Apparition Park, Portuguesa State

Warm greetings, friends of Worldmapping, an ideal community to share our visits to different parts of the world and show their beauties! Today I want to tell you a little about my visit to a park that has a religious background, since it is said that in its vicinity took place the apparition of the Virgin Mary many years ago. The Apparition Park is located in the Virgen de Coromoto sector a few kilometers from Guanare, capital of the Portuguese state, in the Venezuelan plains region.

This park is definitely a place full of faith, local culture, history and great natural beauty, ideal to enjoy a nice day with family or friends, and if those who visit are people attached to Catholic traditions can also pay homage to the Virgin Mary in the invocation of Our Lady of Coromoto, Patroness of Venezuela. However, this site can also be visited by non-religious people who just want to spend a different day in direct contact with nature.

The story told by the locals tells us that in this place the Virgin Mary appeared to an indigenous chief named Coromoto in 1652, asking him to adopt the Christian faith. These stories give the site a mystical and interesting air. In the park there is a monument dedicated to the Virgin built in 1954.

At the entrance of the park we can see colonial style facades, an image of the Virgin of Coromoto and a metal fence that delimits and protects the entire enclosure. It is worth mentioning that the entrance is completely free, so this park becomes a great option if you are on a low budget.

Something that caught my attention is that as soon as you enter the park you can see an imposing white cross surrounded by beautiful decorative vases. In addition, it has beautiful gardens and trees that provide shade and offer a feeling of freshness and comfort to visitors. I consider that there is nothing better than being able to breathe fresh air and fill ourselves with the healing energy of nature. At the back of the enclosure, you can see a statue of the Virgin Mary in white.

What is said to be the exact place of the apparition of the Virgin was a stream, which previously had a greater flow of water, today in a kind of symbolic fountain that reminds visitors and parishioners of the incidents of the apparition that marked the culture and traditions of this community that is precisely named Quebrada de la Virgen (Virgin’s Stream).

When leaving this place, tourists usually head to the National Sanctuary (minor Basilica) dedicated to this invocation of the Virgin, and on the way, we can find some monuments of both the Indigenous chief Coromoto and the Virgin Mary made in what I think is concrete.

Thank you for accompanying me this far. See you guys next time.