Valledupar is a city and municipality in northeastern
ColombiaColombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a constitutional republic in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean...
, capital of the Department of Cesar founded in 1550 by Spanish Conqueror
Hernando de SantanaHernando de Santana was a Spanish conqueror, the founder of the City of Valledupar and conqueror in what is now northern Colombia....
. Its name
Valle de Upar (Valley of Upar) was established in honor of an amerindian
caciqueCacique or Cazique is a title derived from the Taíno word for the pre-Columbian chiefs or leaders of tribes in the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles...
that ruled the valley;
Cacique Upar. Lies between the mountains of
Sierra Nevada de Santa MartaThe 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. The Sierra Nevada encompasses...
and the
Serrania del PerijaThe Serranía del Perijá, Cordilla 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...
to the margin of the
Guatapurí RiverThe Guatapurí River, or Rio Guatapurí in Spanish, is a river that flows from the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta into the Cesar River in northern Colombia by the city of Valledupar....
and
Cesar RiverThe 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...
.
Valledupar is an important
agriculturalAgriculture is the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of human civilization, with the husbandry of domesticated animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more densely populated and...
, cattle raising and agroindustrial center for the region between the Departments of Cesar and southern municipalities of La Guajira, formerly known as the
Province of Padilla. Valledupar is notoriously known for being the cradle of
vallenatoVallenato, 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, representative of the Colombian culture. The city hosts the
Vallenato Legend FestivalThe Vallenato Legend Festival is one of the most important musical festivals in Colombia. The Festival features a vallenato music contests for best interpreter of accordion, caja vallenata and guacharaca, as well as piqueria and best song...
.
During the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s the city was affected intensively by the
Colombian Armed ConflictThe 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, which was when the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and later the National Liberation...
, with massive kidnappings, forcedly displaced people. and an endemic problem of impunity reflected specially towards crimes against
journalistA journalist is a person who practises journalism, the gathering and dissemination of information about current events, trends, issues, and people while striving for viewpoints that are not biased.Reporters are one type of journalist...
s. Valledupar has one of
ColombiaColombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a constitutional republic in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean...
's most modern maximum security
prisonA prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Other terms are penitentiary, correctional facility, and jail , although in the United States "jail" and "prison" refer to different subtypes of correctional facility...
s.
Geography
The municipality of Valledupar is located southwest of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, 10
degreesA degree , usually denoted by ° , is a measurement of plane angle, representing 1⁄360 of a full rotation; one degree is equivalent to π/180 radians...
, 29 minutes, of north latitude and 73 degrees 15 minutes long to the west of the Greenwich Meridian. Valledupar’s average temperature is about 28
°CCelsius is a temperature scale that is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death...
. Because of its high
altitudeAltitude is defined based on the context in which it is used . As a general definition, altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object...
but proximity to the
equatorThe equator is the intersection of the Earth's surface with the plane perpendicular to the Earth's axis of rotation and containing the Earth's center of mass. In simpler language, it is an imaginary line on the Earth's surface equidistant from the North Pole and South Pole that divides the Earth...
, this municipality possesses a
variety of environmentsThe Life Zone concept was developed by C. Hart Merriam in 1889 as a means of describing areas with similar plant and animal communities. Merriam observed that the changes in these communities with an increase in latitude at a constant elevation are similar to the changes seen with an increase in...
, from hot warm to perpetual
snowSnow is a type of precipitation in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by external pressure. Snowflakes...
. The most important heights are the
Sierra Nevada de Santa MartaThe 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. The Sierra Nevada encompasses...
’s peaks; the Codazzi peak, the El Guardian peak, the Ojeda peak and the La Reina peak. Many
riverA river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing toward an ocean, a lake, a sea or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water...
s descend from its snowy peaks and lagoons; the Ariguani River, Ariguanicito River, Badillo River, Calderas River, Cesar River, Curiba River, Donachui River, Garupal River, Guatapuri River, which borders the city of Valledupar, and the Mariangola River.
The Municipality of Valledupar limits to the north with the municipalities of
RiohachaRiohacha, Rio Hacha or Rio de la Hacha , is a city and municipality in the northern Caribbean Region of Colombia by the mouth of the Ranchería River and the Caribbean sea, capital city of the Department of La Guajira. Founded by Conqueror Nikolaus Federmann in 1535, Riohacha was named after a local...
and
San 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:...
in the department of La Guajira. To the south with the municipalities of
El PasoEl Paso is a municipality in the Cesar Department of Colombia. El Paso is mostly known for having the second largest coal mine in Colombia, located in the corregimiento of La Loma.-Etimology:...
and
Los Robles La PazLos Robles La Paz or simply La Paz is a municipality and a town in the Department of Cesar, Colombia. The town is close to the Capital city of the Department of Cesar; Valledupar. The municipality of La Paz borders to the north with La Guajira Department, to the northeast with the municipality of...
in the department of
CesarCesar may refer to:-People:*César, an alias for Gerardo Aguilar Ramírez, Colombian guerrillero*César Baldaccini, French sculptor*César Castro, Brazilian diver...
; to the east with the municipalities of Villanueva and Urumita, also in the Department of La Guajira; and to the west with the municipalities from the department of
MagdalenaMagdalena is a version of the Hebrew name Magdalene used in Bulgarian, Czech, German, Dutch, Macedonian, Swedish, Spanish, Polish, Slovak, Slovene and Russian among other languages.Magdalena may refer to:In places:...
