DINÁMICA ESPACIAL DE LA MIGRACIÓN COLOMBIANA HACIA EL PIEDEMONTE BARINÉS

Abstract

Venezuela is the second destination for Colombian migration. In this particular migratory dynamic, internal and external factors have both played a role. This migration pattern is characterized by the presence of Colombian citizens throughout Venezuelan territory, although not uniformly, as some areas are more attractive than others to the immigrants. Most of this immigrant population is located in the states bordering Colombia (Zulia and Tachira), as well as in the center-north region (Distrito Capital, Carabobo and Aragua). However, there is also a considerable proportion of Colombian immigrants in the state of Barinas (especially in the city of Socopo). This political-territorial entity has been an attractive space from the demographic standpoint, despite being on the periphery of the spatial organizational model in Venezuela. With these observations in mind, the spatial dynamics of the Colombian immigration to the foothills of the state of Barinas are analyzed, specifically with regards to the urban center Socopo, the shire town of the municipality of Antonio Jose de Sucre, based on the conclusions obtained by researching the Colombian population residing in the town, with the intention of interpreting its origins, the reasons that lead these people to establish themselves in this area and their routes of migration. In order to develop this research, a quantitative field methodology was adopted, with a bibliographical and documental basis, which took into account the life experiences of the immigrants themselves, as well as contributions from specialists in this subject area. The results showed that the on-going armed conflict in Colombia and the economic boom that swept Venezuela in the 1960s and 1970s, together with family ties, were the main drivers of Colombian immigration into Venezuela. Similarly, it can be deduced that the choice of Socopo as a destination had a relevant role in its condition of a functional knot in the foothills and the tip of the agricultural colonization of the Ticoporo forest reserve. Thus, the recently-constructed Llanos Highway (Troncal 5) became the backbone of this area, facilitating communications with this region. The inter-connections between external and internal factors resulted in a greater concentration of Colombian immigrants in the town of Socopo, compared to other urban centers in the state of Barinas.