El Hatillo Municipality

El Hatillo Municipality
Municipio El Hatillo
Official seal of El Hatillo Municipality
Location in Miranda
Location in Miranda
Map showing the location of El Hatillo Municipality within Venezuela
Map showing the location of El Hatillo Municipality within Venezuela
El Hatillo Municipality
Location in Venezuela
Coordinates: 10°23′39″N 66°47′54″W / 10.3942°N 66.7983°W / 10.3942; -66.7983
Country Venezuela
StateMiranda
FoundedJune 12, 1784
IncorporatedNovember 9, 1991
Municipal seatEl Hatillo, Miranda, Venezuela
Government
 • MayorElías Sayegh
Area
 • Total143.8 km2 (55.5 sq mi)
Elevation
1,136 m (3,727 ft)
Population
 (2001)
 • Total54,225
 • Density380/km2 (980/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−4 (VET)
Postal code(s)
1083 and 1061
Area code(s)0212
WebsiteOfficial website

El Hatillo Municipality (Spanish: Municipio El Hatillo) is an administrative division of the State of Miranda, Venezuela; along with Baruta, Chacao, Libertador and Sucre, it is one of the five municipalities of Caracas, the capital of Venezuela. It is located in the southeastern area of Caracas, and in the northwestern part of the State of Miranda.

The seat of the municipal government is El Hatillo Town, founded in 1784 by Don Baltasar de León, who was instrumental in the area's development. Although the town had its origins during the Spanish colonisation, the municipality was not established until 1991. In 2000 – the year after a new constitution was enacted in Venezuela – some of the municipality functions were delegated to a consolidated mayor's office called Alcaldía Mayor, which also has some authority over the other four municipalities of Caracas.

El Hatillo has some of its colonial architecture, including an 18th-century parish church and a unique Romanian Orthodox Church. The municipality also has a rich artistic culture, with at least two important musical festivals celebrated yearly, and numerous holiday celebrations reflecting the heritage of El Hatillo. The culture, the pleasant temperature, the rural landscape, and the gastronomy of the municipality have made it a place of interest for visitors to the city, and a desirable place to live.[1][2] The municipality receives a part of its income from tourism, an activity that is promoted by the government.[3]

Although commercial areas are growing rapidly, agriculture remains a foundation of the economy in the rural areas of the southern part of El Hatillo. The business sector remains mostly underdeveloped, causing heavy employee movement in and out of the municipality – a problem that has made the transportation infrastructure of El Hatillo very congested.[4]

  1. ^ Universidad Nueva Esparta. "Alcaldía del Hatillo:Historia". Archived from the original on 2006-04-28. Retrieved 2006-03-28. (in Spanish)
  2. ^ de los Ángeles Herrera, María (2006-09-03). "Redescubra los sabores de El Hatillo". Estampas. El Universal: 18–24. Archived from the original on 2007-05-24. Retrieved 2006-12-01. (in Spanish)
  3. ^ Alcaldía Municipio El Hatillo (2004). "Turismo". Archived from the original on 2006-07-20. Retrieved 2006-03-29. (in Spanish)
  4. ^ "En contra". El Universal. 2001-10-31. Archived from the original on 2008-01-25. Retrieved 2006-11-13. (in Spanish)