; Fundacion and
AracatacaAracataca is a municipality located in the Department of Magdalena, Colombia's Caribbean Region. Aracata is a river town founded in 1885. The town stands beside the river of the same name, the Aracataca river that flows from the near by Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range into the Ciénaga...
.
The municipality has an area of about 4,977.96 km², from which 72,660 km² pertain to the Arhuacos Indian Reserve, 399.52 km² to the Kogui and wiwa Indian Reserve, and 425.60 km² to the
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National ParkSierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Park is a Colombian National Park, located in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, between the cities of Santa Marta and Riohacha. It is a sanctuary as well as a tourist attraction, because it offers different climate, terrain, flora and fauna environments,...
.
History
From the place name Valle de Upar (Valley of Upar) named after a legendary local Amerindian cacique named Upar leader of the native American Chimila Nation. The region was first explored by Pedro de Badillo and later forcedly conquered in 1532 by a German named
Ambrosius EhingerAmbrosius Ehinger, also Dalfinger, Thalfinger, was a German conquistador and the first governor of the Welser concession, also known as “Little Venice” , in New Granada, now Venezuela and Colombia.Ehinger was a factor in Madrid for the Welser...
, governor of Venezuela who invaded the area belonging to the government of Santa Marta. The city was founded later in 1550 by Spanish conqueror, Captain
Hernando de SantanaHernando de Santana was a Spanish conqueror, the founder of the City of Valledupar and conqueror in what is now northern Colombia....
with the name
Valle de Upar. The Catholic Church usually named the city
Ciudad de los Santos Reyes de Valledupar (city of the holy kings of Valledupar) because it was on the same day the three kings visited
JesusJesus of Nazareth —also known as Jesus Christ or occasionally Jesus the Christ—is the central figure of Christianity. Within most Christian denominations...
, the 6th day of January, the name later got modified due to grammar abbreviation to Valle Dupar and then to Valledupar.
Since the colonization period the region has been one of the paths for products arriving from the Caribbean sea into the inland. Spaniards transited through the area and established extensive farming, mainly imported European cattle (among many animals) and agriculture. The Chimila Nation was decimated and later exterminated due to the use of them for forced labor and continuous battles.
On May 22, 1810 some 400 inhabitants of the
CabildoCabildo can refer to:* Cabildo , a former Spanish municipal administrative unit governed by a council* Cabildo , African ethnic associations in colonial Cuba* Cabildo , an Argentine nationalist Catholic magazine...
of the Valle de Upar insurrected against the Spanish Monarchy and protesting against the then Mayor Colonel Marques de Valde-Hoyos. The mayor seeing angry protests fled to neighboring
San 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:...
leaving in charge V. Ruiz de Gomez. In 1813 the independence from Spain was proclaimed by Maria Concepcion Loperena de Fernandez de Castro, a wealthy land owner who helped supply three hundred horses to "El Libertador"
Simón BolívarSimón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte Blanco, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a South American political leader...
' independentist army. In 1850 became capital of the Valledupar Province and in 1864 was elevated to capital of the Valledupar Department of the Federal State of Magdalena. In 1915, After the political and administrative division restructuring of the Unitarian Colombian State, Valledupar was proclaimed municipality of the Province of Valledupar, part of the Federal State of Magdalena during the
United States of ColombiaThe United States of Colombia was the name adopted in 1863 through the Rionegro Constitution for the nation which had been known as the Republic of New Granada since the dissolution of the federation of Great Colombia in 1830-1831....
era. The region maintained a relatively isolation from the rest of the country mainly because of its low importance at the time, and for the violent political struggles of the different governments of Colombia, that were most of the time centered in large cities, like
BogotáBogotá – officially named Bogotá, D.C. , formerly called Santa Fe de Bogotá – is the capital city of Colombia, as well as the most populous city in the country, with 6,776,009 inhabitants...
.
During
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the city received immigrants from
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
, especially
FrenchFrench people can refer to:* The legal residents and citizens of France, regardless of ancestry. For a legal discussion, see French nationality law.* People whose ancestors lived in France or the area that later became France....
,
GermansThe German people are an ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common German culture, descent, and speaking the German language as a mother tongue. Within Germany, Germans are defined by citizenship , distinguished from people of German ancestry...
and
ItaliansThe Italian people are an ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common Italian culture, descent, and speaking the Italian language as a mother tongue...
, later on, immigrants from the
Middle EastThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, southeastern Europe, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East...
came to the city in different waves. In 1956 was proclaimed a parish by the Catholic Church and after the republic of Colombia was created the
Department of CesarDepartment of Cesar or simply Cesar is a department of Colombia located in the north of the country in the Caribbean region, bordering to the north with the Department of La Guajira, to the west with the Department of Magdalena and Department of Bolivar, to the south with Department of Santander,...
was established in 1967, Valledupar became its capital. The region started developing abruptly thanks in part to the political support it received from former president
Alfonso Lopez MichelsenAlfonso López Michelsen was a Colombian politician, lawyer and journalist. Lopez Michelsen was President of Colombia from 1974 to 1978. He was the son of Alfonso López Pumarejo, who was also president of Colombia from 1934 to 1938, and once again from 1942 to 1945...
, who was the Department of Cesar's first governor and the
Colombian Liberal PartyThe Colombian Liberal Party is a center-left party in Colombia. The ideology of this party is the social democracy and social liberalism....
