Down the roads of Venezuela: Rush to Amazonia (Puerto Ayacucho)
Amazonas state - Tiwy.com (July 2005)
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The Amazonas state is a part of Guyana body with the area of 177 square kilometers. Venezuelan Puerto Ayacucho is often referred to as a “Magic land”. Should you visit it once and you are charmed, imprisoned forever by this wonderful land with tropic selva, deep rivers, mountain ranges and Indian tribes, who sensibly resist the pressure of civilization that tries to unify everybody and deprive of individuality.
70 thousand people live in the state. Basically they are Indians and they dont' feel themselves to be the people of the second grade. The Bolivarian law on the rights of the Indian population – is one of the most advanced laws if compared with those acting in other countries of Latin America and the whole world in respect of native population. Indians of 17 tribes and communities living in the
Amazonas state are involved in the social and political life, they take even more active part in elections and that is why the governor - Liborio Guarulla - for the second term in a row - is a man with Indian blood.
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The state Amazonas is a borderline state. Internal conflict is still going on in the neighbouring Columbia. Its echoes are heard in the Venezuelan Puerto Ayacucho, and this is drug traffic, smuggling, organised crime, illegal penetrations of paramilitary units of various “colours” into Venezuela. And that is why the state military garrisons have been recently substantially strengthened.
Luckily for us, we didn't have to face such negative phenomena. We travelled calmly, watched that provincial routine life that is often missed by a hasty eye of tourists, peering into the faces of the Puerto Ayacucho inhabitants and admired its landscapes.
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