Department of La Guajira
Encyclopedia
La Guajira is a department
of Colombia
. It occupies most of its namesake peninsula
, the Guajira Peninsula
in the northeast region of the country, facing the Caribbean Sea
and Venezuela
in the northern most part of South America
. The department capital city is Riohacha
.
Various indigenous tribes populated the vast arid plains, such as the Wayuu
, Guajiros, Macuiros, Anates, Wayunaiki, Cuanaos and Eneales among others prior to the Spanish arrival to the Americas. In 1498 Alonso de Ojeda navigated around the peninsula of La Guajira, but the one who disembarked in what today is La Guajira was Juan de la Cosa
. During the colonial era the territory was disputed by the governors of Santa Marta and Venezuela due to deposits of pearls. English pirates, French, Germans also disputed the territory. Martin Fernandez de Enciso found the city of Nuestra Señora Santa Maria de los Remedios del Cabo de la Vela, first village in the territory but due to constant attacks, in 1535 Don Nicolas de Federman had to refounded as the village of Riohacha and in 1544 was moved present-day Riohacha. In 1871 the region is separated from the Department of Magdalena and is created La Guajira as part of the national territories. In 1898 was created the Intendance of La Guajira.
In 1911 the Colombian government created the Commissary of la Guajira, followed by a wave of Middle Eastern immigrants (Christians and Maronites
) from Lebanon, Syria, Palestine
and Jordan, countries under the Ottoman Empire arrived to La Guajira in the c. 1930s and establishing mostly in Maicao. In 1954 was once again created the Intendance of la Guajira and Riohacha was declared a municipality. Finally in 1964 the Department of La Guajira was created.
The economy of the department is mostly based on royalties from the coal
mining at Cerrejón
, which produced 24.9 million tons of export coal in 2004, Natural gas
exploitation and salt mine. A popular tourist destination is Cabo de la Vela
, a small fishing village located on the tip of the peninsula in the Guajira desert
.
The northern part of the department is arid plains, the Guajira-Barranquilla xeric scrub
, in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
which rise to 5,775 meters in the south. The Sinú Valley dry forests lie in between. In the far south are the headwaters of the Cesar River
which turns south towards the Magdalena River
.
The Rancheria River
also born in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta crosses the Guajira Peninsula
from south to north and flows through the Valley of Upar and into the Caribbean sea
. The Serrania del Perija
and the Montes de Oca
lay on the southeastern part of the department and bordering Venezuela.
The department was subdivided into three subregions based on geographical characteristics; Upper Guajira, Middle Guajira and Southern Guajira. The Upper Guajira covers the northern most area of the peninsula, mostly semi-desert
ic and scarce vegetation, only presenting an isolated low altitude mountain range, the Serrania de Macuira
(865 m over sea level). The Middle Guajira region is mostly flat and wavy in some areas, presenting also an arid environment and the Southern Guajira covers the region of the Montes de Oca
and the Serrania del Perija
mountain ranges on the border with Venezuela and the valley formed with the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
mountain range. Southern Guajira has more wetlands and more rivers.
in Colombia.
The Serrania de Macuira
mountain range is located to the northwest of the Guajira Peninsula
occupying an are of 35,000 ha, 25,000 of which pertain to the Macuira National Park. The mountain range is an isolated ecosystem in the middle of the La Guajira Desert
, near the Caribbean sea
between the villages of Nazareth, Ichipa and Tawara. The mountain range works as a barrier to the trade winds which hit from the northeast charged with humidity.
mountain range is located by the Caribbean sea and is also shared with the Department of Magdalena and the Department of Cesar. Most of the hydrographic reserves in the Department of La Guajira are born in this mountain range, including the Rancheria River
which crosses from south to north most of the department. The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta was declared by UNESCO
as a Biosphere Reserve.
, La Paz, San Diego
and Codazzi
covering an area of 25,000 ha and with an altitude ranging from 1600 to 3,688 m (Paramo
) giving birth to some 13 rivers in Colombia.
) is located on the coastline of the municipality of Riohacha, between the village of Camarones and the Tapias River, covering 7,000 ha. The area has four lagoon
s (Manzanillo, Navío Quebrado, Tocoromanes and Laguna Grande) and numerous streams which serve as habitat to the Flamingo
s and numerous other endemic species.
The area of present-day La Guajira was inhabited predominantly during the Pre Colombian era by indigenous tribes pertaining mostly to the Wayuu
(Guajiros, Macuiros, Anates, Caquetios, Wayunaiki, Cuanaos, Onotos and Eneales) and Cocinas in the northern lower and drier areas; in the south, Koguis
, Arhuacos
, Guanebucanes and Chimilas ethnic groups, among others. Archaeological findings have shown the presence of fishing communities with pottery on the central eastern side of the Guajira Peninsula dating to 10 BC, which also determined that these practiced pottery for the exploitation of marine resources.
These groups coexisted on the Guajira Peninsula. The upper indigenous peoples were nomads, traveling across the peninsula hunting, fishing, and collecting fruits. The indigenous groups in the south were semi-sedentary, practicing agricultural techniques and exploiting coastal resources.
The Guajira Peninsula
was first seen by Spanish explorers led by Alonso de Ojeda
upon reaching the coasts of the Guajira Peninsula
in 1498, but without disembarking. The first Spanish expedition to disembark went in 1502 led by Juan de la Cosa
at Cabo de la Vela
. La Guajira was one of the territories in Colombia that endured a periods of isolation during the Spanish colonization of the Americas
due to the resistance of the indigenous peoples, predominantly the Wayuu. It was until the 18th century that the Spanish monarchy
ordered capitulations to conquest and pacify the indigenous in the region. This did not improve after the independence and the conflict between colonizers and indigenous prevailed throughout the 19th century.
In 1524 Bastidas had created the Government of Santa Marta which covered an area from Cabo de la Vela
to the mouth of the Magdalena River
.
The foundation of the first settlements in the area was made by Martín Fernández de Enciso
who founded a village near the Cabo de la Vela
with the name Nuestra Señora Santa María de los Remedios del Cabo de la Vela in 1535, the first settlement in La Guajira. Due to constant attacks from the indigenous and other Spanish conquerors from neighboring Captaincy of Venezuela due to large deposits of pearls, the village was moved to present-day Riohacha in 1544 and refounded by Nikolaus Federmann
.
Between 1609 and 1640, the Spanish colonizers imported some 800 or more African slaves. Most of these later escaped and formed Palenque
s. In 1679 the Government of Santa Marta offered these palenques their freedom in exchange of protecting the territory from English pirates and the Government of Venezuela who pretended the Guajira Peninsula due to large reserves of pearls in the area.
The Wayuu had never been subjugated by the Spanish. The two groups were in a more or less permanent state of war. There had been rebellions in 1701 (when they destroyed a Capuchin mission), 1727 (when more than 2,000 Indians attacked the Spanish), 1741, 1757, 1761 and 1768. In 1718 Governor Soto de Herrera called them "barbarians, horse thieves, worthy of death, without God, without law and without a king." Of all the Indians in the territory of Colombia, they were unique in having learned the use of firearms and horses.
In 1769 the Spanish took 22 Wayuus captive, in order to put them to work building the fortifications of Cartagena. The reaction of the Indians was unexpected. On May 2, 1769 at El Rincón, near Río de la Hacha
, they set their village afire, burning the church and two Spaniards who had taken refuge in it. They also captured the priest. The Spanish immediately dispatched an expedition from El Rincón to capture the Indians. At the head of this force was José Antonio de Sierra, a mestizo who had also headed the party that had taken the 22 Guajiro captives. The Guajiros recognized him and forced his party to take refuge in the house of the curate, which they then set afire. Sierra and eight of his men were killed.
