The former Cañera Ibarra Hacienda of Caracas also known since the seventeenth century as “Hacienda San Diego” or Hacienda “Trapiche”, was a unit of production of sugar cane, paper, brandy and alcohols for exportable perfumery, at least until the twentieth century . It became Cultural Heritage of the Central University of Venezuela (UCV), through the Institute of Ciudad Universitar New University City of Caracas, being the house of said farm part of the real estate included in said transaction. Subsequently, ICU settlement, all these goods were donated to the Central University itself.
The old house, its gardens and the beautiful Torreón del Trapiche, have always been in the hands of the UCV, and always occupied and maintained by the low university budget, there always works the plane of the architectural design of Villanueva, as well as some central dependencies From the UCV itself, as was the Directorate of General Services, it was never abandoned by the UCEVIVES and the COPRED of the UCV known several restoration projects that little advanced due to the budget harassment to which our institution has been submitted , maintenance and payment of your staff. The recent repair of the property for the presidential commission in charge of it, has consolidated the old house, rather than restore it, since some basic errors must be corrected.
For this, the UCV rector headed by the DR, Víctor Rago has appointed work commissions to assume that challenge and manage, through a management agency of the Ibarra Casona, with a representation of the Institute of Cultural Heritage (IPC), for Convert the house into the University Museum for the Ucevists and the citizen public who needs to visit it. Thus, the Venezuelan can know the vestiges of a space of historical importance since colonial times visited by Humboldt, Bolívar, Páez, Vargas, the Ibarra Edecans del Libertador, Archbishop Ibarra and much of the inhabitants and travelers of the greatest importance. It is, then, one of the most important houses of the Treasury that remain in the capital of Venezuela, together with the “Hacienda La Vega” the “Fifth Anauco” and other remains such as “Anauco above”, the “Bolívar Cuadra”, “Montalbán Trapiche.”
Dr. Francisco de Ibarra, as Ildefonso Leal refers to us in his works, frequently lived and visited the house of the Ibarra hacienda, prelate born in Guacara on September 19, 1726, son of Gabriel de Ibarra and Arias and Mrs. Brígida de Ibarra Herrera. Educated in the Royal and Pontifical University of Caracas, where he obtained the degrees of Bachelor in Law in 1747 and the doctorates in Ecclesiastical Science canons and theology in 1750. He was the first bishop of the diocese of Guayana in 1790 and the first Venezuelan Creole designated as Bishop of Caracas in 1799, to become 1804 in the first archbishop of Caracas and Venezuela, he was a professor at the University of Caracas and became rector of it for a long period between 1758 and 1771 at the time in which he was captain general and governor of Venezuela, the field marshal Felipe Remirez de Etenoz (1757-1763) and then Captain José Solano y Bote ), and public income was organized, the victims of the smallpox and the earthquake of 1766 were established in regular mail and in 1769 the famous bishop Mariano Martí arrived in Venezuela. ”, Valued this period as the beginning of Venezuela’s progress.
When Dr. Rector and Archbishop Ibarra died in 1806, part of his remains were buried in the Oratory of the Ibarra Cason Elena ”(Urbanization El Paraíso de Caracas, today demolished), said inscription said:” Under this tombstone they lie the heart and eyes of Don Francisco de Ibarra, first archbishop of Caracas. ” (1) We do not know, for now the whereabouts of this tombstone, but we know that the professor and anthropologist Carlos Martín de la UCV sponsored a study that confirmed by scientific instruments the existence of a niche under the ground of the seal of the oratory of the Ibarra house .
That Ibarra Casona is more ucevist than the University City itself, because there discussed the Liberator Bolívar and Rector Dr. José Ma. Vargas the new Republican statutes that gave the liberal name to the old Royal University such as the Central University of Venezuela. What more proof is to demonstrate is the cultural heritage of the UCV and. for her, of the entire country.
ANB Official Chronicler of the UCV.
1. Thomas R. Ybarra, a young Caracas, Caracas, Ebuc UCV, 1969, p.28.
