The Capitolio occupies the south-east corner of the historic centre, on the site of an eighteenth-century Carmelite convent that was nationalised after independence. The current building dates from the second half of the nineteenth century and was designed in a sober neoclassical style, with a colonnaded entrance, a low dome and the state coat of arms above the doorway.
The Capitolio is the seat of the Legislative Council of Carabobo. The interior is not always accessible, but the surrounding plaza, the bronze busts of regional patriots, and the long arcaded facade are reason enough for a brief stop. The square in front is one of the calmer corners of central Valencia and one of the better spots for a late-afternoon photograph of the historic centre.