This success was soon known in other Guajiro areas, and more men joined the revolt. According to Messía, at the peak there were 20,000 Indians under arms. Many had firearms acquired from English and Dutch smugglers, sometimes even from the Spanish. These enabled the rebels to take nearly all the settlements of the region, which they burned. According to the authorities, more than 100 Spaniards were killed and many others taken prisoner. Many cattle were also taken by the rebels. The Spaniards who could took refuse in Río de la Hacha and sent urgent messages to Maracaibo
, Valle de Upar, Santa Marta and Cartagena. Cartagena send 100 troops. The rebels themselves were not unified. Sierra's relatives among the Indians took up arms against the rebels to avenge his death. A battle between the two groups of Indians was fought at La Soledad. That and the arrival of the Spanish reinforcements caused the rebellion to fade away, but not before the Guajiro had regained much territory.
created then the "Guajiro territory" segregated from the State of Magdalena. The indigenous practiced contraband at a large scale and the problems with authority continued and the territory was once again put under the Government of Santa Marta.
In 1871 once again the territory of La Guajira was segregated and became a national territory to become an intendencia in 1898 and commissary in 1911. In 1954 is demoted back to intendencia until 1964 when the Department of La Guajira was created.
The process of evangelizing the Wayuu people restarted in 1887 with the return of the Capuchin friars under reverend friar José María de Valdeviejas. In 1905, Pope Pius X
created the Vicariate of La Guajira and as first Vicar, friar Atanasio Vicente Soler y Royo attempted to "civilize" the Wayuu people.
The Capuchin Friars began building orphanages for Wayuu children in 1903, beginning with La Sierrita orphanage built in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains. The San Antonio orphanage, located by the Calancala River, was built in 1910 and the Nazareth orphanage in the Serrania de Macuira mountains in 1913. The orphanages created a direct influence over the Ranchería
s of Guarrachal, El Pájaro, Carazúa, Guaraguao, Murumana, Garra Patamana and Karraipía. The Nazareth Orphanage had some control over the rancherías of Taroa, Maguaipa, Guaseipá, and Alpanapause. The friars frequently visited the settlements, inviting the people to attend mass. Wayuu children in the orphanages were educated with traditional European customs. Conflicts between the Wayuu people and the Colombian government have decreased since then. In 1942 Uribia celebrated Christmas
and New Year's Eve
for the first time .
(1899–1902) the region was affected by the struggle between liberals
and conservatives
. The indigenous in La Guajira sided with members of either side depending on parental affiliation or economic advantage rather than on political views. A cacique named Jose Dolores came to an agreement with Liberal radical Rafael Uribe Uribe
, but later sided with the conservatives after having a parental affiliation to General Iguarán, one of the conservative commanders.
since the 1970s initially by the two main guerrilla groups; the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
(FARC) and the National Liberation Army
(ELN) mostly in the southern Guajira between the mountain of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Serrania del Perija bordering Venezuela. The influence in the northern Guajira was disputed with the indigenous Wayuu who since the 1970s controlled contraband in the area; mainly narcotics. In the southern Guajira the FARC operates its Caribbean Bloc
's 59th Front and influences from the 19th and 41st fronts. The ELN structure in the area is called the Gustavo Palmesano Front.
During the 1990s paramilitary groups set in La Guajira, mainly the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia
(AUC) and the Wayuu Resistance Front led by the Northern Bloc of the AUC
and its commander alias "Jorge 40". The paramilitaries led a cleansing campaign in the early 2000s against rival communist guerrillas and rival drug trafficking groups, preventing the guerrillas from acquiring provisions, ammunitions, weapons and the cut on the illegal drug trade.
In 2004 rivalries aroused between paramilitary factions between "Jorge 40" and another paramilitary commander known as "Chema Balas" for the control of the port of Bahía Portete. In April 2004 paramilitaries executed a number of people in that village, the incident became known as the Bahía Portete massacre
in which some 30 members of the Wayuu were executed, 60 disappeared and some 250 forcedly displaced into Venezuela. Paramilitaries pertaining to the AUC demobilized in 2006, but new drug trafficking organizations arose, such as the Aguilas Negras. Between 2000 and 2005 the FARC and the AUC perpetrated two massacres each while the ELN perpetrated one.
representative is the Governor of the Department of La Guajira elected every four years by popular vote in regional elections
along with the Legislative branch
by the Department Assembly of La Guajira; and the judicial branch by the regional courts under the Superior Tribunal of Riohacha whose members are appointed by the Supreme Court of Colombia
. Control institutions also have their regional representatives. These institutions also have control over the 15 municipalities which are governed locally by a mayor, a town council and by the regional courts and control institutions.
caseríos, all distributed within the municipalities.
has a regional command post in the Department of La Guajira, usually under the command of a colonel and based in the capital of the department, Riohacha. The Colombian National Army has two major units in the department, part of the 1st Division
; the 2nd Mechanized Cavalry Battalion (based in Distracción) and the 6th Mechanized Battalion (Based in Riohacha). The Colombian Air Force
division Comando Aéreo de Combate No. 3 (CACOM-3), in Barranquilla
, Atlantico, covers the Department of La Guajira using as airstrip the Almirante Padilla Airport.
According to the DANE (Colombian statistics bureau) 2005 Census, the Department of La Guajira; 44.9% of the population was indigenous pertaining to the Arhuaco, Koguis
, Wiwa
and Wayuu
primarily; 7.5% of Afro-Colombian
descent, while the remaining 47,6% of the population did not consider itself part of a particular ethnic group, except for the Middle Eastern descendants who have migrated throughout the 20th century.
The Department of La Guajira contains the largest population of indigenous peoples in Colombia
with 20.2% of the total and followed by the departments of Cauca and Narino with 18% and 11,2% of the total indigenous population of Colombia. The municipalities with the largest indigenous populations are those in which the Wayuu people are present Uribia (95.9%), Manaure (88.2%), and Maicao (40.1%).
The population of 623,250 constituted 1.5% of the total population of Colombia
(42,090,502) and 7% of the Caribbean Region of Colombia (8,910,195). The Department of La Guajira had a population density of 29.9 inhabitants per square kilometer. From those 623,250 total inhabitants 50.6% were females and 49.4% were males.
The Economy of the Department of La Guajira is mainly based on the exploitation of mineral resources, such as coal
in the Cerrejon
mines, natural gas, salt mines in Manaure
constituting 53.48% of the total revenues in 2005.
The service industry follows including electricity, gas, potable water, transport and communications, accounting for 11.06% of the total revenue. Education, health, community service and domestic services account for 9.60% of the total.
Agriculture, silviculture
and fishing
accounts for 7.99% of the total followed by commerce, hotel industry and restaurant industry which together account for 6.65% of the total revenues in the Department of La Guajira. In a lower scale public administration accounts for 5.47%, Construction for 3.01%, Real State with 2.21% and Industrial sector 0.52%.
, coffee
, yuca
, plantain
, coconut
s, ñame
, arracacha
, oil palm
, sugar cane, and perico
. 1,211 plantations were transitory while 59,830 plantations were of permanent production.
culture, European culture, mainly through Roman Catholic traditions, Afro-Colombian
and since the mid-20th Century from the Middle East
ern culture, including Islam
ic traditions. There is also a great influence from Venezuela, as the Wayuu traditional territory is shared by the two nations.
followed by the Wayuu language
. The growing population of Middle Eastern immigrants has contributed with the Arabic language
in the region. Koguis and Wiwas are more associated with the Chibchan languages speaking also in their own variation.
Spanish in La Guajira has developed also its own dialect by taking words from mostly the Wayuu language. The Wayuus and other indigenous grooups are also being introduced to bilingual education from their native language to Spanish. Numerous software companies such as Microsoft
and Ubuntu
have developed products in Wayuu language.
