La Guajira (Spanish pronunciation:[laɣwaˈxiɾa][4]) is adepartment ofColombia. It occupies most of theGuajira Peninsula in the northeast region of the country, on the Caribbean Sea and borderingVenezuela, at the northernmost tip of South America. The capital city of the department isRiohacha.
Various indigenous tribes have populated thearid plains of the region long before the Spanish expeditions reached the Americas. In 1498,Alonso de Ojeda sailed around the peninsula of La Guajira, but the first European to set foot in what is known today as La Guajira was the Spanish explorerJuan de la Cosa in 1499. During the colonial era, the territory of La Guajira was disputed by the governors ofSanta Marta and Venezuela, owing to deposits of pearls. English pirates, Frenchmen, and Germans also fought for control of the territory.
Martin Fernandez de Enciso foundedNuestra Señora Santa María de los Remedios del Cabo de la Vela, the first colonial village in the territory. In 1535,Nicolás de Federmán refounded the settlement as the village of Riohacha, as a result of constant attacks by theWayuu people. In 1544, it was moved to the site of the present-day city. In 1871, the region was separated from the Department of Magdalena, and La Guajira became a national territory in its own right. The Intendance of La Guajira was created in 1898.[5]
In 1911, the Colombian government created the Commissary of la Guajira. In the 1930s, numerous immigrants came to the area from the Middle East (Christian Arabs,Maronites in particular, andShi'i Muslims) fromLebanon,Syria,Palestine and Jordan. They generally settled in the city ofMaicao. In 1954, the Intendance of la Guajira was created again and Riohacha was declared a municipality. Finally, in 1964, the Department of La Guajira was created.[5]
The economy of the department depends on royalties from thecoal mining atCerrejón (producing 24.9 million tons of export coal in 2004),natural gas exploitation, and salt mines. A popular ecotourist destination isCabo de la Vela, a small fishing village located on the headland of the peninsula in theGuajira desert.
The nameGuajira comes from theCariban languages; it is the Spanish pronunciation of Wajiira or Wahiira. According to Picon, the wordGuajiros was first used in the year 1600 to designate some 200 indigenous families inhabiting the region of Riohacha.[6] They were known for having large herds of goats. The Spanish applied the term to all the indigenous in the peninsula who were goat herders. According to Oliver, the termGuajiro did not appear on Spanish records until the year 1626, in a document by a friar named Pedro Simón.[7][8]
The department was divided into three subregions based on geographical characteristics: Upper, Middle, and Southern Guajira. The Upper Guajira covers the northernmost part of the peninsula, with mostly scarce semi-desertic vegetation. It has only an isolated, low-altitude mountain range, theSerranía de Macuira (865 m above sea level). The Middle Guajira region is mostly flat, with hills in some areas, presenting also an arid environment. The Southern Guajira covers the region of the Montes de Oca and theSerranía del Perijá mountain ranges on the border with Venezuela, and the valley formed with theSierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range. Southern Guajira has more green vegetation, wetlands and rivers.[9]
La Teta hill, located in the municipality of Uribia, northern Guajira
TheSerranía de Macuira mountain range is located to the northwest of theGuajira Peninsula occupying an area of 35,000 hectares (86,000 acres), 25,000 ha (62,000 acres) of which are contained within the Macuira National Park. The mountain range is an isolated ecosystem in the middle of theLa Guajira Desert, near theCaribbean Sea, between the villages of Nazareth, Ichipa and Tawara. The mountain range works as a barrier to humidtrade winds, which blow from the northeast.[10]
TheSierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range is located on the Caribbean Sea and is shared with the departments ofMagdalena andCesar. Most of the hydrographic reserves in the Department of La Guajira originate in this mountain range, including theRanchería River which flows through most of the department from south to north.[10] The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta was declared byUNESCO as a Biosphere Reserve.[11]
TheCerro Pintao ("Painted Hill")—on the slopes of which sit the municipalities of San Juan del Cesar, El Molino, Villanueva, and Urumita and, in the Department of Cesar, the municipalities ofManaure,La Paz,San Diego, andCodazzi—covers an area of 25,000 hectares (62,000 acres), with altitudes ranging from 1,600 to 3,688 metres (5,249 to 12,100 ft), forming aPáramo ecosystem, and gives birth to some 13 rivers of Colombia.[12]
TheSantuario de Flora y Fauna los Flamencos (Flamingos Fauna and Flora Sanctuary) is located on the coastline of the municipality of Riohacha, between the village of Camarones and theTapias River, and covers 7,000 hectares (17,000 acres) The sanctuary has fourlagoons (Manzanillo, Navío Quebrado, Tocoromanes, and Laguna Grande) and numerous streams which serve as habitat for theflamingos and numerous other endemic species.[13]
Located in the village ofMusichi, the Flamingos Protection Area is within the municipality of Manaure and contains numerous lagoons that are used by locals for the artisanal making of salt.[14]
TheCabo de la Vela was one of the first sites that Spanish explorers first sighted upon their arrival to the continentalAmericas.
