Casa de la Cultura

Venezuela


On Barinas' main plaza is the colonial-style Casa de la Cultura, built in the 1780s as the town hall and jail. José Antonio Páez, a republican hero, was imprisoned here but managed to escape, liberating 115 of his fellow prisoners in the process. The building was the town jail until 1966, but today it houses a cultural center and auditorium, staging art exhibitions and various cultural events.