic city of Valencia. "Where Venezuela was born". An old popular and touristic saying that all of us who live here knew, know and do not forget.