. Valledupar came to be known as "sorpresa caribe" (The caribbean surprise) because of its rapid economic growth, during the 1970s, especially in
cottonCotton is a soft, staple fiber that grows in a form known as a boll around the seeds of the cotton plant, a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, India and Africa. The fiber most often is spun into yarn or thread and used to make a soft,...
production, which people from Valledupar called "white gold". During one of these years Valledupar even ranked second overall in economic profits for Colombia and began its urban growth and social change. Valledupar also found its cultural heritage and identity through out these years, with the rediscovery of the
VallenatoVallenato, 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 strongly symbolizes the culture of Colombia itself.
Unfortunately, a period of violence erupted during the mid-1980s due to a struggling leftist political party,
The Patriotic Union (U.P.)The Patriotic Union or UP , was a leftist Colombian political party founded by the FARC and the Colombian Communist Party in 1985, as part of the peace negotiations that the guerrillas held with the Conservative Belisario Betancur administration...
, led by their young leader and society's prominent banker; Juvenal Ovidio Ricardo Palmera Pineda. Because of his incendiary remarks during a peasant strike and later uprising in the city main plaza he was jailed and later given an amnesty by then governor of the Department, Jorge Dangond Daza. He then went into hiding, because the national government (indirectly) and conservative groups started a persecution on UP's leaders and followers, with other of his comarades that were also from Valledupar, most of them wento into exile in Europe. He decided to escape into the mountains, getting refuge with the armed brach of the UP; The FARC.
He became a guerrilla leader, and because he was a banker he knew who in Valledupar and the region were wealthy. He began kidnapping (and sometimes killing) prominent political leaders, journalists and rich land owners (including members of his own family) using the ransoms to finance his organization. He started calling himself with the alias of
Simón TrinidadSimón Trinidad is the nom de guerre of Juvenal Ovidio Ricardo Palmera Pineda, a Colombian high-ranking member of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia , and reputedly the first highest ranking members of that rebel group ever to be captured during Colombia's 40-year-long insurgency...
.
During this situation delinquency also arose and in October 15, 1994, the national bank
El Banco de la Republica (Bank of the Republic) was assaulted. The amount stolen: COP$ 24,075 millions of pesos of non emitted bills (some US$ 11 million) and came to be known as the "
El Robo del Siglo" (The Bank heist of the century).
To counter FARC and
ELNELN may refer to:*Equity-linked note, a financial instrument*Elastin, a protein*Ejército de Liberación Nacional, see**National Liberation Army **National Liberation Army *Electronic lab notebook, a software program...
's abuses, and after aproximately fifteen years of asfixiating Valledupar's society and supporting negligence by the Colombian military, some prominent leaders of Valledupar, landowners and those victims of these organizations decided to become part or promote, self-defense forces that later on affiliated with the
AUCThe United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia is an umbrella organization of regional paramilitary groups in Colombia, each intending to protect different local economic, social and political interests by fighting insurgents in their areas. It is estimated that it has more than 20,000 militants...
and assigned another "Vallenatean" as leader
Rodrigo Tovar PupoRodrigo Tovar Pupo, was born in Valledupar, Colombia. He was the leader of the Northern Bloc of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia...
a.k.a. Jorge 40.
Unfortunately, the self-defense forces adopted methods like the guerrilla including illegal drug trafficking business to finance their operations, and terrorism tactics that also affected innocent people such by selective and random kidnappings and other combinations of racketeering and selective assassinations - the trademark of Death Squadrons. Apparently, the
AUCThe United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia is an umbrella organization of regional paramilitary groups in Colombia, each intending to protect different local economic, social and political interests by fighting insurgents in their areas. It is estimated that it has more than 20,000 militants...
helped recover the region from guerrillas, but Valledupar inhabitants now face more or less the same kind of uncertainty as before of having an illegal and terrorist organization controlling their city.
The AUC northeren block demobilized March 10, 2006. With this demobilization remains uncertain if the Colombian military by itself may be able to held these two terrorist organizations accounted for or dismantle them. Because of this violence many displaced people in rural areas have forcedly fled into Valledupar's urban areas and prominent leaders have been either killed, threatened to be killed, forced into bankruptcy or forced to leave the region.
Despite all the violence, Valledupar has quickly developed into an important agricultural and cattle raising center for the region between the departments of Cesar and southern parts of La Guajira since it became capital of the Department of Cesar; however, it owes its high profile for being the cradle of
vallenatoVallenato, 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, played with
accordionThe accordion is a portable box-shaped musical instrument of the hand-held bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox...
, a small drum (caja) and a scraping instrument
guacharacaGuacharaca is a musical percussion instrument usually made out of the cane-like trunk of a small palm tree. The guacharaca itself consists of a tube with ridges carved into its outer surface with part of its interior hollowed out, giving it the appearance of a tiny, notched canoe. It is played with...
and for having every year since 1968, at the end of April, a four-day festival; the
Vallenato Legend FestivalThe Vallenato Legend Festival is one of the most important musical festivals in Colombia. The Festival features a vallenato music contests for best interpreter of accordion, caja vallenata and guacharaca, as well as piqueria and best song...
.
Politics
The Department of Cesar's government and Chamber of Deputies offices are based in Valledupar as well as other Department level entities. At City level, the Major of the City and the City counselors have a three year term in office, and are in charge of local government issues. The major has powers but it is highly dependent on the budgets assigned by the Departmental government in order to execute plans.
Most of the past local government leaders have been involved in corruption cases, been investigated and sometimes incarcerated. Government bureaucracy is highly politized, the execution of some plans is done depending on political interests to have advantages over other political adversaries.
Local judiciary is also vulnerable to corruption and is usually and easily hit by violent actors.
See more: Political System of Colombia
Administrative divisions
In Valledupar 84% of the total population lives in the urban areas of the municipality with a density of aprox. 68,4 inhabitants per km²
(1).
