Barquisimeto [key], city, capital of Lara state, NW Venezuela, on the Pan-American Highway. Surrounded by good grazing country, the city is a commercial center that ships cattle, coffee, cacao, sugar, and sisal. There are industries producing foodstuffs, rope, and cement. Founded in 1552, the city was the site of the surrender and execution (1561) of the Spanish rebel and adventurer Lope de Aguirre. Barquisimeto was rebuilt after an earthquake in 1812. It is the site of Lisandro-Alvarado Central-Western Univ.
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