Sincelejo
Encyclopedia
Sincelejo is the capital and the largest city in the Colombian department of Sucre. It is also the main city in the denominated Región Sabanas (Savannas Region), a subdivision of the Caribbean Region of Colombia, and the 23rd biggest city by population in Colombia. The city is located 30 kilometers away from the Caribbean Sea by the Gulf of Morrosquillo
Gulf of Morrosquillo
The Gulf of Morrosquillo is a gulf of the Caribbean Sea bounded by the Colombian Departments of Sucre and Córdoba. From West to East it runs approximately from Boca de Tinajones, mouth of Sinú River, in Córdoba, to Punta San Bernardo in Sucre.- Features :The coastline of the Gulf of Morrosquillo...
; 125 kilometers away from Cartagena
Cartagena, Colombia
Cartagena de Indias , is a large Caribbean beach resort city on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region and capital of Bolívar Department...
and 200 kilometers from 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...
.
History
The land comprising the municipality of Sincelejo was inhabited in the prehispanic age by several groups of indigenous people belonging to the Chibcha linguistic family known as ZenúZenú
The Zenú or Sinú are an Amerindian tribe in Colombia whose ancestral territory comprises the valleys of the Sinu and San Jorge rivers as well as the coast of the Caribbean around the Gulf of Morrosquillo...
.
Sincelejo was founded on October 4, 1535, with the name of San Francisco de Asís de Sincelejo, the saint day
Calendar of saints
The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the feast day of said saint...
of Francis of Assis. It was located on the site of a small Zenú
Zenú
The Zenú or Sinú are an Amerindian tribe in Colombia whose ancestral territory comprises the valleys of the Sinu and San Jorge rivers as well as the coast of the Caribbean around the Gulf of Morrosquillo...
indigenous settlement. The village used to be a part of Alonso Padilla's encomienda
Encomienda
The encomienda was a system that was employed mainly by the Spanish crown during the colonization of the Americas to regulate Native American labor....
between 1610 and 1640. In those times the native indigenous people from that region were overpowered and exploited by the Spanish colonizers or encomenderos.
On November 21, 1775 Sincelejo was refounded by the Spanish captain and engineer, Antonio de la Torre y Miranda following the orders from Cartagena
Cartagena
-Colombia:*Cartagena, Colombia, a city in the Bolivar Region, the largest city bearing this name*Cartagena de Chairá, Colombia-Other:*Cartagena *Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety*FC Cartagena, a football club based in Cartagena, Spain-See also:...
's governor Juan de Torrezar Díaz Pimienta. The building of the town started with a church and the lands around it was given to people who used to live spread all over the region in order to consolidate a religious and political center in the zone. Sincelejo was supposed to follow the classical Spanish colonial grid with the main church and its square in the center, but it was not possible because of the several creeks that break through the town.
It is still unknown where the name -Sincelejo- come from, some historians claim the name to be indigenous, coming from an indigenous word Sinçel or Çincel, but another theory states that the name is Spanish and that Sincelejo was named after Francisco de Sincelejo, but there are not historical records that confirm the existence of a man with that name.
In 1812, Sincelejo became shelter for the revolutionary priests in La Rebelión de los Curas (Priests' Insurrection) held back the same year. In 1887 Sincelejo became one of the head towns in the Province of Cartagena. In 1908 it became the capital of the department of Sincelejo, which had a short-lived period, becoming part of the Province of Cartagena again in 1910. In 1912, Sincelejo almost disappears because of a huge conflagration, which took down the most of the central zone, nevertheless the town was rebuilt, having a particular architecture belonging to that age, mostly in the center zone of the town. In 1966 with the creation of the Sucre Department
Sucre Department
Sucre is a department in the Caribbean Region of Colombia. The department ranks 27th by area, and it has a population of 772,010, ranking 20th of all the 32 departments of Colombia...
, Sincelejo became the capital of this department.