Urban:
The city of Valledupar is made up 6 comunas subdivided into 138
barrioBarrio is a Spanish word meaning district or neighborhood.-Usage:In its formal usage in English, barrios are generally considered cohesive places, sharing, for example, a church and traditions such as feast days...
s and Districts.
Corregimientos
The Municipality of Valledupar is divided into six different geographic zones integrated by subdivisions called
CorregimientoCorregimiento is a term used in Colombia to define a subdivision of Colombian departments. According to the Colombian Constitution of 1991 and Decree 2274 of October 4, 1991, Corregimiento is an internal part of a Department or province, which includes a population core...
s (25), and subdivisions to this called
VeredaVereda is a subdivisional administrative part of a municipality in Colombia...
s (125) and considered rural areas of the city of Valledupar:
- Northern Zone: 5 corregimientos divided into 42 veredas.
Corregimientos:
-
- Atanquez
Atanquez or San Sebastian is a Colombian town and corregimiento of Valledupar in the Department of Cesar. Atanquez is located on the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range at approximately 2,000 m over sea level...
- Guatapurí
- Chemesquemena
- La Mina
- Los Haticos
Los Haticos is a village and corregimiento in the municipality of Valledupar within the Colombian Department of Cesar. The town lies on the steps of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in the Colombian Caribbean region.-Geography:...
- Northwestern Zone: 10 corregimientos divided into 4 veredas.
Corregimientos:
-
- Guacoche
- Guacochito
- La Vega Arriba
- Los Corazones
- El Jabo
- Las Raices
- El Alto la Vuelta
- Badillo
- Patillal
Patillal is a village and corregimiento in the municipality of Valledupar within the Colombian Department of Cesar. The town lies on the steps of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta with a semiarid terrain.-Geography:...
- Rio Seco
- Southeastern Zone: 2 corregimientos divided into 13 veredas.
Corregimientos:
-
- Aguas Blancas
- Valencia de Jesús
Valencia de Jesús is a Colombian town and corregimiento of Valledupar in the Department of Cesar. The village is known for preserving one of the oldest churches in the Americas.-History:...
- Southern Zone: 4 corregimientos divided into 15 veredas.
Corregimientos:
-
- Guaimaral
- Caracoli
- Los Venados
- El Perro
- Southwestern Zone: 2 corregimientos divided into 30 veredas.
Corregimientos:
-
- Mariangola
- Villa Germania
- Northwestern Zone: 2 corregimientos divided into 21 veredas.
Corregimientos:
-
- Sabana Crespo
- Azúcar Buena
Education
- Largest Middle/High school: Colegio Nacional Loperena (Loperena National School)
- Largest university: Popular University of Cesar
The Popular University of Cesar , is a public, departmental, coeducational university based primarily in the city of Valledupar, Cesar, Colombia.-See also:* List of universities in Colombia-External links:* official site...
(Universidad Popular del Cesar) state owned.
- The Educational institutions with the highest academic level in the city are the Fundación Colegio Bilingüe and Colegio Gimnasio Del Norte.
Overall Educational Statistics
-
- Kinder = 6,300
- Middle School = 24,561
- Never completed Middle School = 47,996
- High School = 17,026
- Never completed High School = 51,807
- University = 11,910
- Post Grade = 938
- NOTE: this statistic is from the year 2004.
Ethnicities
Three groups of amerindians, part of the
TaironaTairona is a group of chiefdoms in the region of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in present-day Cesar, Magdalena and La Guajira Departments of Colombia, South America, which goes back at least to the 1st century AD and had significant demographic growth around the 11th century.The Tairona people...
culture, are based along this region inside Indian reserves; The
sierra Nevada de Santa MartaThe 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. The Sierra Nevada encompasses...
Arhuaco Reserve (pop. 18,500); The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Kankuamo Reserve (pop. 12,000) and The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Kogi-Wiwa Reserve (pop.4,500). The amerindians culture has contributed with their traditional skills with arts and crafts, the Africans brought by the Spanish colonists as slaves to do hardwork contributed to the music and the Europeans contributed to almost every other aspect, especially the Spaniards. The
VallenatoVallenato, 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 is a perfect resemble of the fusion of these three cultures; the European
accordionThe accordion is a portable box-shaped musical instrument of the hand-held bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox...
brought by
GermansThe German people are an ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common German culture, descent, and speaking the German language as a mother tongue. Within Germany, Germans are defined by citizenship , distinguished from people of German ancestry...
, the drum from the Africans and the "
guacharacaGuacharaca is a musical percussion instrument usually made out of the cane-like trunk of a small palm tree. The guacharaca itself consists of a tube with ridges carved into its outer surface with part of its interior hollowed out, giving it the appearance of a tiny, notched canoe. It is played with...
" from the amerindians.
Other waves of European immigrants during the 1940s to 1950's established in Valledupar while trying to escape World War II or financial hardships. From approximately the 1960s waves of immigrants from the Middle East started arriving into the city, which are usually and sympathically nicknamed "Turcos" (Turks) by locals. Immigrants have always been embraced and even become part of society, mixing with traditional Valledupar families.
Economy
The economy of the region is based almost entirely on the primary sector.
