Cacao Haciendas in Choroní, Venezuela: Understanding and Conserving Historic Cultural Landscapes

• Main Author: Fuenmayor, Ernestina R., 1979-
• Language: en_US
• Published: University of Oregon 2010
• Subjects: Haciendas > Venezuela > Choroni; Choroni (Venezuela)
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1794/10729

xix, 171 p. : ill. (some col.), maps (some col.). A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. === The Cacao Haciendas have been an important element of the Venezuelan cultural heritage since the seventeenth century, especially the haciendas in Choroni. These historic agricultural landscapes have been threatened since the decline of agriculture and the rise of the oil economy in the country, beginning in the 1930s. In Choroni, agriculture was replaced by tourism and fishing, creating a need for housing and hotels in the area that were constructed in the agricultural spaces and destroyed the landscape heritage that has lasted almost 400 years. To understand and analyze these sites, I studied three haciendas of the six remaining in Choroni, identifying the character-defining features that shaped these historic cultural landscapes and proposing a conservation plan for the remaining haciendas. The cultural landscape analysis and conservation plan are designed within the Venezuelan conservation heritage laws and the needs of the local society and culture in Choroni, building on parallel practices in the United States. === Committee in Charge: Robert Z. Melnick, Chair; Susan Hardwick; Elizabeth Carter