San Jose – Palo Alto

Venezuela, officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south. Its northern coastline of roughly 2,800 kilometers includes numerous islands in the Caribbean Sea, and in the north east borders the northern Atlantic Ocean. Caribbean islands such as Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Curacao, Bonaire, Aruba and the Leeward Antilles lie near the Venezuelan coast.

Venezuela was colonized by Spain in 1522, overcoming resistance from indigenous peoples. It became the first Spanish American colony to declare independence in 1811, but did not securely establish independence until 1821. During the 19th century Venezuela suffered political turmoil and dictatorship, and it was dominated by regional caudillos into the 20th century.

It first saw democratic rule from 1945 to 1948 and after a period of dictatorship has remained democratic since 1958, during which time most countries of Latin America suffered one or more military dictatorships. Economic crisis in the 1980s and 1990s led to a political crisis which saw hundreds dead in the Caracazo riots of 1989, two attempted coups in 1992, and the impeachment of President Carlos Andrés Pérez for corruption in 1993. A collapse in confidence in the existing parties saw the 1998 election of former career officer Hugo Chávez, and the launch of a "Bolivarian Revolution", beginning with a 1999 Constituent Assembly to write a new Constitution of Venezuela.

Although the country is mostly monolingual Castilian, many languages are spoken in Venezuela. In addition to Castilian, the Constitution recognizes more than thirty indigenous languages, Wayuu, Warao, pemón and many others for the official use of the Amerindian peoples, mostly with few speakers, less than 1% of the total population. Immigrants, in addition to Spanish, they speak their own languages. Arabic is spoken by Lebanese and Syrian colonies on Isla de Margarita, Maracaibo, Punto Fijo, Puerto la Cruz, El Tigre, Maracay and Caracas.

Venezuela, like most South American nations, is a predominantly Catholic nation. The influence of the Catholic Church was introduced in its colonization by Spain. According to government estimates, 92 percent of the population is at least nominally Roman Catholic, and the remaining 8 percent Protestant, a member of another religion, or atheist. The Venezuelan Evangelical Council estimates that evangelical Protestants constitute 10 percent of the population.

Football is a widely practiced and popular sport in Venezuela, although the sport has lagged behind baseball in terms of popularity. The country has proven one of the biggest underachievers in CONMEBOL and was formerly known as the Cenicienta of the region. The Federación Venezolana de Fútbol was established in 1926 following the creation of the Liga Venezolana in 1921. Professionalism was not established until 1957 with the Copa de Venezuela arriving two years later. Caracas Fútbol Club is the country's most successful club side. A second division was added in 1979, with a third added in 1999, and a 4th in 2006.

Venezuelan art has a long and eventful history. Venezuela's museums and galleries are well on the way to forming a new discourse in which the public can experience and interact. Capturing a the Venezuelan public view and interact with the installations and collections within a museum setting, re-establishes a new base for understanding the Venezuelan patron. This considered, the museum visitor is better understood and served as it is realized that a modern Venezuela, is represented as a diverse culture, intertwined with the traditional. The proactive cultural center strives to reacquaint itself with its audience, who in fact, are participants and beneficiaries of such cultural and heritage organizations. An effort by the Venezuelan government to connect its people to its cultural organizations is a response to a cultural diversity and changes within.