Maturín: Territory of Patriotic Rebellion (+anniversary)

Published at: 07/12/2024 09:01 AM

On December 7, 1760, the city of Maturín, the current capital of the state of Monagas, was founded by the Capuchin friar Lucas de Zaragoza, who was the son of a slave.

The main city in the state of Monagas was known as San Simón y Judas de Maturín, where Guaraúnos Indians inhabited the banks and flat areas of Guarapiche.

The name Maturín, according to the friar Antonio Caulín, corresponds to a cacique of the Caribbean race who opposed the advance of the Spanish conquerors on their lands.

Maturín was the scene of five battles between 1813 and 1814, in which the city resisted attempts by the royalists to take it, earning it the nickname Tomb of the Tyrants, granted by El Libertador, Simón Bolívar; in which patriots such as Antonio José de Sucre, José Francisco Bermúdez, José Tadeo Monagas, José Gregorio Monagas and José Félix Ribas also fought.

The most famous of all was the Battle of Alto de Los Godos in which the Republicans, under the command of Manuel Piar, won a victory against the troops of the Spanish general Domingo Monteverde.

In 1909, Maturín became the capital of the newly created state of Monagas and in the 20th century, Maturín experienced great demographic growth due to the discovery of oil fields in its vicinity.

Nowadays Maturín is one of the main cities that occupy the political, administrative, financial, commercial and service center of the Monagas state.