On January 20, 1980 one of the deadliest collapse disasters occurred, it was the Corralejas stadium collapse, a collapse of an arena, which killed at least 200 people.
Geography
The floor of the town of Sincelejo is typical of mountain scenery. It consists of irregularly-shaped surfaces and complex, with variable slope and altitudes ranging from 50 to 260 meters. Includes types of reliefs called hogbacks, bars and outcrops consist of materials of calcareous sandstones and limestones.The warm weather is dry, with average annual rainfall of 500–1200 mm, the vegetation according to Holdridge's tropical dry forest.
Natural vegetation are some species such as palm wine, saman, oak, cortadera, squat and Macondo.
The hilly landscape in the town of Sincelejo is the most important by the extent that it occupies. It extends from the mountain scenery, to the borders of the plateau in the north and south. Likewise, in the rugged topography of rolling hills, moderately to strongly broken, with slopes between 7-50% and with mild to moderate erosion. This unit is located in the northwestern part of town to the townships of El Cerrito, El Beque, Las Majaguas, and Las Palmas The goatee, between 50 and 180 meters above sea level in dry warm weather, too, the soils are moderately deep, well drained soils developed from sandstone. This unit is dedicated to extensive livestock production with natural grasses, the highest residues remain outstanding, the natural vegetation has been destroyed the way they relate to the different areas corregimentales each other and with the town bears the same applies to Sincelejo radial morphology.
The intersection point occurs at the center of the city and the system is supplemented in rural areas with few roads that make up the rings that allow for intercommunication between the settlements that serve as headers and other minor corregimentales located along or at the end of the above radios. There is a strong relationship between Sincelejo and townships in the municipality of Corozal and Mamon, Don Alonso and swimming pool, as with the towns of Sampués, San Andrés de Sotavento, Palmetto and Toluviejo. The city of Sincelejo is a typical example of the settlement with indigenous origins and the crossroads.
In turn, the different villages that developed along the roads and the crossing point were integrated to the original Indian village to form a cluster of greater importance today called Sincelejo, the path outlined in the sense north - south joined the Villa de San Benito de Tacazuán to Tolu
Tolú
Tolú is a small town and municipality in Sucre Department, northern Colombia by the Caribbean sea. The municipality has an area of 500 km². The name of Tolú comes from a tree called the Balsam of Tolú....
, and the east - west Chinú connected to Corozal and Sahagun.
The landscape of foothills at the foot of the small mountain foothills in the municipality, to the west, bordering the marine fluvial plain to the border with the town of Palmito. The terrain varies from flat to incline.
Boundaries of the City
- The south by the municipality of SampuésSampuésSampués is a town and municipality located in the Sucre Department, northern Colombia.-References:...
and Córdoba DepartmentCórdoba DepartmentCórdoba is a Department of the Republic of Colombia located to the north of this country in the Colombian Caribbean Region. Córdoba faces to the north with the Caribbean sea, to the northeast with the Sucre Department, east with the Bolívar Department and south with the Antioquia Department...
. - To the west with the municipalities of palmito and ToluTolúTolú is a small town and municipality in Sucre Department, northern Colombia by the Caribbean sea. The municipality has an area of 500 km². The name of Tolú comes from a tree called the Balsam of Tolú....
. - To the north by the municipalities of Tolu and Toluviejo.
- To the east with the municipalities of CorozalCorozalCorozal may mean:* Corozal American Cemetery and Memorial, Panama City, Panama* Corozal District, Belize* Corozal Town, Belize, capital of the district* Corozal, Puerto Rico* Corozal, Sucre, a city of Colombia...
and Morroa.
Climate
Sincelejo is in the tropicsTropics
The tropics is a region of the Earth surrounding the Equator. It is limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at S; these latitudes correspond to the axial tilt of the Earth...
