Venezuela's Geoeconomic Regions & Trade in the 19th Century

**Geoeconomic Regions and Domestic Trade in 19th Century Venezuela**

**Geoeconomic Regions**

Areas were located around major ports, which became the core driving forces of these regions. They were linked to the global capitalist market, exercising the role of tropical exporter and importer of goods. These activities were controlled by foreign commercial houses, which financed the crop, granted loans, and paid taxes to the State Customs.

**Division of Areas**

**Western Region**

Formed by the current states of Zulia, Mérida, Táchira, and Trujillo. Coffee was produced in the Andes, and cattle and cocoa in the depression of Lake Maracaibo. The products were transferred to the port of Maracaibo and then to overseas markets.

**Central-Western Region**

Formed by the current states of Falcón and Lara. Its port of La Vela served as the nucleus, where pack animals were exported to the West Indies.

**José Antonio Páez: Presidency and Economic Policies**

With the separation of Venezuela from Gran Colombia, personal desires began to emerge. The heroes of the independence gained power due to their prestige, the planters and merchants claimed to be the economy, the politicians for their abilities as speakers, and intellectuals due to the pain of seeing the country overshadowed by selfishness. These camps handed over power and organized political parties.

The government of José Antonio Páez, exercised in a civil-military manner from 1821, was broken in Caracas, Carabobo, Barquisimeto, Barinas, and Apure. When Venezuela separated from Gran Colombia, José Antonio Páez was enshrined as the first president of Venezuela and ruled from 1830 to 1848. His government was characterized by:

• Being an elitist, conservative, and oligarchic government whose main figure was Páez. To prevent the establishment of an autocratic government, power was also exercised by: José María Vargas, Andrés Navarte, José María Carreño, and Carlos Soublette.
• Public administration was promising because Venezuela canceled debts that belonged to Gran Colombia.
• He abolished the sales tax.
• He raised taxes on US producers to protect the national economy.
• Relative economic prosperity was experienced.
• Coffee moved to be the main export, ahead of cocoa.
• He adopted his own policy of economic liberalism that favored the middle class and was detrimental to farmers.