Wayuu tribes feature prominently in Papillon
by Henri Charriere
, about an escaped convict who takes refuge with one such tribe. La Guajira has been subject to numerous writings describing the culture.
music, which was allegedly originated in the region formed between Riohacha and Valledupar, some considering it larger and reaching from Riohacha to the central region of the Department of Cesar. Accordions and guitar first used for vallenato music were allegedly acquired in La Guajira as contraband arriving from the nearby island of Aruba
, in the Caribbean sea.
The Wayuu has contributed with their own traditional music and instrument. Their culture directly associates economy and social life with music; such as in the case of raising cattle, in which the indigenous sang to their animals. They also used music for meetings and celebrations, as well as mourning in funerals. The Yonna is the traditional dance of the Wayuu and is used to honor guests.
The Wayuus created many rustic musical instruments called Kashi, Sawawa (type of flute), ma'asi, totoy and the taliraai (tubular flute), wootoroyoi (type of clarinet), among others. The Majayura or ritual of the "young wayuu virgin" in which the female dances towards the male for marriage, while other males perform rhythms with their traditional instruments until the male tumbles onto the ground.
. The most representative of the Guajira cuisine is the Friche; a fried or stewed goat seasoned with salt and its own blood and guts. Arroz con camarones (Rice with shrimp); rice is cooked with a previously boiled shrimp and put to dry on the sun. The Iguana
stew with coconut
s. The Iguaraya; fruit from the cactus
, Wayuus use this for drinking juice or wine. Turtles; cooked in a variety of ways usually with rice, in soup or stewed, cooked in a similar way; deer
s and Capybara
s.
Departments of Colombia
Colombia is an unitary republic formed by thirty-two departments and a Capital District . Each department has a Governor and a Department Assembly , elected by popular vote for a four-year period. The governor cannot be re-elected in consecutive periods...
of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. It occupies most of its namesake peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
, the Guajira Peninsula
Guajira Peninsula
Guajira Peninsula , is a peninsula in northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea...
in the northeast region of the country, facing the Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
in the northern most part of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. The department capital city is Riohacha
Riohacha
Riohacha, Rio Hacha or Rio de la Hacha , is a city in the Riohacha Municipality in the northern Caribbean Region of Colombia by the mouth of the Ranchería River and the Caribbean sea, capital city of the La Guajira Department. Founded by conquistador Nikolaus Federmann in 1535, Riohacha was named...
.
Various indigenous tribes populated the vast arid plains, such as the Wayuu
Wayuu
Wayuu is an Amerindian ethnic group of the La Guajira Peninsula in northern Colombia and northwest Venezuela. They are part of the Maipurean language family.- Geography :...
, Guajiros, Macuiros, Anates, Wayunaiki, Cuanaos and Eneales among others prior to the Spanish arrival to the Americas. In 1498 Alonso de Ojeda navigated around the peninsula of La Guajira, but the one who disembarked in what today is La Guajira was Juan de la Cosa
Juan de la Cosa
Juan de la Cosa was a Spanish cartographer, conquistador and explorer. He made the earliest extant European world map to incorporate the territories of the Americas that were discovered in the 15th century, sailed first 3 voyages with Christopher Columbus, and was the owner/captain of the Santa...
. During the colonial era the territory was disputed by the governors of Santa Marta and Venezuela due to deposits of pearls. English pirates, French, Germans also disputed the territory. Martin Fernandez de Enciso found the city of Nuestra Señora Santa Maria de los Remedios del Cabo de la Vela, first village in the territory but due to constant attacks, in 1535 Don Nicolas de Federman had to refounded as the village of Riohacha and in 1544 was moved present-day Riohacha. In 1871 the region is separated from the Department of Magdalena and is created La Guajira as part of the national territories. In 1898 was created the Intendance of La Guajira.
In 1911 the Colombian government created the Commissary of la Guajira, followed by a wave of Middle Eastern immigrants (Christians and Maronites
Maronites
Maronites , is an ethnoreligious group in the Middle East that have been historically tied with Lebanon. They derive their name from the Syriac saint Mar Maron whose followers moved to Mount Lebanon from northern Syria establishing the Maronite Church....
) from Lebanon, Syria, Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
and Jordan, countries under the Ottoman Empire arrived to La Guajira in the c. 1930s and establishing mostly in Maicao. In 1954 was once again created the Intendance of la Guajira and Riohacha was declared a municipality. Finally in 1964 the Department of La Guajira was created.
The economy of the department is mostly based on royalties from the coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
mining at Cerrejón
Cerrejón
Cerrejón is a coal mine located in the Guajira department in the north of Colombia. It is the largest mining operation in Colombia and among the largest open-pit coal mines in the world. The legal entity managing the Cerrejón operation is known as Carbones del Cerrejón Ltd...
, which produced 24.9 million tons of export coal in 2004, Natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
exploitation and salt mine. A popular tourist destination is Cabo de la Vela
Cabo de la Vela
Cabo de la Vela is a headland in the Guajira Peninsula in Colombia with an adjacent small fishing village. It is a popular ecotourism destination of the Caribbean Region of Colombia-History:...
, a small fishing village located on the tip of the peninsula in the Guajira desert
La Guajira Desert
La Guajira Desert is located in the northernmost part of Colombia, north of Bogota, in the La Guajira Department, covering most of La Guajira Peninsula including Venezuelan territory. The area holds immense coal reserves, exploited in a zone known as El Cerrejon...
.
Etymology
The name of Guajira comes from the Carib languages. According to Picon (1996: p. 313) the word "Guajiros" was first used in the year 1600 to designate some 200 indigenous families that inhabited in the region of Riohacha, which were known for having large herds of goats. The term expanded to define all the indigenous in the peninsula who seemed to be goat herders. According to Oliver (1990: p. 84) the term "Guajiro" did not appeared on Spanish records until the year 1626 in a document by a Friar named Pedro Simón.Geography
Guajira-Barranquilla xeric scrub
The Guajira-Barranquilla xeric scrub is a xeric shrubland ecoregion in Colombia, covering an estimated area of 150.000 km2.-Setting:The ecoregion occupies the Guajira Peninsula, the valley of Rancheria river and Guajira Department, covering parts of the northeastern coast of Venezuela...
, in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is an isolated mountain range apart from the Andes chain that runs through Colombia. Reaching an altitude of 5,700 metres above sea level just 42 km from the Caribbean coast, the Sierra Nevada is the world's highest coastal range...
which rise to 5,775 meters in the south. The Sinú Valley dry forests lie in between. In the far south are the headwaters of the Cesar River
Cesar River
The Cesar River is a river in northern Colombia which is a part of the Magdalena Basin. It separates the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta from the mountain ranges of the Serrania del Perija an extension of the Cordillera Oriental...
which turns south towards the Magdalena River
Magdalena River
The Magdalena River is the principal river of Colombia, flowing northward about through the western half of the country. It takes its name from the biblical figure Mary Magdalene. It is navigable through much of its lower reaches, in spite of the shifting sand bars at the mouth of its delta, as...
.
The Rancheria River
Rancheria River
Rancheria River may refer to the:*the Ranchería River, a river in the department of La Guajira in Colombia*the Rancheria River , a river in the Yukon Territory, Canada, tributary to the Liard River....
also born in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta crosses the Guajira Peninsula
Guajira Peninsula
Guajira Peninsula , is a peninsula in northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea...
from south to north and flows through the Valley of Upar and into the Caribbean sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
. The Serrania del Perija
Serrania del Perija
The Serranía del Perijá, Cordillera de Perijá or Sierra de Perijá is a mountain range, an extension of the eastern Andean branch , in northern South America, between Colombia and Venezuela, ending further north in the Guajira Desert, a total distance of about 310 km...
and the Montes de Oca
Montes de Oca
-Places:* Montes de Oca Canton, Costa Rica* Montes de Oca , in Burgos province, Spain, in Belgrano department, Santa Fe province, Argentina* La Unión de Isidoro Montes de Oca, in Guerrero state, Mexico* Villafranca Montes de Oca, in Burgos province, Spain...
lay on the southeastern part of the department and bordering Venezuela.