, so its temperatures does not change too much along the year, keeping an average temperature about 27-28 °C, the difference is made by the precipitation, which does change. It has a tropical wet and dry climate (Aw) according to the Köppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
. The Drought
Drought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
season usually starts in the first or second half of December and it extends until the second half of February or the first half of March, then the Rainy
Rainy
Rainy refers to an abundance of rain. It may also refer to:*Rainy season, a specific time of year with when most of a region's average annual rainfall...
Season starts sporadically at the beginning and gradually increasing until getting a peak in April or May, in June and July the amount of precipitation decrease a little (In a period of time called "Veranillo de San Juan") and eventually it increases again until it reaches the most rainy point in September, October or even in November.
Administrative divisions
Sincelejo is subdivided into an urban zone and a rural zone. The urban zone is divided into 9 Comunas (Townships), while the rural has 21 divisions named CorregimientoCorregimiento
Corregimiento 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.
Urban Division
| La Selva Villa Orieta |
San Carlos Kennedy |
Pioneros Argelia |
Majagual El Zumbado |
La Palma La Ford |
La Vega La Fé |
Margaritas Florencia |
Uribe Gran Colombia |
Verbel El Progreso |
Rural Division
| San Rafael La Arena La Chivera Las Majaguas La Peñata |
Las Huertas Laguna Flor Cerrito de la Palma Cruz del Beque San Antonio |
Buenavista Buenavistica San Martín San Jacinto Cerro del Naranjo Babilonia Sabanas del Potreto La Gallera |
Las Palmas Castañeda Chochó |
Demographics
Sincelejo has an estimated population of 219,639 according to DANE 2005 Census. The 83.7 % of the housing are houses, while 12.1 % are apartments. The 98.1% of the housing have regular electricityElectricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
; 83.7%, sewage system; 79.7%, regular water supply
Water supply
Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavours or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes...
; 79%, 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...
and 50% telephones.
In Sincelejo, the 51.7% of the residents are women, while the 48.3% are men. The literacy rate is 87.5%. The 14.5% of the citizens of Sincelejo recognize themselves as Indigenous people; 9.4% as African-Colombians and the rest, the 76.1% recognize themselves as mestizos(mixed-race).
In 2009 Sincelejo has an estimated population of 234,886 according with DANE
National Administrative Department of Statistics
The National Administrative Department of Statistics , commonly referred to as DANE, is the Colombian Administrative Department responsible for the planning, implementation, analysis and diffusion of the official statistics of Colombia. DANE is also in charge of carrying out the National census...
projections.
According with DANE census there are sincelejanos in Australia, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Canada, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, Spain, USA, 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...
, and others. The 69.5% of the city population is originally of Sincelejo, the 30.3% are Colombians from other cities of the country and the 0.2% are from other countries.
Economy
The main economic activities of the municipality of Sincelejo revolve around the area and neighboring department specifically in the livestock sector, agriculture and commerce and other services. For the excellent quality of their cattle high selection, Sincelejo has been called the "Capital Cebuísta de Colombia" has a wonderful breeding, fattening up and perfect conditions for animal consumption in the regional markets, the dairy in smaller scale, it is also important within the first of the city's economic lines.In agriculture, livestock farming is compared with only a secondary economic power, highlighted the production of maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, cassava
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...
, yams
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...
and bananas. Although trade, that is quite active and other services, especially the government, are important in Sincelejo, only economically serve the municipality to supplement the primary activities of the agricultural sector.
The industry is just beginning to wake up in the city with its food plant, including Postobón
Postobón
Postobón, S.A. is one of the largest Colombian beverage companies. The company has a wide portfolio of products that includes soft drinks, fruit juices, bottled water, tea, and energy drinks....
stands, clothing, footwear and wood processing in particular, highlights the great vocation microenterprise in the municipality that the future outlook becomes more promising of the municipality in the short and medium term.
In short, the economy is sustained Sincelejo trade and services offered by banks, chain stores, clinics, restaurants, service stations, fixed and mobile telecommunications, road and air transport, automobiles, workshops. According to a recent census of Industry and Commerce, are about 3000 establishments of all kinds of operating in the capital.
