Architectural Guide Caracas

"Caracas is primarily a city of contrasts which is reflected within the contours of the country itself: although the oil reserves in Venezuela are the largest in the world, more than 75 per cent of its population live below the poverty level. This architectural guide thus illustrates the complexity of a Latin American city founded in 1567 which, however, forges a coherent identity with the Ávila mountain range and the coastline, where different scales, geographies, architectural styles and natural and urban landscapes converge. This title outlines the city's history with reference to its most striking architecture dating from approximately 1600 up to the present day, including the Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas which was designed single-handedly by Carlos Raúl Villanueva between 1940 and 1960"--Back cover.