AgricultureAgriculture is the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of human civilization, with the husbandry of domesticated animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more densely populated and...
and cattle raising are mainly and commonly exploited. During the 1970s the region experienced an economic boom because of a massive production of cotton. This helped to modernize Valledupar, skyrocketing it to the second most productive region in
ColombiaColombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a constitutional republic in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean...
for some time. The cotton boom ended during the 1980s because of a decrease on the cotton produce during these years, causing an economic recession that left many in debt and unable to repay loans to the banks. During these years
Marimberos or Marihuana sellers also produced and contribute the economic boom, because of the high demand in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Today, Valledupar mainly produces
cottonCotton is a soft, staple fiber that grows in a form known as a boll around the seeds of the cotton plant, a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, India and Africa. The fiber most often is spun into yarn or thread and used to make a soft,...
,
riceRice is the seed of a monocot plant Oryza sativa, of the grass family . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East, South, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and the West Indies...
,
oil palmThe 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...
,
tobaccoTobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as an organic pesticide, and in the form of nicotine tartrate it is used in some medicines. In consumption it most commonly appears in the forms of smoking, chewing, snuffing, or...
,
coffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. They are seeds of "coffee cherries" that grow on trees in over 70 countries. It has been said that green coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world behind crude oil. Due to its...
,
cocoaCocoa is the dried and fully fermented fatty seed of the cacao tree, from which chocolate is made. "Cocoa" can often also refer to the drink commonly known as hot chocolate; to cocoa powder, the dry powder made by grinding cocoa seeds and removing the cocoa butter from the dark, bitter cocoa...
and others. In the last years the city has beneficiated from the department of Cesar's exploitation of
coal miningCoal mining is the extraction or removal of coal from the earth by mining. When coal is used for fuel in power generation it is referred to as steaming or thermal coal. Coal that is used to create coke for steel manufacturing is referred to as coking or metallurgical coal...
in the region of
La Jagua de IbiricoLa Jagua de Ibirico is a town and municipality in the Department of Cesar, Colombia. This region of La Jagua is rich in coal which is exploited extensively and is second only to El Cerrejon in La Guajira...
. The secondary sector as well has been flourishing but mainly from the a few agricultural products and derivates from
cattleCattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
. The economy has been recovering in the past five years thanks to the increased presence of military forces who are trying to protect among other things, infrastructure and the economic flow into and out of the area from terrorist groups present in the area;
FARCThe Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army , also known by the acronym of FARC or FARC-EP, is a Marxist-Leninist revolutionary guerrilla organization....
,
ELNNational Liberation Army is a revolutionary, Marxist, insurgent guerrilla group that has been operating in several regions of Colombia since 1964....
and
AUCThe United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia is an umbrella organization of regional paramilitary groups in Colombia, each intending to protect different local economic, social and political interests by fighting insurgents in their areas. It is estimated that it has more than 20,000 militants...
. These groups also contribute to the illicit drugs industry in the region and plant great quantities of amapola and marihuana around the area. This region has a high demand on technology in order to develop into a more modern city. In a smaller scale other sources of the economy are:
fishingFishing is the activity of catching fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, transportation,
constructionIn the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of multitasking...
, industrial manufacturation,
electricityElectricity is a general term that encompasses a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge...
and
gasThis page is about the physical properties of gas as a state of matter. For the uses of gases, and other meanings, see Gas .A gas is one of four states of matter. Near absolute zero, a substance exists as a solid...
,
commerceCommerce is a division of trade or production which deals with the exchange of goods and services from producer to final consumer. It comprises the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information, or money between two or more entities...
,
hotelA hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
industry,
governmentA government is the body within a community, political entity or organization which has the authority to make and enforce rules, laws and regulations.....
,
real estateReal estate is a legal term that encompasses land along with anything permanently affixed to the land, such as buildings, specifically property that is fixed in location.
"Real estate" The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin...
,
educationEducation in its broadest sense is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character or physical ability of an individual...
, healthcare and
domestic servicesA domestic worker is someone who works within the employer's household. Domestic workers perform a variety of household services for an individual or a family, from providing care for children and elderly dependents to cleaning and household maintenance, known as housekeeping...
.
The
Vallenato Legend FestivalThe Vallenato Legend Festival is one of the most important musical festivals in Colombia. The Festival features a vallenato music contests for best interpreter of accordion, caja vallenata and guacharaca, as well as piqueria and best song...
, has gained economic importance because of its impact in Valledupar's economy. The Festival represents a boon in the tourist industry, almost nonexistent before the Festival and now introduced an attractive cultural gathering that is promoting other local products (besides the traditional);
arts and craftsArts and crafts comprise a whole host of activities and hobbies that are related to making things with one's hands and skill. These can be sub-divided into handicrafts or "traditional crafts" and "the rest"...
,
ecotourismEcotourism is travel to fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas that strives to be low impact and small scale. It helps educate the traveler; provides funds for conservation; directly benefits the economic development and political empowerment of local communities; and fosters respect for...
and gasatronomy, giving birth to a
Hospitality industryThe hospitality industry consists of companies within the food services, accommodations, recreation, and entertainment sectors.The hospitality industry is a several billion dollar industry that mostly depends on the availability of leisure time and disposable income...
.
In April 26, 2006 during the
Vallenato Legend FestivalThe Vallenato Legend Festival is one of the most important musical festivals in Colombia. The Festival features a vallenato music contests for best interpreter of accordion, caja vallenata and guacharaca, as well as piqueria and best song...
, the
Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de ColombiaThe Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia , often abbreviated Fedecafé, is a non-profit business association, popularly known for its "Juan Valdez" marketing campaign. The federation was founded in 1927 as a business cooperative that promotes the production and exportation of Colombian coffee...
agreed to commercialize local
coffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. They are seeds of "coffee cherries" that grow on trees in over 70 countries. It has been said that green coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world behind crude oil. Due to its...
into their products with the name
Cafe Festival de la Leyenda Vallenata (Vallenato Legend Festival Coffee), in an effort to promote local small and median coffee growing farms from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Serrania del Perija.
