Los Guayos Municipality

History

On February 20, 1694, Don Francisco Berroterán, governor of the Province of Venezuela, declared Los Guayos "Town of Indians". The area was belonged to the Guayos tribe. On June 6, 1710, the priest Mariano de Martí made "Los Guayos" a parish. In 1751, inhabitants of Los Guayos joined the national uprising led by Francisco de León against the Compañía Guipuzcoana. In 1812, Francisco de Miranda left a troop in the town of Los Guayos to defend the road against the Spanish troops while he followed his campaign in the Valencia region. The troop engaged in a battle with the Spanish troops and was about to win the battle when one of its officers turned to the enemy. The troop then dispersed itself.

Geography

The town of Los Guayos is part of the Los Guayos municipality. It has now almost merged with other towns in the area. The Caracas-Valencia motorway lies immediately to the North-Northeast of Los Guayos. The Los Guayos river runs from the northeast to the southeast part of the town.

Sites of Interest

The Colonial church of San Antonio de Padua or Church of Los Guayos: This is one of the oldest churches in Venezuela. Its first building dates back to 1650, when it was the church for the tibes of the area. The bell tower, with two adjacent areas, dates back to 1779.

Demographics

The Los Guayos Municipality, according to a 2007 population estimate by the National Institute of Statistics of Venezuela, has a population of 157,787 (up from 133,237 in 2000). This amounts to 7.1% of the state's population. The municipality's population density is 2,465.42 inhabitants per square kilometre (6,385.4/sq mi).

Government

The mayor of the Los Guayos Municipality is Anibal Jose Dose Rumbos, re-elected on November 23, 2008 with 52% of the vote. The municipality is divided into one parish (Los Guayos).