During thepre-Columbian era, present-day La Guajira was inhabited predominantly by indigenous tribes belonging, in the dry northern lowlands, mostly to theWayuu (Guajiros, Macuiros, Anates, Caquetios, Wayunaiki, Cuanaos, Onotos and Eneales) andCocina people, and, in the south, to theKogui,Arhuaco,Guanebucan, andChimila ethnic groups, among others.[16] Archaeological digs have uncovered the sites of fishing communities that used pottery on the central eastern side of theGuajira Peninsula, dating to the 10th century BC.[17]
These groups coexisted on the Guajira Peninsula. The northern indigenous peoples were nomads traveling the peninsula, hunting, fishing, and collecting fruit. The indigenous groups in the south were semi-sedentary, practicing agriculture and exploiting coastal resources.[16]
In 1498, the Guajira Peninsula was first seen by Spanish explorers led byAlonso de Ojeda, who sailed the coast, but didn't land.[18] In 1502, a Spanish expedition led byJuan de la Cosa was the first to disembark atCabo de la Vela.[19]
In 1535,Martín Fernández de Enciso founded the first settlement in La Guajira, a village, near present-dayCabo de la Vela, calledNuestra Señora Santa María de los Remedios del Cabo de la Vela. In 1544, due to constant attacks from the indigenous, and from Spanish from the neighboring Captaincy of Venezuela who were after the large deposits of pearls, the village was moved to present-day Riohacha and refounded byNikolaus Federmann.[21][22]
Between 1609 and 1640, the Spanish colonizers imported some 800 or more African slaves. Most of these later escaped and formed palenques. In 1679, the Government of Santa Marta offered these palenques their freedom in exchange for their helping to protect the territory from English pirates and the government of Venezuela who coveted the Guajira Peninsula because of itspearls.[23]
La Guajira was one of the territories in Colombia that endured a period of isolation during theSpanish colonization of the Americas, due to the resistance of the indigenous peoples, predominantly the Wayuu. It was not until the 18th century that theSpanish monarchy ordered the complete conquest of the region, and the conflict between colonizers and indigenous prevailed throughout the 19th century.[23]
The Wayuu were never subjugated by the Spanish, and the two groups were in a more or less permanent state of war. There were rebellions in 1701 (when the Wayuu 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 the Wayuu, "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.[24]
In 1769, the Spanish took 22 Wayuu captive, in order to put them to work building the fortifications of Cartagena. The reaction of their fellow Indians was unexpected. On May 2, 1769, at El Rincón, nearRío de la Hacha, they set the village afire, burning the church and two Spaniards who had taken refuge in it, and capturing 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.[24]
This success was soon known in other Guajiro areas, and more men joined the revolt. According to Messía, at its 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 capture 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 refuge in Río de la Hacha and sent urgent messages toMaracaibo, Valle de Upar, Santa Marta, and Cartagena. Cartagena sent 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 them being fought at La Soledad. That and the arrival of the Spanish reinforcements quelled the rebellion, but not before the Guajiro had regained much territory.[24]
In 1846, the new government of theRepublic of New Granada created the "Guajiro territory", from part of the State of Magdalena, but the indigenous traded in contraband on a large scale, problems with the authorities continued, and the territory was once again put under the government of Santa Marta.[23]
In 1871, once again the territory of La Guajira was put under separate administration and became a national territory. La Guajira became anintendencia in 1898 and a commissary in 1911. In 1954, it was demoted back tointendencia, until 1964, when the Department of La Guajira was created.[21]
The process ofevangelizing the Wayuu people restarted in 1887 with the return of theCapuchin friars under reverend friar José María de Valdeviejas. In 1905,Pope Pius X created theVicariate of La Guajira and, as the first vicar, Friar Atanasio Vicente Soler y Royo attempted to "civilize" the Wayuu people.[25]
Wayuus carrying a rifle and traditionalbow andarrow. 1928.