Valledupar also hosts one of the most important Cattle Fairs (Spanish: Ferias Ganaderas) in Colombia at the end of August every year, used also to promote other products from the region.
Culture
Valledupar's cultural background comes from three different major cultures; the European settlers, the Amerindians and Africans brought by the Europeans as slaves during the colonial time. Their mixture developed a unique identity that is mostly accentuated in the music; such as in the
vallenatoVallenato, 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...
and
cumbiaCumbia is a Colombian musical style and folk dance that is considered to be representative of Colombia, along with Vallenato. Cumbia originated from the Caribbean coast of Colombia, with folkloric variants in Panama....
. From the beginning Valledupar was a feudal town, where the
Spanish CultureSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
left a mark on almost everything: the customs, modes, food, popular religion, music, dances and
Castilian languageSpanish or Castilian is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that originated in northern Spain and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile, evolving into the principal language of government and trade in the Iberian peninsula...
.
This culture is highly influenced by the Spanish; inheriting from them the devotion to Catholicism. The holy week, in April, is celebrated here in the same way the Spanish did during the colonial time; with fasting, church attendance and processions to venerate Jesus and the Santo Eccehomo.
Corpus ChristiCorpus Christi is a Western Catholic feast. It is also celebrated in some churches of the Anglican Communion. It honours the Eucharist, which believers consider to be the actual body and blood of Christ, and as such it does not commemorate a particular event in Jesus' life...
is also celebrated here in July. In religious practices, Christians by far represent the majority of the population, the rest being a very small minority of Muslims.
Traditional oral
storytellingStorytelling is the conveying of events in words, images, and sounds often by improvisation or embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture and in every land as a means of entertainment, education, preservation of culture and in order to instill moral values...
helped preserve from
generationGeneration , also known as procreation, is the act of producing offspring. In a more generic sense, it can also refer to the act of creating something inanimate such as electrical generation or cryptographic code generation....
to generation, stories from past times,
mythsMythology is the study of myths and or of a body of myths. For example, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece. The term "myth" is often used colloquially to refer to a false story;...
and
legendsLegends may refer to:* Legend, an historical narrativeIn music:*Legends , a 1998 album*Legends , a 1999 album*Legends , a 2005 album...
, such as the very popular "leyend of the guatapuri mermaid", or the "silborcito", the nazarenian without head", "the Lerta", "The duel between the devil and Francisco 'the man'", "the monitos", "The llorona (the crying woman)", "la madre monte (mother nature)" "la mano pelua (the hairy hand)", "el cuco", among other stories that are still alive. Storytellers are very common in the region, as well as traditional comedians. These storytellers, usually travelling farmers selling their cattle around the region, revived the already traditional Spanish juglares (minstrels), arriving at villages and singing the news and stories from other towns and usually playing an instrument. This is how the
VallenatoVallenato, 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 was believed to be born.
Dances play a very important role in the cultural identity of this society, coming from the three different cultures that founded it, among this dances are: "Tambora La Cumana" "El Pilon
VallenatoVallenato, 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...
" "chicote kankuamo" and "Los Diablos danzantes de Corpus Christi" (The Corpus Christi Dancing Devils), this last one was brought by the colonizers in a theater play and tried to recreate the devil and good, these to help Christianize.
Valledupar also celebrates a carnival in Febreuary, smaller but similar to
Barranquilla's CarnivalBarranquilla's Carnaval is a carnival with traditions that date back to the 19th century. It takes place for four days preceding Ash Wednesday. During the carnival the city of Barranquilla's normal activities are paralyzed because the city gets busy with street dances, musical and masquerade...
. Carnival's celebration of pagan traditions, quickly helped the amerindian and Africans traditions to be adopted by society. As it happened for Vallenato music, considered low class and carnestolendic.
"Vallenatos" or "Valduparenses" (Vallenateans), are considered very warm, generous and embrassing people, representing the innocence and goodwill of the Colombian peasant. Most of them would take care of foreigners as if they were part of the family and serve your needs, but be careful not to offend their traditions, especially their music, a genre that they basically live for.
- Casa de la Cultura (House of Culture) and Escuela de Bellas Artes (Fine Arts School):
These two entities are part of the Colombian Ministry of Culture and their main purpose is to promote and preserve local cultural traditions, exploit cultural abilities from the region and promote an alternative to get to know different cultures.
- Public Library Rafael Carrillo Luquez and its Consuelo Araujo Noguera Library section, was inaugurated in May 8, 2002; created with the main purpose of contributing to social, educational and cultural development of the community with an initial collection of about 12,000 volumes in all areas of human knowledge. It has achieved up to date, a space for kids, youth and adults, it has given access to all users in this society to literature workshops, plastic arts, music, conferences, expositions and local writer's book presentations.
General collection and reference: It has one lecture room with a capacity for a hundred people, with open shelves and open access to collections for users.
Children's room and workshop: independently, it also has a lecture and workshop room for children, with a collection specialized in children and youth's literature, as well as audiovisual materials and other elements to work in plastic arts. In this room, starting at 10 A.M. on Saturdays, a project of story telling goes on called "La Hora del Cuento" (the story time) and on Fridays at 4 P.M. the presentation of movies for children.
-
- On-line catalog: this system helps localize information that users need and contains local bibliographical material information that it's connected to the Banco de la Republica's national libraries network.
