Chuao facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chuao
Chuao Location in Venezuela
Country	Venezuela
State	Aragua
Municipality	Santiago Mariño Municipality
Elevation	254 m (833 ft)
Time zone	UTC−4 (VET)
Climate	Aw

Chuao is a small village located in the northern coastal mountains of Venezuela. It was founded in 1660. The village is very famous for its cacao plantations, its "Diablos Danzantes" (Dancing Devils), and the "San Juaneras" celebrations.

Chuao is surrounded by tall mountains and thick rainforests to the south. To the north, it faces the beautiful Caribbean Sea. The nearby Henri Pittier National Park is Venezuela's oldest national park, created in 1937. You can only reach Chuao by boat from the nearby town of Choroní. The village itself is about 4 kilometers inland from the coast.

What's in a Name?

The name Chuao comes from an old local language. It is related to the word for "water."

A Look Back in Time

People started growing cocoa in the Chuao area as early as 1591. The village itself was officially founded later, in 1660. From 1591 onwards, the area had many large farms called haciendas where cocoa was grown. During the time when Venezuela was a colony, people from Africa were brought to the village to help grow even more cocoa on these farms.

How Chuao Makes a Living

The people of Chuao mostly earn their living by fishing and growing cocoa.

Growing Cocoa

Chuao is home to many cocoa farms that have been around since 1591. They grow special types of cocoa beans, including Criollo and hybrid kinds. Chuao beans are known for being very high quality. Because of this, they are also very expensive, costing between 9 and 13 US dollars per kilogram. Many people think Chuao beans are some of the best in Venezuela.

The mountains around Chuao help keep the cocoa special. They reduce contact with people and insects from other areas. Some experts believe the hard work of the village's farmers during planting, harvesting, and drying also makes the cocoa beans so good. Each year, Chuao produces about 20 tons of cocoa. This amount has been between 17 and 25 tons in recent years. In 2000, Chuao cocoa beans received a special award called an "appellation of origin" under the name Cacao de Chuao. This helps farmers get better prices and attract more investment.

The Farmer's Company of Chuao

The Farmer's Company of Chuao (called Empresa Campesina de Chuao in Spanish) is a special group that runs the cocoa farms. It is a worker's cooperative, which means the workers own and manage the business together. This cooperative has 127 members, and most of them are women.

This cooperative used to sell its beans to big chocolate companies from other countries, like Valrhona and Amedei. Since 2014, they have worked only with Tisano, a Venezuelan company. As of 2020, Chuao Trading helps manage this partnership. Most of their cocoa (99%) is sold to buyers outside Venezuela. The cocoa is sold through special, approved importers in the US, Japan, and Europe.

Through this partnership, the "Empresa Campesina de Chuao" and its partners have created a Certificate of Authenticity. This certificate helps make sure that only real Chuao beans, grown in Chuao village, are used in chocolate bars that claim to be from Chuao. Each amount of cocoa sold gets a unique serial number to track it.

The cooperative has done very well because more and more people around the world want high-quality chocolate. This has helped its members have a good standard of living. The Venezuelan government has even called the cooperative an "example of socialism." The cooperative has also invested a lot in the village, building schools and medical facilities.

Village Culture

Central Venezuela has a special tradition for the Corpus Christi celebration. It's called "Los Diablos Danzantes" (The Dancing Devils). In this tradition, young men and children wear masks and devil costumes. They perform a dance where the masked devils surrender to a church official. The dancers who take part in this festival make a promise for life. They promise to share their history and traditions with others. In 2012, this tradition was added to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Another important group in Chuao village are "Las San Juaneras." These are ladies who take care of the beautiful church in the town square. They lead most religious celebrations, especially the party of San Juan. This party is held every year to thank San Juan for a good cocoa harvest.

Gallery

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  Chuao Bay

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  Cacao beans

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  Chuao cocoa beans under the sun

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  Plaza de Secado. The Church yard where the cocoa beans are sun dried.

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  Plaza de Secado. Boy helping his mother to collect the cocoa beans. Chuao, Venezuela.

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  Plaza de Secado. The mother collecting the cocoa away from the sun. Chuao, Venezuela.

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  Cocoa in fermentation process

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  Chuao church

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  Chuao fishers' boats

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  Chuao new town

See also

In Spanish: Chuao para niños