In 1903, the Capuchin Friars began building orphanages for Wayuu children, beginning with the La Sierrita Orphanage built in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains. The San Antonio Orphanage, located by theCalancala River, was built in 1910, and the Nazareth Orphanage, in the Serranía de Macuira mountains, in 1913. The orphanages had influence over therancherías 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 in 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 .[25]
During theThousand Days' War (1899–1902) the region was affected by the struggle betweenliberals andconservatives. 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 José Dolores came to an agreement with Liberal radicalRafael Uribe Uribe, but later sided with the conservatives after recognizing a parental affiliation with General Iguarán, one of the conservative commanders.[26]
The Department of La Guajira is formed into 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 of 126corregimientos (local magistracies), 49inspecciones de policía (police districts) and 10caseríos (villages), distributed throughout the municipalities.[27]
Members of theWayuu ethnic group inVenezuela. Wayuus are nomads and travel between Colombia and Venezuela from time to time, usually during rainy seasons.
According to theDANE (Colombian statistics bureau) 2005 Census, 44.9% of the population of the Department of La Guajira wasindigenous, mostly belonging to theArhuaco,Koguis,Wiwa, andWayuu tribes. 7.5% was ofAfro-Colombian descent; while the remaining 47.6% of the population did not consider itself part of a particular ethnic group, except for Middle Eastern descendants, who have migrated here throughout the 20th century.[32]
The department's indigenous population was the largest of any Colombian department (followed by the departments ofCauca andNarino with 18% and 11.2% respectively) and was 20.2% of the national total of indigenous people. The municipalities with the largest indigenous populations were those where the Wayuu people had settled: Uribia (95.9%), Manaure (88.2%), and Maicao (40.1%).[32]
The population of 623,250 constituted 1.5% of the totalpopulation of Colombia (42,090,502) and 7% of theCaribbean 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.[33]
TheUniversity of La Guajira has its main campus at Riohacha, with satellite campuses at Fonseca, Maicao, Manaure, Albania, and Villanueva. The institution offers technical as well as undergraduate and graduate programs in natural sciences, engineering, economics, education, administration, and the humanities.
The economy of the Department of La Guajira is based on the exploitation of mineral resources, such ascoal in theCerrejón mines, natural gas, salt mines inManaure, and constituted 53.48% of total revenues in 2005.[34]
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.[34]
Agriculture,silviculture, andfishing account for 7.99% of the total, followed by commerce, hotel and restaurant industries which together account for 6.65% of the total revenues. Public administration accounts for 5.47%, construction 3.01%, real estate 2.21%, and industrial 0.52%.[34]
Cultural aspects in the Department of La Guajira have been mostly influenced by the traditions of theWayuu; by European culture, mainly through Roman Catholic traditions; byAfro-Colombian culture; and since the mid-20th Century, by Middle Eastern culture, includingIslamic traditions.[35] There is also considerable influence from Venezuela, as the traditional Wayuu territory is shared by the two nations.
There are three main languages in La Guajira, the most widespread is theSpanish language, followed by theWayuu language. The growing population of Middle Eastern immigrants has contributed the use of theArabic language to the region. Koguis and Wiwas are more associated with theChibchan languages, having their own dialect.[36]
Spanish in La Guajira has also developed its own dialect mostly by taking words from the Wayuu language. The Wayuus and other indigenous groups are being given bilingual education in both their native language and Spanish. Numerous software companies such asMicrosoft[37] andUbuntu[38] have developed products in the Wayuu language.[39]
There is also a small yet significant number of English speakers living in the Cerrejón miner's citadel, owing to the bilingual school there.