- Audiovisual Services: the library also has three individual cubicles for the use of audiovisual material, mostly containing cultural and scientific.
Guatapurí plaza shopping center its Ubication in the north of the city, near to the "
ParqueA park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment. It may consist of, rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas....
de la leyenda Vallenata. Its construction was made by a company called Conconcreto. The construction started on
NovemberNovember is the 11th month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four Gregorian months with the length of 30 days. November retained its name when January and February were added to the Roman calendar....
of 2007 and it has 3 different parts
Shopping center: It was Opened The 4th of September of 2008 and it has More than 50
Retails from
RestaurantA restaurant prepares and serves food and drink to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
s up to a Carrefour supermarket.
Theatres It was opened the 28th of
novemberNovember is the 11th month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four Gregorian months with the length of 30 days. November retained its name when January and February were added to the Roman calendar....
of 2008 Its Operated by Cinemark, and it has 4 screens.
Hotels: it will be a Business hotel, and its Construction is supposed to be Finished at the ends of
AprilApril is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, and one of four months with a length of 30 days. April was originally the second month of the Roman calendar, before January and February were added by King Numa Pompilius about 700 BC...
of 2009
Sports
Valledupar has a
football (soccer)Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players using a spherical ball...
team called Valledupar FC which plays in the Colombian second division. To a lower extend
martial artsMartial arts or fighting arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for combat. While they may be studied for various reasons, martial arts share a single objective: to physically defeat other persons and to defend oneself or others from physical threat...
(Tae kwon do,
Judo, meaning "gentle way", is a modern Japanese martial art and combat sport, that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century...
and
Karateis a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands...
)
cyclingCycling is an activity most commonly performed on a bicycle - when it is it is also referred to as bicycling or simply biking. It is the use of the bicycle, unicycle , tricycles , quadracycles , and other similar wheeled human-powered vehicles for the purpose of transport, as a form of...
,
Roller skatingRoller skating is the traveling on smooth terrain with roller skates. It is a form of recreation as well as a sport, and can also be a form of transportation...
,
basketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of 5 players try to score points against one another by placing a ball through a
10 foot high hoop under organized rules...
,
SoftballSoftball is a team sport popular especially in the United States. It is a direct descendant of baseball. Some key differences between softball and baseball are that softballs are larger than baseballs, and pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand. Softball was invented by George Hancock...
,
volleyball Volleyball is an Olympic team sport in which two teams of 6 players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules...
,
chessChess is a board game played between two players. The current form of the game emerged in Southern Europe during the second half of the 15th century after evolving from a similar, much older game of Indian origin...
and
Athletics (track and field)Track and field athletics is a collection of sports events that involve running, throwing, jumping and walking. Organised athletics are traced back to the Ancient Olympic Games from 776 BC, and most modern events are conducted by the member clubs of the International Association of Athletics...
are also practiced.
Symbols
City Anthem
See:
Hymn of ValleduparSpanish; Himno de ValleduparHymn of Valledupar, is the representative anthem of Valledupar, a city located in northern Colombia. Established since 1984 by then Mayor of Valledupar, Miguel Meza Valera, the anthem was selected from a public contest and won by Samarian composer Rita Feranandez Padilla...
Valledupar's anthem, named
Himno de Valledupar, was established in 1984 by then Major of Valledupar, Miguel Meza Valera by public contest. The winner was a composer from nearby
Santa MartaSanta Marta is a city and municipality located in northern Colombia by the Caribbean sea and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains, capital of the Magdalena Department. The city is an important maritime port and hub for tourism, history and culture...
, Rita Fernandez Padilla and the music was arranged by Carlos Julio Parra.
Flag
The flag has three horizontal equal stripes of different colors;
- The top blue; symbolizes the sky and the rivers that flow through the region.
- The center white, symbolizes the white snowed peaks of the 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. The Sierra Nevada encompasses...
mountain and the wished peace.
- The bottom red symbolizes the ultimate bloody sacrifices that many went through in history to help develop Valledupar.
Coat of Arms
The coat of arms was recently redesigned to meet new identities of Valledupar that now included the vallenato musical instruments;
- The crown on top with three peaks symbolizes the three kings that visited Jesus and also resembles the Spanish heritage and history of Valledupar, once part of the Spanish monarchy.
- The letters read the full name of Valledupar in Spanish; City of the holy kings of Valledupar.
- The top left picture shows the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain snowy peaks.
- The top right pictures the three main instruments of the Vallenato music; an accordion, a caja and a guacharaca.
- the bottom left picture shows a bull symbolizing the cattle raising and ranching.
- The bottom right symbolizes the agriculture; with the three main produces pictured; cotton, coffee and sorghum.
Media and Services
- Newspapers: El Tiempo, El Espectador
El Espectador is a newspaper with national circulation within Colombia, founded by Fidel Cano Gutiérrez on 22 March 1887 in Medellín and published since 1915 in Bogotá. It changed from a daily to a weekly edition in 2001, following a financial crisis, and became a daily again since 11 May 2008, a...
, El Heraldo, El Pilon, Vanguardia LiberalVanguardia Liberal is a Colombian regional newspaper, founded 1 September 1919 by former minister, governor and ambassador Alejandro Galvis Galvis, whose descendants are its current owners. It is printed in Bucaramanga, Santander, and related to the Colombian Liberal Party...
.
- Radio broadcasters: (F.M. (3)) Olimpica Stereo, Maravilla Stereo, Rumba Stereo. (A.M.
