Caripe
Caripe is a town in Caripe Municipality in the mountainous north of the state of Monagas in eastern Venezuela. The official name of the town is Caripe del Guácharo 'Caripe of the Oilbird', referring to a colony of nocturnal birds which lives in a nearby cave, the Cueva del Guácharo. The species was unknown to science until 1799 when Alexander von Humboldt came to Caripe during his Latin American Expedition.
Caripe | |
|---|---|
| Caripe del Guácharo | |
| Nickname: Jardín del Oriente Venezolano | |
Caripe | |
| Coordinates: 10°10′09″N 63°30′36″W | |
| Country | Venezuela |
| State | Monagas |
| Municipality | Caripe Municipality |
| Founded | 12 October 1734 |
| Elevation | 800 m (2,600 ft) |
| Time zone | VST |
At the time of Humboldt's visit Caripe was the home of a Capuchin mission. The name of the town is doubtless originally from the Carib language. It was said that there was a chief named Caripe, whose son, named Caripito ('little Caripe') went down the Caripe river towards its confluence with the Río San Juan (which empties into the Golfo de Paria near the Orinoco River delta) and founded the town of Caripito in the lowlands. It is not clear how much history lies behind the legend.