A Lost Town in Venezuela
Photo Feature by Caridad
HAVANA TIMES – There is a road that connects the Carorita area with the city of Barquisimeto. Carorita is one of those old neighborhoods of Barquisimeto that doesn’t quite reach the status of a town, although, like every town, it has its own small Catholic church.
Many years ago, these lands belonged to two families who grew cocuiza, the plant used to make cocuy, a traditional drink similar to tequila.
The route that leads from this community to the city center is narrow and surrounded by semi-arid landscapes. Alongside it, people have been building small houses that, like the rest of the locality, have never received water service. The heat, typical of arid zones, beats down on the land and the animals. Dust settles in doorways and under beds. The only trees providing relief from the sun are the cujíes.
During rainy seasons, the hills turn green, and the cardons fill with red fruits to feed birds and insects. But during these times of drought, the landscape is withered.