The department was subdivided into three subregions based on geographical characteristics; Upper Guajira, Middle Guajira and Southern Guajira. The Upper Guajira covers the northern most area of the peninsula, mostly semi-desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
ic and scarce vegetation, only presenting an isolated low altitude mountain range, the Serrania de Macuira
Serranía de Macuira
Serranía de Macuira is a mountain range in northern Colombia located in the municipality of Uribia, Guajira Peninsula and part of the La Guajira Department. The Serrania de Macuira stands in the middle of the La Guajira Desert at 864 meters over sea level, isolated from the mountain ranges of...
(865 m over sea level). The Middle Guajira region is mostly flat and wavy in some areas, presenting also an arid environment and the Southern Guajira covers the region of the Montes de Oca
Montes de Oca
-Places:* Montes de Oca Canton, Costa Rica* Montes de Oca , in Burgos province, Spain, in Belgrano department, Santa Fe province, Argentina* La Unión de Isidoro Montes de Oca, in Guerrero state, Mexico* Villafranca Montes de Oca, in Burgos province, Spain...
and the Serrania del Perija
Serrania del Perija
The Serranía del Perijá, Cordillera de Perijá or Sierra de Perijá is a mountain range, an extension of the eastern Andean branch , in northern South America, between Colombia and Venezuela, ending further north in the Guajira Desert, a total distance of about 310 km...
mountain ranges on the border with Venezuela and the valley formed with the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is an isolated mountain range apart from the Andes chain that runs through Colombia. Reaching an altitude of 5,700 metres above sea level just 42 km from the Caribbean coast, the Sierra Nevada is the world's highest coastal range...
mountain range. Southern Guajira has more wetlands and more rivers.
Ecoregions
The Department of La Guajira is within the Colombian Caribbean region, one of the five natural regionsNatural regions of Colombia
Because of its natural structure, Colombia can be divided into six very distinct natural regions. These consist of the Andean region, covering the three branches of the Andes mountains found in Colombia; the Caribbean region, covering the area adjacent to the Caribbean sea; the Pacific region...
in Colombia.
Serranía de Macuira
Serranía de Macuira
Serranía de Macuira is a mountain range in northern Colombia located in the municipality of Uribia, Guajira Peninsula and part of the La Guajira Department. The Serrania de Macuira stands in the middle of the La Guajira Desert at 864 meters over sea level, isolated from the mountain ranges of...
mountain range is located to the northwest of the Guajira Peninsula
Guajira Peninsula
Guajira Peninsula , is a peninsula in northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea...
occupying an are of 35,000 ha, 25,000 of which pertain to the Macuira National Park. The mountain range is an isolated ecosystem in the middle of the La Guajira Desert
La Guajira Desert
La Guajira Desert is located in the northernmost part of Colombia, north of Bogota, in the La Guajira Department, covering most of La Guajira Peninsula including Venezuelan territory. The area holds immense coal reserves, exploited in a zone known as El Cerrejon...
, near the Caribbean sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
between the villages of Nazareth, Ichipa and Tawara. The mountain range works as a barrier to the trade winds which hit from the northeast charged with humidity.
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
The Sierra Nevada de Santa MartaSierra Nevada de Santa Marta
The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is an isolated mountain range apart from the Andes chain that runs through Colombia. Reaching an altitude of 5,700 metres above sea level just 42 km from the Caribbean coast, the Sierra Nevada is the world's highest coastal range...
mountain range is located by the Caribbean sea and is also shared with the Department of Magdalena and the Department of Cesar. Most of the hydrographic reserves in the Department of La Guajira are born in this mountain range, including the Rancheria River
Rancheria River
Rancheria River may refer to the:*the Ranchería River, a river in the department of La Guajira in Colombia*the Rancheria River , a river in the Yukon Territory, Canada, tributary to the Liard River....
which crosses from south to north most of the department. The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta was declared by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
as a Biosphere Reserve.
Cerro Pintao
The Cerro Pintao ("Painted Hill") which also covers the municipalities of San Juan del Cesar, El Molino, Villanueva and Urumita and in the Department of Cesar the municipalities of ManaureManaure, Cesar
Manaure also known as Balcón del Cesar is a Colombian town and municipality located in the northeastern region of the Cesar Department on the Serrania del Perija.-Geography:...
, La Paz, San Diego
San Diego, Cesar
San Diego is a town and municipality in the Colombian Department of Cesar.-External links:* *...
and Codazzi
Codazzi
Agustín Codazzi or Codazzi, is a city and municipality of the Department of Cesar. It was founded in 1784 by the Spanish Captain Salvador Felix de Arias with the name of El Pueblito del Espiritu Santo but later renamed after the Italian cartographer, Giovanni Battista Agostino Codazzi, who died in...
covering an area of 25,000 ha and with an altitude ranging from 1600 to 3,688 m (Paramo
Páramo
The term páramo can refer to a variety of ecosystems. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as “all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline”. A more narrow term classifies the páramo according to its regional placement - specifically located in “the northern Andes...
) giving birth to some 13 rivers in Colombia.
Flamingos Fauna and Flora Sanctuary
The Santuario de Flora y Fauna los Flamencos (Flamingos Fauna and Flora SanctuaryFlamingos Fauna and Flora Sanctuary
Flamingos Fauna and Flora Sanctuary has been a natural park since 1977. It is located in the Colombian Caribbean Region and the Guajira Peninsula and part of the department of La Guajira....
) is located on the coastline of the municipality of Riohacha, between the village of Camarones and the Tapias River, covering 7,000 ha. The area has four lagoon
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
s (Manzanillo, Navío Quebrado, Tocoromanes and Laguna Grande) and numerous streams which serve as habitat to the Flamingo
Flamingo
Flamingos or flamingoes are gregarious wading birds in the genus Phoenicopterus , the only genus in the family Phoenicopteridae...
s and numerous other endemic species.
Flamingos Protection Area
Located in the village of Musichi, the Flamingos Protection Area is within the municipality of Manaure and presents numerous lagoons which are also used by locals for the artisan exploitation of salt.Climate
Pre-Colombian
Wayuu
Wayuu is an Amerindian ethnic group of the La Guajira Peninsula in northern Colombia and northwest Venezuela. They are part of the Maipurean language family.- Geography :...
(Guajiros, Macuiros, Anates, Caquetios, Wayunaiki, Cuanaos, Onotos and Eneales) and Cocinas in the northern lower and drier areas; in the south, Koguis
Koguis
The Kogi or Cogui or Kaggabba, translated "jaguar" in the Kogi language are a Native American ethnic group that lives in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia. They are one of the few surviving Pre-Columbian civilizations of South America...
, Arhuacos
Arhuacos
The Arhuaco people, also called the Aruacos, Ica, Ijca or Bintuk, names of a Native American ethnic group part of the Chibcha family, descendents of the Tairona Culture concentrated in northern Colombia in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.-Territory:The Arhuacos live in the upper valleys of the...
, Guanebucanes and Chimilas ethnic groups, among others. Archaeological findings have shown the presence of fishing communities with pottery on the central eastern side of the Guajira Peninsula dating to 10 BC, which also determined that these practiced pottery for the exploitation of marine resources.