Culture
Traditional music of Sincelejo are porro
Porro
The porro is a musical style and dance from the Caribbean region of Colombia. It is a Colombian Cumbia rhythm that developed into its own sub-genre. It was originally a folkloric expression from the Sinú River area that evolved into a ballroom dance...
and fandango
Fandango
Fandango is a lively couple's dance, usually in triple metre, traditionally accompanied by guitars and castanets or hand-clapping . Fandango can both be sung and danced. Sung fandango is usually bipartite: it has an instrumental introduction followed by "variaciones"...
(similar to samba to Brazilians). The typical dish of this city is mote de queso which is a soup with cheese. City is known for its 'hamacas' and sombrero vueltiao
Sombrero Vueltiao
The sombrero vueltiao or sombrero vueltiado is a traditional hat from Colombia and one of its symbols. It is made out of Gynerium sagittatum known locally as caña flecha, a type of cane that grows in the region...
, which are both made by the native inhabitants. The sombrero vueltiao is also known as a national symbol for Colombia. The city is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sincelejo.
Every January Sincelejo opens the holiday for the Jesus's Sweet Name (Fiestas del dulce nombre de Jesús) which takes place on January 20, but the festival begins days early and it includes several parades, a beauty contest and several days of bullfighting within a temporary wooden circular structure similar to a stadium named Corraleja, that is why the holiday is also called Las Fiestas de Corraleja. On January 20, 1980, a combination of overcrowding and panic caused the bullring's wooden bleachers to collapse, killing 222 persons, although some estimates place the death toll at almost 400, this tragedy put on hiatus the traditional Corraleja despite the holiday took place every year, only in 1999 the municipality authorized the construction of the wooden structure renewing the bullfighting.
In Sincelejo also takes place the National Meeting of Bands (Encuentro Nacional de Bandas) which is a musical contest where folk bands perform the traditional musical styles in the Savanna Region: Porro
Porro
The porro is a musical style and dance from the Caribbean region of Colombia. It is a Colombian Cumbia rhythm that developed into its own sub-genre. It was originally a folkloric expression from the Sinú River area that evolved into a ballroom dance...
and Fandango
Fandango
Fandango is a lively couple's dance, usually in triple metre, traditionally accompanied by guitars and castanets or hand-clapping . Fandango can both be sung and danced. Sung fandango is usually bipartite: it has an instrumental introduction followed by "variaciones"...
. This contest started in 1984 and it takes place in the mid-year and it awards creativity and performance.
Another cultural yearly event in Sincelejo is Festival Sabanero del Accordeón (Savanna's Accordion Festival). Unlike the National Meeting of Bands, this festival is about the folk musical styles but by the accordion and it includes four styles: Paseo
Paseo
Paseo may refer to:* Paseo de la Reforma, an avenue in Mexico City, Mexico* El Paseo, a shopping mall in Palm Desert, California* Paseo Arts District, a commercial shopping district in Oklahoma City* The Paseo, a parkway in Kansas City, Missouri...
, Merengue
Merengue music
Merengue is a type of music and dance from the Dominican Republic. It is popular in the Dominican Republic and all over Latin America. Its name is Spanish, taken from the name of the meringue, a dessert made from whipped egg whites and sugar...
, Cumbia
Cumbia
Cumbia is a music genre popular across Latin America. The cumbia originated in the Caribbean coast of Colombia, where it is associated with an eponymous dance and has since spread as far as Mexico and Argentina...
and Porro
Porro
The porro is a musical style and dance from the Caribbean region of Colombia. It is a Colombian Cumbia rhythm that developed into its own sub-genre. It was originally a folkloric expression from the Sinú River area that evolved into a ballroom dance...
