[ESP-ING] The Gate of the Plain

Aquí hay un puente que de hierro que nos ayuda a pasar el puente y llegar a una montaña, donde hay un camino que nos lleva como a una capilla un monumento, pero no camine hasta allá pues este día que pase estaba muy solo y me han dicho que la delincuencia aprovecha cuando estamos solos en estos espacios, así que no quise alejarme mucho, aproveche de tomar las fotos al río ya que así pude verlo más de cerca.

Por otra al ver el arco un poco más de cerca se puede notar que por ambos lados tiene un escudo en el centro arriba, y por otro lado las placas de diferentes batallas que se libraron en Venezuela, entre ellas la batalla de Betijoque, angostura, niquitao entre otras, al ver esto me recordó al pueblo de Niquitao yo fui hasta donde fue esa batalla y es un lugar muy bonito.

En donde esta la placa izquierda se puede ver que allí había como una especie de pequeña fuente, algo que no funciona y está en el olvido, al seguir hacia el puente se ge que el camino es de cemento y va en zigzag hacia la capilla, se nota que es muy tranquilo este lugar, y que antes se que era diferente, imagino que cuando esté río sube quizás algunas personas se bañen aquí, es un lugar tranquilo que tiene su historia.

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! [ENGLISH]

The Gate to the Plains is a massive monument steeped in history. It was built by Juan Vicente Gómez in 1926 and is located on the road to San Juan de los Morros. It gets its name because it once symbolized the entrance to the Venezuelan plains; for a time, this was the only route. I remember when I was little, I often passed through here with my parents. For some reason, this huge arch always scared me a little.

_{Monumento la Puerta al Llano}

This monument is approximately 20 meters tall, and is located between the road to Villa de Cura, which belongs to Aragua, and the road to San Juan de los Morros, which belongs to the state of Guárico. It spans the entire road, and next to it is the Guárico River. According to old stories, this river used to be the perfect place to spend the best weekends, with families swimming in the river and enjoying sancocho on the riverbank and food stalls.

Passing by here, I realize that this river currently has very little water and looks dirty; it is no longer even a shadow of what it used to be. I really saw it as very neglected, and the food stalls that used to be on either side no longer exist.

There’s an iron bridge here that helps us cross over and reach a mountain, where a path leads to what looks like a chapel or a monument. But I didn’t walk all the way there because, on the day I visited, I was all alone, and I’ve been told that criminals take advantage of people when they’re alone in these kinds of places, so I didn’t want to stray too far. I took the opportunity to take some photos of the river, since that way I could see it up close.

Also, when you look at the arch a little closer, you can see that on both sides there’s a coat of arms in the center at the top, and on the other side, plaques commemorating different battles fought in Venezuela, including the Battle of Betijoque, Angostura, and Niquitao, among others. Seeing this reminded me of the town of Niquitao; I went to where that battle took place, and it’s a very beautiful place.

Where the plaque on the left is, you can see that there used to be a small fountain of some sort—something that no longer works and has been forgotten. As I continue toward the bridge, I notice that the path is paved with concrete and winds its way up to the chapel. You can tell this is a very peaceful place, and I know it used to be different. I imagine that when the river rises, maybe some people come here to swim. It’s a quiet spot with its own history.