n, being a Caraquefio-a resident of Cara- cas-has until recently meant having the best and most that money can buy. Blessed with a cool, temperate climate, the City of Eternal Spring is nestled in a 3,000-foot-high mountain val- ley, 11 miles long and three miles wide. It is as modern as any North American metropolis. Gleaming white office buildings and apartment blocks crowd the slopes of the valley. The twin glass towers of the Simon Bolivar Center, housing government offices, and the three 56-storied...