. The first winner of this contest was Lisandro Meza in 1974. The festival was created to show the Savanna's culture to the country and to the world, that is why there are always some controversy when the styles of Valledupar
Valledupar
Valledupar is a city and municipality in northeastern Colombia. It is the capital of Cesar Department and was founded in 1550 by the Spanish conquistador Hernando de Santana. Its name, Valle de Upar , was established in honor of the Amerindian cacique who ruled the valley; Cacique Upar...
, specially the paseo, get to win.
Sincelejo has got several institutions devoted to the cultural work like "La Escuela de Bellas Artes" (English: School of Fine Art
Fine art
Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
), Batuta among others.
Sites of interest
Majagual Plaza: Usually called "La Placita de Majagual" (The Little Plaza of Majagual), this place was often referred in several folk songs from artist like Joe Arroyo
Joe Arroyo
Álvaro José Arroyo González was a Colombian salsa and tropical music singer, composer and songwriter. Considered one of the greatest performers of Caribbean music in his country....
. This plaza was the epicenter of the January 20 Corralejas for many years before this show was moved to "La Plaza de Mochila" where it took place the disaster of 1980. Since then Majagual Plaza was only useful for activities related with sports, but in 2007 it was relaunched under a new concept and post-modern design with an arch-shaped sculpture and a wide square for cultural events
Santander Park and Saint Francis of Assis Cathedral: As old as Sincelejo, the Santander Park was opened in 1776 and it was the first place where the January 20 Corralejas took place in 1845 until 1964 where it was moved to Majagual Plaza. Just next to the park it is located the Saint Francis of Assis Cathedral (Catedral San Francisco de Asís), which was established in 1853 and it is the center of the religious parties that take place along the year in Sincelejo like Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
, Virgin Mary, Sacred Heart and the most important that takes place on January 20: The party of the sweet name of Jesus (Las Fiestas del Dulce Nombre de Jesús).
Sincelejo's Municipality Theater: It was established in 1997 and it is a beautiful facility where concerts, musicals, folk events and theater operas take place. It is the cultural facility for excellence in Sincelejo.
San Francisco Mall: The San Francisco Mall (Centro Comercial San Francisco) was opened in August 2006, and it has a pleasure ground for children, four movie theaters, and shops. It is located on Las Peñitas Avenue (Avenida Las Peñitas) and it has 61 shops where it is possible to find clothes, shoes, food and entertainment. The mall's area is about 31,000 square meters including parking space for 351 cars and 156 motorcycles. The total investment for this facility was nine billion pesos (About 5.5 Million US Dollars). This mall holds the biggest shopping center in Sincelejo: Almacenes Exito
Almacenes Exito
Grupo Exito also known as Almacenes Exito S.A. is a leading Colombian retailer that directly operates 262 stores and others indirectly that offer a wide range of food and non food products...
.
Corraleja
Sincelejo is best known for its yearly folkloric and religious party: The 20th of January Party also known as Jesus' Sweet Name Party which takes place around January 20. This party includes a structure known as Corraleja, which is a temporary crafty wooden bullringBullring
A bullring is an arena where bullfighting is performed. Bullrings are often associated with Spain, but they can also be found in neighboring countries and the New World...
, where the main attraction is watching the bullfighters facing the bulls, there is no economic retribution officially stated for the bullfighters that dare to face the animal, but usually the wealthiest landowners state an unofficial incentive (in money) for those who get to stab the bull using small prickers. The picador
Picador
A picador is one of the pair of horsemen in a Spanish bullfight that jab the bull with a lance. They perform in the tercio de varas which is the first of the three stages in a Spanish bullfight.The picador has three main functions:...
s are also a part of the show, but they belong to cattle raising farms and they're paid for their work, but the unofficial incentive also applies for them.
The construction of the temporary bullring starts at the end of December, and civil engineers and architects supervise the work of dozens of workers. The bullfighting takes places in four or five journeys (a journey a day), usually including the weekend. Different cattle rising farms (previously chosen) are in charge of supplying the bulls -about 40 bulls per day- so at the end of the last day the most entertaining journey is chosen -with an active people's participation- and the cattle rising farm is awarded with an official incentive. The ticket for watching a bullfighting journey costs about 15-35 US Dollars and usually the last journey is the more expensive.
