American Numismatic Association (2021)
Multi-Media Summary
Providencia is an island that served as a leprosarium for western Venezuela between 1831 and 1985. However, more than clinical history, it's a cultural landscape that meant the modification of a natural environment by a society forcibly installed on its territory, but that developed there its life and local culture, leaving a legacy reflected in buildings, stories and assets; that is the case of coins and banknotes intended solely for the use of leprosy patients. This research is based on the necessity to determine the role of Providencia as heritage of western Venezuela; it allowed to characterize the historical development, lifestyle, and restricted circulation money of the leprosarium, thereby strengthening its role as cultural heritage of Zulia state. Instructor: Hussein Larreal.