Typical Wayuu rectangular "day house" withhammocks by the Caribbean Sea. TheChinchorros hammocks are one of the most traditional items in the culture of La GuajiraWayuu handcraftedmochilas woolen bags have also transcended through cultures and fashion in Colombia.
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 theCostumbrismo, including physiology and sexuality.[40]
Wayuu tribes feature prominently inPapillon byHenri Charrière, which is about an escaped convict who takes refuge with one such tribe. La Guajira has been the subject of numerous writings describing its culture.
Music in the Department of La Guajira has been associated with the indigenous peoples, as well as being influenced by the cultures of Afro-Colombians and Europeans. Such is the case ofvallenato music, which allegedly originated in the region between Riohacha and Valledupar, with some considering larger area reaching from Riohacha to the central region of the Department of Cesar. The accordions and guitars first used for vallenato music were allegedly acquired in La Guajira as contraband arriving from the nearby island ofAruba, in the Caribbean Sea.[41]
The Wayuu have contributed their own traditional music and instruments. Their culture associates economy and social life with music, such as in the case of raising cattle, where the indigenous sang to their animals. They also used music for meetings and celebrations, as well as mourning, at funerals. The Yonna is the traditional dance of the Wayuu and is performed to honor guests.[41]
The Wayuus created many rustic musical instruments, such asKashi,Sawawa (a type of flute),ma'asi,totoy, and thetaliraai (tubular flute),wootoroyoi (type of clarinet), among others. TheMajayura, or ritual of the "young wayuu virgin", in which a female dances towards a male considered a prospective mate, while other males perform rhythms with their traditional instruments, until the one male tumbles to the ground.[41]
Gastronomy in the Department of La Guajira is associated with the traditional gastronomy of the indigenous Wayuu, based on local fauna and flora, as well as being influenced bySpanish cuisine. The most representative of Guajira cuisine isfriche – a fried or stewed goat seasoned with salt and its own blood and guts. There are alsoArroz con camarones – rice with shrimp, where the rice is cooked with previously boiled shrimp and put out to dry in the sun;iguana stew withcoconuts;Iguaraya – the fruit of thecactus, which the Wayuus use for drinking juice or wine; and turtles,deer, andcapybaras cooked in a variety of ways, usually with rice, in soup or a stew.[42][43][44]
Quarterly:Vert, a one towered castle,Or, masoned and ajourésable,Argent, a foil erect Or with hilt and pommelgules, fesswiseaddorsed arrows barbed and feathered sable, Vert, sun in his glory Or, Argent, a desert landscapeproper.
Thecoat of arms of theLa Guajira was officially adopted by the Departmental AssemblyOrdinance 028 of November 29, 1966 after the winning design of a public contest of pseudonymous contestant "Angel Cuervo". The coat of arms has subsequently been modified two occasions by the Ordinance 052 of 1994 and Ordinance 009 of March 10, 1998.
Theflag ofLa Guajira was officially adopted by the Departmental Assembly by means ofOrdinance 028 of September 29, 1966. Previously, the flag had already been in use as the flag of the Intendancy of La Guajira, and subsequently it was modified last by Ordinance 052 of 1994. TheGubernatorial Standard is based on the Flag of the department but it is charged at the centre with theCoat of arms of the Department of La Guajira.[45][46]
^(in Spanish) Juan Friede, "La conquista del territorio y el poblamiento",Manual de Historia de Colombia, 3 Vols., Vol. 1, Bogotá,Instituto Colombiano de Cultura, 1982, pp.116-222, p.131.
^"Algunos platos típicos" [Gastronomy of La Guajira].Viajes-exoticos.info (in Spanish). 2005. Archived fromthe original on 6 February 2012. Retrieved24 April 2020.
^Presentación (Video) (in Spanish). Riohacha: Gobernación de La Guajira. Archived fromthe original on 2008-11-21. Retrieved2009-12-20.Flag on mast at viewer's right.
^"Símbolos" (in Spanish). Gobernación de La Guajira. 2009-09-17. Archived fromthe original on 2012-03-01. Retrieved2009-12-20.
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