These groups coexisted on the Guajira Peninsula. The upper indigenous peoples were nomads, traveling across the peninsula hunting, fishing, and collecting fruits. The indigenous groups in the south were semi-sedentary, practicing agricultural techniques and exploiting coastal resources.
Spanish conquest and colonization
Guajira Peninsula
Guajira Peninsula , is a peninsula in northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea...
was first seen by Spanish explorers led by Alonso de Ojeda
Alonso de Ojeda
Alonso de Ojeda was a Spanish navigator, governor and conquistador. His name is sometimes spelled Alonzo and Oxeda.-Early life:...
upon reaching the coasts of the Guajira Peninsula
Guajira Peninsula
Guajira Peninsula , is a peninsula in northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea...
in 1498, but without disembarking. The first Spanish expedition to disembark went in 1502 led by Juan de la Cosa
Juan de la Cosa
Juan de la Cosa was a Spanish cartographer, conquistador and explorer. He made the earliest extant European world map to incorporate the territories of the Americas that were discovered in the 15th century, sailed first 3 voyages with Christopher Columbus, and was the owner/captain of the Santa...
at Cabo de la Vela
Cabo de la Vela
Cabo de la Vela is a headland in the Guajira Peninsula in Colombia with an adjacent small fishing village. It is a popular ecotourism destination of the Caribbean Region of Colombia-History:...
. La Guajira was one of the territories in Colombia that endured a periods of isolation during the Spanish colonization of the Americas
Spanish colonization of the Americas
Colonial expansion under the Spanish Empire was initiated by the Spanish conquistadores and developed by the Monarchy of Spain through its administrators and missionaries. The motivations for colonial expansion were trade and the spread of the Christian faith through indigenous conversions...
due to the resistance of the indigenous peoples, predominantly the Wayuu. It was until the 18th century that the Spanish monarchy
Spanish monarchy
The Monarchy of Spain, constitutionally referred to as The Crown and commonly referred to as the Spanish monarchy or Hispanic Monarchy, is a constitutional institution and an historic office of Spain...
ordered capitulations to conquest and pacify the indigenous in the region. This did not improve after the independence and the conflict between colonizers and indigenous prevailed throughout the 19th century.
In 1524 Bastidas had created the Government of Santa Marta which covered an area from Cabo de la Vela
Cabo de la Vela
Cabo de la Vela is a headland in the Guajira Peninsula in Colombia with an adjacent small fishing village. It is a popular ecotourism destination of the Caribbean Region of Colombia-History:...
to the mouth of the Magdalena River
Magdalena River
The Magdalena River is the principal river of Colombia, flowing northward about through the western half of the country. It takes its name from the biblical figure Mary Magdalene. It is navigable through much of its lower reaches, in spite of the shifting sand bars at the mouth of its delta, as...
.
The foundation of the first settlements in the area was made by Martín Fernández de Enciso
Martín Fernández de Enciso
Martín Fernández de Enciso was a navigator and geographer from Seville, Spain. He was instrumental in colonising the Isthmus of Darien. Fernandez de Enciso founded a village near the Cabo de la Vela with the name Nuestra Señora Santa María de los Remedios del Cabo de la Vela, the first settlement...
who founded a village near the Cabo de la Vela
Cabo de la Vela
Cabo de la Vela is a headland in the Guajira Peninsula in Colombia with an adjacent small fishing village. It is a popular ecotourism destination of the Caribbean Region of Colombia-History:...
with the name Nuestra Señora Santa María de los Remedios del Cabo de la Vela in 1535, the first settlement in La Guajira. Due to constant attacks from the indigenous and other Spanish conquerors from neighboring Captaincy of Venezuela due to large deposits of pearls, the village was moved to present-day Riohacha in 1544 and refounded by Nikolaus Federmann
Nikolaus Federmann
Nikolaus Federmann was a German adventurer and conquistador in the colonies of Venezuela and Colombia. He worked in the service of the Welser brothers.- Life :...
.
Between 1609 and 1640, the Spanish colonizers imported some 800 or more African slaves. Most of these later escaped and formed Palenque
Palenque
Palenque was a Maya city state in southern Mexico that flourished in the 7th century. The Palenque ruins date back to 100 BC to its fall around 800 AD...
s. In 1679 the Government of Santa Marta offered these palenques their freedom in exchange of protecting the territory from English pirates and the Government of Venezuela who pretended the Guajira Peninsula due to large reserves of pearls in the area.
The Guajira rebellion
Riohacha
Riohacha, Rio Hacha or Rio de la Hacha , is a city in the Riohacha Municipality in the northern Caribbean Region of Colombia by the mouth of the Ranchería River and the Caribbean sea, capital city of the La Guajira Department. Founded by conquistador Nikolaus Federmann in 1535, Riohacha was named...
, they set their village afire, burning the church and two Spaniards who had taken refuge in it. They also captured the priest. The Spanish immediately dispatched an expedition from El Rincón to capture the Indians. At the head of this force was José Antonio de Sierra, a mestizo who had also headed the party that had taken the 22 Guajiro captives. The Guajiros recognized him and forced his party to take refuge in the house of the curate, which they then set afire. Sierra and eight of his men were killed.
This success was soon known in other Guajiro areas, and more men joined the revolt. According to Messía, at the peak there were 20,000 Indians under arms. Many had firearms acquired from English and Dutch smugglers, sometimes even from the Spanish. These enabled the rebels to take nearly all the settlements of the region, which they burned. According to the authorities, more than 100 Spaniards were killed and many others taken prisoner. Many cattle were also taken by the rebels. The Spaniards who could took refuse in Río de la Hacha and sent urgent messages to Maracaibo
Maracaibo
Maracaibo is a city and municipality located in northwestern Venezuela off the western coast of the Lake Maracaibo. It is the second-largest city in the country after the national capital Caracas and the capital of Zulia state...
, Valle de Upar, Santa Marta and Cartagena. Cartagena send 100 troops. The rebels themselves were not unified. Sierra's relatives among the Indians took up arms against the rebels to avenge his death. A battle between the two groups of Indians was fought at La Soledad. That and the arrival of the Spanish reinforcements caused the rebellion to fade away, but not before the Guajiro had regained much territory.
Republican era
In 1846 the new government of the Republic of New GranadaRepublic of New Granada
The Republic of New Granada was a centralist republic consisting primarily of present-day Colombia and Panama with smaller portions of today's Ecuador, and Venezuela. It was created after the dissolution in 1830 of Gran Colombia. It was later abolished in 1858 when the Granadine Confederation was...
created then the "Guajiro territory" segregated from the State of Magdalena. The indigenous practiced contraband at a large scale and the problems with authority continued and the territory was once again put under the Government of Santa Marta.
In 1871 once again the territory of La Guajira was segregated and became a national territory to become an intendencia in 1898 and commissary in 1911. In 1954 is demoted back to intendencia until 1964 when the Department of La Guajira was created.
The Evangelization of the Indigenous Peoples
Pope Pius X
Pope Saint Pius X , born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, was the 257th Pope of the Catholic Church, serving from 1903 to 1914. He was the first pope since Pope Pius V to be canonized. Pius X rejected modernist interpretations of Catholic doctrine, promoting traditional devotional practices and orthodox...
created the Vicariate of La Guajira and as first Vicar, friar Atanasio Vicente Soler y Royo attempted to "civilize" the Wayuu people.
Ranchería
The Spanish word ranchería, or rancherío, refers to a small, rural settlement. In the Americas the term was applied to native villages and to the workers' quarters of a ranch. English adopted the term with both these meanings, usually to designate the residential area of a rancho in the American...
s of Guarrachal, El Pájaro, Carazúa, Guaraguao, Murumana, Garra Patamana and Karraipía. The Nazareth Orphanage had some control over the rancherías of Taroa, Maguaipa, Guaseipá, and Alpanapause. The friars frequently visited the settlements, inviting the people to attend mass. Wayuu children in the orphanages were educated with traditional European customs. Conflicts between the Wayuu people and the Colombian government have decreased since then. In 1942 Uribia celebrated Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
and New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
for the first time .
