Hello Hivers friends. It is a pleasure to be able to share with you on this day a small space of Venezuela, especially the town of San Rafael de El Moján, located in the state of Zulia, known briefly and simply as "El Moján". My region of Zulia has many emblematic places, full of the warmth of my land and the charisma of the people who live there. Places that every tourist should visit and get to know, since their attraction is to see a sunset right near the world-famous Lake Maracaibo.

On the weekends when I have been to Moján, I have only made quick visits, but I never miss an opportunity to photograph what I can of this place. To give you the virtual tour at this time when you are reading these lines, I am telling you that it is a city in Venezuela, located 41 kilometers from my city of Maracaibo and 30 kilometers from the border with Colombia. It is the capital of the Mara Municipality, which was created in 1872.

Based on the geographical location in its proximity to the waters of the Lake, the source of income, work, food and sustenance is going into the waters of the lake in boats, casting nets and fishing. It is a fishing village and its economy is based mainly on this work.

When visiting this place you cannot help but stop and look at the way part of the population lives; a good part of them have their houses built on the waters of Lake Maracaibo. And I want to tell you briefly something about the history of the country; it is through this type of houses on the water that the name of Venezuela originated, since it looked like a small Venice, which in a certain way impacted and amazed Alonso de Ojeda (a Spanish navigator, governor and conqueror), who accompanied by Amerigo Vespucci (a Florentine merchant, explorer and cosmographer, naturalized Castilian), sailed along the northern coast of South America. Upon reaching what is now called the Gulf of Venezuela (the maritime entrance to Lake Maracaibo), both explorers met at that time with the native ethnic groups that lived in houses on wooden stilts protruding from the water (what we call and know today as palafitos), Vespucci's appreciation of this place was the similarity to the city of Venice; naming it as a small Venice as well as Venezziola later Hispanicized to Venezuela, a term that would be extended and today we pronounce as Venezuela. Without a doubt every corner of my region of Zulia is full of charms and more than enjoying a look towards the lake and this type of construction in the houses on the calm, slow waters, be it lakes, lagoons and streams, which are called "Palafitos".

I am very struck by how these houses are supported by the water and how they are connected to each other by a system of walkways that allows access to each other and communication between the rest of the residents of the population that lives in this way, even so that tourists can travel between them.

To close this content of my weekend, I can tell you that we cannot complain about the service since those who received us at the place made an effort to prepare the most delicious dishes that they usually prepare at home, pure delicacies of the sea!, among them roe, fish, shrimp pasticho and more. So much so, that we even received some fish as a gift that we brought home to share with our family at lunchtime the next day accompanied by some typical Zulian buns upon our arrival in Maracaibo. I hope to soon have another spectacular and pleasant tour without so much haste; either in San Rafael del Moján or any wonderful corner of my city to share with you my dear friends Hivers.