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation.-History:AM was the dominant method of broadcasting during the first eighty years of the 20th century and remains widely used into the 21st....
(4)) Caracol RadioCaracol Radio is one of the main radio networks in Colombia. Founded in Medellín in 1948 when La Voz de Antioquia station acquired the 50% of Emisoras Nuevo Mundo, based in Bogotá....
, RCN Radio, Todelar Cadena Nacional, Radionet
- TV Broadcasters: (3) Caracol TV
Caracol Televisión is a Colombian private national television network, owned by Julio Mario Santo Domingo.- History :...
, RCN TVRCN Televisión is a Colombian private television network. It started as a production company in 1967...
and TelecaribeTelecaribe is a regional television network for the Caribbean region of Colombia.-History:The station was set up in the early 1980s in Valledupar, Colombia and was created by a local entrepreneur named Jose Jorge Dangond...
- Cable TV and Satellite TV: (4) TV Cable Valledupar (later was called Satelcaribe and after that it was bought by Telmex
Teléfonos de México, S.A.B. de C.V. , commonly known as Telmex, is a telecommunications conglomerate headquartered in Mexico City that provides telecommunication products and services in Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and other countries in Latin America...
), SKY Latin AmericaSKY Latin America refers to two closely related pay-TV providers, one based in Mexico, the other in Brazil.The Mexican company was founded in mid-1996, a joint venture between British Sky Broadcasting , News Corporation, Liberty Media and Grupo Televisa...
, DirecTVDirecTV is a direct broadcast satellite service based in El Segundo, California, which transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States. Its primary competitors are Dish Network and cable providers. DirecTV currently has 18 million subscribers...
and TelefonicaTelefónica, S.A., is a Spanish telecommunication company. Operating globally, it is one of the largest fixed-line and mobile telecommunications companies in the world: 3rd in terms of number of clients only behind China Mobile and Vodafone, and in the top five in market value...
- Internet provider (s): (2) Telecom Colombia
Telefónica Telecom is the largest telecommunications company in Colombia. It is headquartered in Bogotá, D.C.....
, Edatel
Transportation
Valledupar has four different land entrances, and it's crossed by national highway route 80 from south to north. Route 80 is still under-construction, a segment between the village of Badillo via the village of Patillal and the town of
San 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:...
in the department of La Guajira. as an alternative route 80 also crosses the town of
La PazLos Robles La Paz or simply La Paz is a municipality and a town in the Department of Cesar, Colombia. The town is close to the Capital city of the Department of Cesar; Valledupar. The municipality of La Paz borders to the north with La Guajira Department, to the northeast with the municipality of...
in order to drive north to the northern department of La Guajira. To the south, the route 80 highway communicates with the rest of
ColombiaColombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a constitutional republic in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean...
including northern regions of Colombia, like
Santa MartaSanta Marta is a city and municipality located in northern Colombia by the Caribbean sea and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains, capital of the Magdalena Department. The city is an important maritime port and hub for tourism, history and culture...
,
BarranquillaBarranquilla, an industrial, portuary, and special district, is a city and municipality located in northern Colombia by the Caribbean Sea. The capital of the Atlántico Department, it is the largest industrial city and port in the Colombian Caribbean region, and the fourth largest city in Colombia...
and
CartagenaCartagena de Indias , is a city on the northern coast of Colombia and capital of Bolívar Department. The metropolitan area has a population of 1,240,000, and the city proper 1,090,000...
; Colombia's caribbean coast; to the west two road access to some other villages to the
Sierra Nevada de Santa MartaThe 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. The Sierra Nevada encompasses...
.
Valledupar's
Land transportation terminal provides national and international services through sixteen different transportation companies. Four of whom make trips to rural areas of the municipality. In the urban area transportation services are provided by
taxiA taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire, with a driver, for a single passenger, or small group of passengers, typically for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
s, and by private and government bus companies covering the entire city by shared routes. Lately, a new form of transportation was born, informal
Auto rickshawAn auto rickshaw or three-wheeler is a motor vehicle and a mode of transport for private use and as a vehicle for hire...
s (mototaxismo), taking illegally over the bus and taxi services, to a point that are making them go bankrupt. The local government is attempting to penalize the use of Auto rickshaw for safety reasons and are also operating illegally, but because there are so many and tend to violently protest, the issue became difficult.
In
Aerial transportation, Valledupar has only a medium sized airport for medium and small aircraft; the Alfonso Lopez Airport that receives national and somee charter flights. Only four airlines cover this route,
AviancaAvianca S.A. is the flag carrier airline of Colombia. Avianca was founded in Barranquilla in 1940, as a result of the merger of Sociedad Colombo-Alemana de Transporte Aéreo or SCADTA , and Servicio Aéreo Colombiano or SACO...
,
SAM ColombiaSAM is an airline based at El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, Colombia. It is operating domestic and international routes and is a subsidiary airline of Avianca.- History :...
,
SATENA{Infobox Airline|airline = SATENA|logo = SATENA_logo.gif|logo_size = 250|fleet_size = 16 |destinations = 38 |IATA = 9N|ICAO = NSE|callsign = SATENA|parent = Colombian Air Force...
and Aires Colombia.
External links
City of Valledupar - official website Valledupar.com - Portal dedicated to valledupar Valledupar.TV - TV Channel of the city Intervallenato.com - freelance local journalism onlineMiValledupar.com - Portal of Valledupar and the Vallenato music Vallenato Legend Festival PortalLaGuacharaca.tv- Portal dedicated to Vallenato music and Valledupar EL PILON: Valledupar