Thousand days civil war
During the Thousand Days WarThousand Days War
The Thousand Days' War , was a civil armed conflict in the newly created Republic of Colombia, between the Conservative Party, the Liberal Party and its radical factions. In 1899 the ruling conservatives were accused of maintaining power through fraudulent elections...
(1899–1902) the region was affected by the struggle between liberals
Colombian Liberal Party
The Colombian Liberal Party is a center-left party in Colombia that adheres to social democracy and social liberalism.The Party was founded in 1848 and, together with the Colombian Conservative Party, subsequently became one of the two main political forces in the country for over a century.After...
and conservatives
Colombian Conservative Party
The Colombian Conservative Party , is a conservative political party in Colombia. The party was unofficially founded by a group of Revolutionary Commoners during the Revolutionary War for Independence from the Spanish Monarchy and later formally established during the Greater Colombia...
. The indigenous in La Guajira sided with members of either side depending on parental affiliation or economic advantage rather than on political views. A cacique named Jose Dolores came to an agreement with Liberal radical Rafael Uribe Uribe
Rafael Uribe Uribe
Rafael Uribe Uribe was a Colombian lawyer, journalist, and general in the liberal party rebel army.-Early years:...
, but later sided with the conservatives after having a parental affiliation to General Iguarán, one of the conservative commanders.
Colombian armed conflict
The Department of La Guajira was influenced by the Colombian armed conflictColombian Armed Conflict
The Colombian armed conflict or Colombian Civil War are terms that are employed to refer to the current asymmetric low-intensity armed conflict in Colombia that has existed since approximately 1964 or 1966, between the Colombian government and peasant guerrillas such as the Revolutionary Armed...
since the 1970s initially by the two main guerrilla groups; the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army is a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary guerrilla organization based in Colombia which is involved in the ongoing Colombian armed conflict, currently involved in drug dealing and crimes against the civilians..FARC-EP is a peasant army which...
(FARC) and the National Liberation Army
National Liberation Army (Colombia)
National Liberation Army is a revolutionary, avowed Marxist guerrilla group that has been operating in several regions of Colombia since 1964....
(ELN) mostly in the southern Guajira between the mountain of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Serrania del Perija bordering Venezuela. The influence in the northern Guajira was disputed with the indigenous Wayuu who since the 1970s controlled contraband in the area; mainly narcotics. In the southern Guajira the FARC operates its Caribbean Bloc
Caribbean Bloc of the FARC-EP
The Caribbean Bloc of the FARC-EP is a medium-sized FARC-EP bloc which operates in the Northern areas of Colombia and along the Caribbean coast, with routes and access to the coast being strategically important, and is thus sometimes referred to as the Northern Bloc...
's 59th Front and influences from the 19th and 41st fronts. The ELN structure in the area is called the Gustavo Palmesano Front.
During the 1990s paramilitary groups set in La Guajira, mainly the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia
United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia
The United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia was created as an umbrella organization of regional far-right...
(AUC) and the Wayuu Resistance Front led by the Northern Bloc of the AUC
Northern Bloc of the AUC
The Northern Bloc of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia was a Colombian paramilitary organization that operated until March 2006, when it demobilized....
and its commander alias "Jorge 40". The paramilitaries led a cleansing campaign in the early 2000s against rival communist guerrillas and rival drug trafficking groups, preventing the guerrillas from acquiring provisions, ammunitions, weapons and the cut on the illegal drug trade.
In 2004 rivalries aroused between paramilitary factions between "Jorge 40" and another paramilitary commander known as "Chema Balas" for the control of the port of Bahía Portete. In April 2004 paramilitaries executed a number of people in that village, the incident became known as the Bahía Portete massacre
Bahía Portete massacre
The Bahía Portete massacre was a massacre in the Colombian town of Bahía Portete , in the Department of La Guajira on April 16, 2004. It was perpetrated by paramilitary groups of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia Wayuu Counter-Insurgency Bloc led by alias "Jorge 40" killing 12 people and...
in which some 30 members of the Wayuu were executed, 60 disappeared and some 250 forcedly displaced into Venezuela. Paramilitaries pertaining to the AUC demobilized in 2006, but new drug trafficking organizations arose, such as the Aguilas Negras. Between 2000 and 2005 the FARC and the AUC perpetrated two massacres each while the ELN perpetrated one.
Politics
The Department of La Guajira is governed by the three regional representatives branches of power in Colombia. The Executive branchExecutive Branch of Colombia
The Executive Branch of Government in Colombia is one of the three branches of the government of Colombia under the Constitutional provision of separation of powers...
representative is the Governor of the Department of La Guajira elected every four years by popular vote in regional elections
Elections in Colombia
Elections in Colombia are regulated and controlled by the National Electoral Council which also gives information on elections and election results in for the politics of Colombia....
along with the Legislative branch
Legislative Branch of Colombia
The Legislative Branch of Government in Colombia is one of the three branches of the government of Colombia under the Constitutional provision of separation of powers. The legislative branch of government is represented by the Congress of Colombia, which is formed by the Senate of Colombia and the...
by the Department Assembly of La Guajira; and the judicial branch by the regional courts under the Superior Tribunal of Riohacha whose members are appointed by the Supreme Court of Colombia
Supreme Court of Colombia
The Supreme Court of Colombia in Bogotá is the highest judicial body in civil and penal matters and issues of criminal and civil procedure in Colombia...
. Control institutions also have their regional representatives. These institutions also have control over the 15 municipalities which are governed locally by a mayor, a town council and by the regional courts and control institutions.
Administrative divisions
The Department of La Guajira is formed by 15 municipalities, each administered by a popularly elected mayor and a city council, as well as municipal level courts. 12 of the municipalities are part of a government program called "Special Units for Frontier and Department Frontier Zone"; San Juan del Cesar, La Jagua del Pilar, Barrancas, El Molino, Fonseca, Hatonuevo, Maicao, Uribia, Urumita, Villanueva, Manaure and Riohacha. The municipalities of Dibulla, Albania, and Distracción are excluded from that classification. The Department of La Guajira is also composed by 126 corregimientos, 49 inspecciones de policía (police inspections) and 10caseríos, all distributed within the municipalities.
Municipalities
-
AlbaniaAlbania, La GuajiraAlbania is a town and municipality of the Colombian Department of La Guajira. Is the youngest municipality of this Department along with the town of Uribia and others, created on March 19, 2000... -
BarrancasBarrancas, La GuajiraBarrancas is a town and municipality of the Colombian Department of La Guajira. The municipality of Barrancas is located to the left margin of the Ranchería River in a valley formed between the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains and the Serrania del Perija. Barrancas has a total area of 742 km²... -
DibullaDibulla, La GuajiraDibulla is a town and municipality located in the Department of La Guajira, Colombia by the Caribbean sea and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains on the Guajira Peninsula... -
DistracciónDistracción, La GuajiraDistracción is a town and municipality in the Colombian Department of La Guajira. Founded in 1845 by a man from neighboring Barrancas named Antonio María Vidal on the right margin of the Ranchería River.... -
El Molino -
FonsecaFonseca, La GuajiraFonseca is a town and municipality located in the Colombian Department of La Guajira. The town celebrates the Festival del Retorno in honor of St Augustine with religious celebrations, vallenato music events and others.-Geography:... - HatonuevoHatonuevoHatonuevo is a town and municipality of the Colombian Department of La Guajira. A municipality of the La Guajira Department since 1994, it has a population of approximately 17,014 inhabitants, the majority being workers of El Cerrejon coal mine.The town has an extension of 347 km2 and is...
