Rather than a didactic or journalistic approach, Anderson presents a poetic vision of a place where the violent and sensual coexist. The word Capitolio refers to the domed building that houses a government. In this book, Caracas itself becomes a metaphorical Capitolio. In place of walls, we have decaying modernist architecture built with petrodollars. They seem to suggest a time of opulence, but through the cracks grows a jungle that betrays a rotting from within. The streets serve as stand-ins for the halls of this building where the human drama and political intrigue are played out.