- La Jagua del Pilar
La Jagua del PilarLa Jagua del Pilar is a town and municipality in the Colombian Department of La Guajira. The municipality has a total area of 187 km² and located some 450 meters over sea level and with an average temperature of 27°C... - Maicao
- Manaure
Manaure, La GuajiraManaure or Salinas de Manaure is a town and municipality located in the Colombian Department of La Guajira. Manaure's main economic activity is the exploitation of the vast amounts of salt in the area.-Geography:... - RiohachaRiohachaRiohacha, Rio Hacha or Rio de la Hacha , is a city in the Riohacha Municipality in the northern Caribbean Region of Colombia by the mouth of the Ranchería River and the Caribbean sea, capital city of the La Guajira Department. Founded by conquistador Nikolaus Federmann in 1535, Riohacha was named...
-
San Juan del CesarSan Juan del CesarSan Juan del Cesar is a municipality and town located in the La Guajira Department, Colombia.-Etymology:San Juan Bautista del Cesar name in and Chet-tzar or Sasare indigenous language for calm water, the name of the Cesar River.-History:... - Uribia
- UrumitaUrumitaUrumita is a town and municipality of the Colombian Department of La Guajira.-Geography:The municipality of Urumita is located on the Serrania del Perija mountain range with part of its territory covering the valley of the Cesar River towards the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range...
-
VillanuevaVillanueva, La GuajiraVillanueva is a town and municipality located in the northern Department of La Guajira, Colombia. Villanueva is known in Colombia for being the cradle of many vallenato singers and composers...
Defense
The Colombian National PoliceColombian National Police
The National Police of Colombia is the national police force of Colombia. Although the National Police is not part of the Military of Colombia , it constitutes along with them the "Public Force" and is also controlled by the Ministry of Defense. They are the largest police force in Colombia...
has a regional command post in the Department of La Guajira, usually under the command of a colonel and based in the capital of the department, Riohacha. The Colombian National Army has two major units in the department, part of the 1st Division
1st Division (Colombia)
The 1st Division is a Colombian National Army division consisting on two brigades; The 2nd Brigade based in the city of Barranquilla and the 10th Armored Brigade based in the city of Valledupar its actual commander is general Ricardo Melo Quijano an infantry officer.- 2nd Mechanized Brigade :* 2nd...
; the 2nd Mechanized Cavalry Battalion (based in Distracción) and the 6th Mechanized Battalion (Based in Riohacha). The Colombian Air Force
Colombian Air Force
The Colombian Air Force or FAC is the Air Force of the Republic of Colombia.The Colombian Air Force is one of the three institutions of the Armed Forces of Colombia, charge according to the 1991 Constitution of the work to exercise and maintain control of Colombia's airspace to defend the...
division Comando Aéreo de Combate No. 3 (CACOM-3), in Barranquilla
Barranquilla
Barranquilla is an industrial port city and municipality located in northern Colombia, near the Caribbean Sea. The capital of the Atlántico Department, it is the largest industrial city and port in the Colombian Caribbean region with a population of 1,148,506 as of 2005, which makes it Colombia's...
, Atlantico, covers the Department of La Guajira using as airstrip the Almirante Padilla Airport.
Demographics
Koguis
The Kogi or Cogui or Kaggabba, translated "jaguar" in the Kogi language are a Native American ethnic group that lives in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia. They are one of the few surviving Pre-Columbian civilizations of South America...
, Wiwa
WIWA
WIWA is a radio station broadcasting a Spanish language Christian format. Licensed to St. Cloud, Florida, USA, it serves the greater Orlando area. The station is currently owned by Centro De La Familia Cristiana Inc....
and Wayuu
Wayuu
Wayuu is an Amerindian ethnic group of the La Guajira Peninsula in northern Colombia and northwest Venezuela. They are part of the Maipurean language family.- Geography :...
primarily; 7.5% of Afro-Colombian
Afro-Colombian
Afro Colombians refers to Colombians of African ancestry, and the great impact they have had on Colombian culture. Notable Afro-Colombians include Colombian scientists like Raul Cuero, writers like Manuel Zapata Olivella and politicians:...
descent, while the remaining 47,6% of the population did not consider itself part of a particular ethnic group, except for the Middle Eastern descendants who have migrated throughout the 20th century.
The Department of La Guajira contains the largest population of indigenous peoples in Colombia
Indigenous peoples in Colombia
The indigenous peoples in Colombia comprise a large number of distinct ethnic groups who inhabited the country's present territory prior to its discovery by Europeans around 1500.-Origins:...
with 20.2% of the total and followed by the departments of Cauca and Narino with 18% and 11,2% of the total indigenous population of Colombia. The municipalities with the largest indigenous populations are those in which the Wayuu people are present Uribia (95.9%), Manaure (88.2%), and Maicao (40.1%).
The population of 623,250 constituted 1.5% of the total population of Colombia
Demographics of Colombia
This article is about the demographic features of the population of Colombia, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population....
(42,090,502) and 7% of the Caribbean Region of Colombia (8,910,195). The Department of La Guajira had a population density of 29.9 inhabitants per square kilometer. From those 623,250 total inhabitants 50.6% were females and 49.4% were males.
| Municipality | Population | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Riohacha | 169,311 | 27.2% |
| Uribia | 116,674 | 18.7% |
| Maicao | 103,124 | 16.5% |
| Manaure | 68,578 | 11% |
| San Juan del Cesar | 25,587 | 4.1% |
| Fonseca | 22,220 | 3.6% |
| Barrancas | 22,207 | 3.6% |
| Dibulla | 21,098 | 3.4% |
| Albania | 20,898 | 3.4% |
| Villanueva | 18,804 | 3% |
| Hatonuevo | 9,797 | 1.6% |
| Urumita | 8,545 | 1.4% |
| Distraccion | 8,274 | 1.3% |
| El Molino | 5,937 | 1% |
| La Jagua del Pilar | 2,196 | 0.4% |
| TOTAL (2005) | 623,250 | 100% |
Economy
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
in the Cerrejon
Cerrejón
Cerrejón is a coal mine located in the Guajira department in the north of Colombia. It is the largest mining operation in Colombia and among the largest open-pit coal mines in the world. The legal entity managing the Cerrejón operation is known as Carbones del Cerrejón Ltd...
mines, natural gas, salt mines in Manaure
Manaure, La Guajira
Manaure or Salinas de Manaure is a town and municipality located in the Colombian Department of La Guajira. Manaure's main economic activity is the exploitation of the vast amounts of salt in the area.-Geography:...
constituting 53.48% of the total revenues in 2005.
The service industry follows including electricity, gas, potable water, transport and communications, accounting for 11.06% of the total revenue. Education, health, community service and domestic services account for 9.60% of the total.
Agriculture, silviculture
Silviculture
Silviculture is the practice of controlling the establishment, growth, composition, health, and quality of forests to meet diverse needs and values. The name comes from the Latin silvi- + culture...
and fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
accounts for 7.99% of the total followed by commerce, hotel industry and restaurant industry which together account for 6.65% of the total revenues in the Department of La Guajira. In a lower scale public administration accounts for 5.47%, Construction for 3.01%, Real State with 2.21% and Industrial sector 0.52%.
Agriculture
The Department of La Guajira in 2005 produced mainly tobaccoTobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, yuca
Cassava
Cassava , also called yuca or manioc, a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae native to South America, is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates...
, plantain
Plantain
Plantain is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa. The fruit they produce is generally used for cooking, in contrast to the soft, sweet banana...
, coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
s, ñame
Yam (vegetable)
Yam is the common name for some species in the genus Dioscorea . These are perennial herbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania...
, arracacha
Arracacha
The arracacha is a garden root vegetable originally from the Andes, somewhat intermediate between the carrot and celery...
, oil palm
Oil palm
The oil palms comprise two species of the Arecaceae, or palm family. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil. The African Oil Palm Elaeis guineensis is native to West Africa, occurring between Angola and Gambia, while the American Oil Palm Elaeis oleifera is native to...
, sugar cane, and perico
Perico
Perico may refer to:* Perico : a popular Venezuelan and Colombian dish based on scrambled eggs and various vegetables* A nickname of Pedro Delgado, a Spanish cyclist* Miguel Ángel Alonso or Perico Alonso, father of Xabi Alonso...
. 1,211 plantations were transitory while 59,830 plantations were of permanent production.
Culture
Cultural aspects in the Department of La Guajira have been mostly influenced by the traditions of the WayuuWayuu
Wayuu is an Amerindian ethnic group of the La Guajira Peninsula in northern Colombia and northwest Venezuela. They are part of the Maipurean language family.- Geography :...
culture, European culture, mainly through Roman Catholic traditions, Afro-Colombian
Afro-Colombian
Afro Colombians refers to Colombians of African ancestry, and the great impact they have had on Colombian culture. Notable Afro-Colombians include Colombian scientists like Raul Cuero, writers like Manuel Zapata Olivella and politicians:...
and since the mid-20th Century from the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
ern culture, including Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic traditions. There is also a great influence from Venezuela, as the Wayuu traditional territory is shared by the two nations.
Language
There are three main languages in La Guajira, the most spoken in terms of population is the Spanish languageSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
followed by the Wayuu language
Wayuu language
The Wayuu language, or Goajiro , is spoken by 305,000 indigenous Wayuu people in northeastern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela on the Guajira Peninsula....
. The growing population of Middle Eastern immigrants has contributed with the Arabic language
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
in the region. Koguis and Wiwas are more associated with the Chibchan languages speaking also in their own variation.
Spanish in La Guajira has developed also its own dialect by taking words from mostly the Wayuu language. The Wayuus and other indigenous grooups are also being introduced to bilingual education from their native language to Spanish. Numerous software companies such as Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
and Ubuntu
Ubuntu (operating system)
Ubuntu is a computer operating system based on the Debian Linux distribution and distributed as free and open source software. It is named after the Southern African philosophy of Ubuntu...
have developed products in Wayuu language.
| Group | Language | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Mestizo Mestizo Mestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America, Philippines and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent... |
Spanish Spanish language Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the... |
300,000 |
| Wayuu Wayuu Wayuu is an Amerindian ethnic group of the La Guajira Peninsula in northern Colombia and northwest Venezuela. They are part of the Maipurean language family.- Geography :... |
Wayuunaiki Wayuu language The Wayuu language, or Goajiro , is spoken by 305,000 indigenous Wayuu people in northeastern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela on the Guajira Peninsula.... |
150,000 |
| Koguis Koguis The Kogi or Cogui or Kaggabba, translated "jaguar" in the Kogi language are a Native American ethnic group that lives in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia. They are one of the few surviving Pre-Columbian civilizations of South America... |
Koguian/Tezhuan | 7,100 |
| Wiwas | Dámana/Terruna shayama | 3,100 |
| Middle East Middle East The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East... ern |
Arabic Arabic language Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book... |
3,061 |
| Ika Ika Ika may refer to:*Ika, Nigeria, a Local Government Area*Ika people, a subgroup of the Igbo people**Ika dialect* Ika Fjord, now spelt Ikka Fjord, near Ivittuut, Greenland*Ika, a town in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, Croatia... |
Ikan | 800 |
| Inga Inga Inga is a genus of small tropical, tough-leaved, nitrogen-fixing trees and shrubs, subfamily Mimosoideae. Ingas leaves are pinnate, and flowers are generally white... or Kingui |
Ingan | 200 |
Literature
Literature in La Guajira has been both written in Spanish and Wayuunaiki, most of it describing the myths, the sacred, the tragic, the epics, the legends, heroism, the magic, the comedy and romanticism autochthonous to the region and directly influenced by the Costumbrismo, including physiology and sexuality.Wayuu tribes feature prominently in Papillon
Papillon (autobiography)
Papillon is a memoir by convicted felon and fugitive Henri Charrière, first published in France in 1969. It became an instant bestseller. It was translated into English from the original French by June P. Wilson and Walter B. Michaels for a 1970 edition, and by author Patrick O'Brian...
by Henri Charriere
Henri Charrière
Henri Charrière was a convicted murderer chiefly known as the author of Papillon, a hugely successful memoir of his incarceration in and escape from a penal colony in French Guiana....
, about an escaped convict who takes refuge with one such tribe. La Guajira has been subject to numerous writings describing the culture.
Music
Music is the Department of La Guajira has been directly associated to the indigenous peoples, as well as the influence from the Afro-Colombians and the European cultural influences. Such is the case of the vallenatoVallenato
Vallenato, along with cumbia, is currently a popular folk music of Colombia. It primarily comes from the Colombia's Caribbean region. Vallenato literally means "born in the valley". The valley influencing this name is located between the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Serranía de Perijá in...
music, which was allegedly originated in the region formed between Riohacha and Valledupar, some considering it larger and reaching from Riohacha to the central region of the Department of Cesar. Accordions and guitar first used for vallenato music were allegedly acquired in La Guajira as contraband arriving from the nearby island of Aruba
Aruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
, in the Caribbean sea.
The Wayuu has contributed with their own traditional music and instrument. Their culture directly associates economy and social life with music; such as in the case of raising cattle, in which the indigenous sang to their animals. They also used music for meetings and celebrations, as well as mourning in funerals. The Yonna is the traditional dance of the Wayuu and is used to honor guests.
The Wayuus created many rustic musical instruments called Kashi, Sawawa (type of flute), ma'asi, totoy and the taliraai (tubular flute), wootoroyoi (type of clarinet), among others. The Majayura or ritual of the "young wayuu virgin" in which the female dances towards the male for marriage, while other males perform rhythms with their traditional instruments until the male tumbles onto the ground.
Gastronomy
Gastronomy in the Department of La Guajira is directly associated to the traditional gastronomy of the indigenous Wayuu, based on local fauna and flora, as well as some influence from the Spanish cuisineSpanish cuisine
Spanish cuisine consists of a variety of dishes, which stem from differences in geography, culture and climate. It is heavily influenced by seafood available from the waters that surround the country, and reflects the country's deep maritime roots...
. The most representative of the Guajira cuisine is the Friche; a fried or stewed goat seasoned with salt and its own blood and guts. Arroz con camarones (Rice with shrimp); rice is cooked with a previously boiled shrimp and put to dry on the sun. The Iguana
Iguana
Iguana is a herbivorous genus of lizard native to tropical areas of Central America and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his book Specimen Medicum, Exhibens Synopsin Reptilium Emendatam cum Experimentis circa Venena...
stew with coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
s. The Iguaraya; fruit from the cactus
Cactus
A cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae. Their distinctive appearance is a result of adaptations to conserve water in dry and/or hot environments. In most species, the stem has evolved to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the leaves have evolved into spines...
, Wayuus use this for drinking juice or wine. Turtles; cooked in a variety of ways usually with rice, in soup or stewed, cooked in a similar way; deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
s and Capybara
Capybara
The capybara , also known as capivara in Portuguese, and capibara, chigüire in Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador ronsoco in Peru, chigüiro, and carpincho in Spanish, is the largest living rodent in the world. Its closest relatives are agouti, chinchillas, coyphillas, and guinea pigs...
s.