The main criticism of the corraleja is the bad treating to the animals, not only in the bullfighting but its previous preparation; the security of the usually not skilled bullfighters, the consumption of alcohol within the bullring for watchers and bullfighters. Actually everybody who dares to join the bullfighters must have insurance, that are sold right there before getting inside the bullring, so if they are hurt or wounded, the medical costs are covered.
Media
Two local dailies circulate in Sincelejo: El Meridiano de Sucre and El Universal Sincelejo. Furthermore regional and national newspapers also circulate like El Tiempo, El EspectadorEl 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...
and El Heraldo
El Heraldo
Heraldo, the Spanish for "herald", may refer to:*Heraldo Filipino, student newspaper of De La Salle University-Dasmariñas in the Philippines.*Heraldo Becerra, Spanish-Brazilian football player....
.
There are several radio broadcasting stations: On A.M. there are Radio Caracolí, Radio Piragüa, Radio Chacury, Radio Sabanas, Radio Sincelejo, Ecos de la Sierra Flor and local stations of RCN Radio
RCN Radio
RCN Radio is one of the main radio networks in Colombia. Founded in 1949 with the integration of Radio Pacífico , La Voz de Medellín' and Emisora Nueva Granada ....
and Caracol Radio
Caracol Radio
Caracol 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....
. On F.M. there are Olimpica Stereo, Tropicana Stereo, Primavera Stereo, Bésame, 94.3 F.M., Marina Stereo and Unisucre FM Stereo.
Via radio waves, Sincelejo receives five national television channels: RCN
RCN TV
RCN Televisión , is a Colombian private television network. It started as a production company in 1967...
, Caracol
Caracol
Caracol is the name given to a large ancient Maya archaeological site, located in what is now the Cayo District of Belize. It is situated approximately 40 kilometres south of Xunantunich and the town of San Ignacio Cayo, and 15 kilometers away from the Macal River. It rests on the Vaca Plateau at...
, Canal Uno
Canal Uno
Canal Uno is the first Colombian national television channel. It started 13 June 1954 on Channel 8 in Bogotá. It is state-owned, operated by Radio Televisión Nacional de Colombia, and privately-run, with programming companies known as programadoras bidding for time slots with the Colombian...
, Señal Colombia
Señal Colombia
Señal Colombia is a Colombian national television channel established and funded by the government, launched in 1970 as Canal 11. It uses its current name since 1995....
and Señal Institucional. Moreover there are two cable TV services: Telmex
Telmex
Telmex is a telecommunications company headquartered in Mexico City that provides telecommunication products and services in Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Brazil and other countries in Latin America. In addition to traditional fixed-line telephone service, Telmex also offers Internet access, data,...
and Cable Unión. Telmex holds the only local TV channel named Canal Doce (Channel 12) exclusive for its subscribers and it includes several programs like magazines and a newscast devoted to Sincelejo and its zone of influence.
Inside the town
There are several ways to move inside Sincelejo:1. Mini-Buses: The minibuses service in Sincelejo -often criticized because of the age of the vehicles- carries passengers from the different neighborhoods to the downtown, and then to another neighborhood or to the same. The minibuses follow a previously established route, that they have to cover in a limited time. Several companies are in charge of this service, regulated by the municipality who gives the routes in concession
Concession (contract)
A concession is a business operated under a contract or license associated with a degree of exclusivity in business within a certain geographical area. For example, sports arenas or public parks may have concession stands. Many department stores contain numerous concessions operated by other...
. The minibuses' fare is 1000 Colombian pesos (0.5 US Dollars approximately). This service schedule is from 5:45 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., later it is very hard to find minibuses.
2. Taxis: This is the best urban transportation in Sincelejo, because it is available 24/7
24/7
24/7 is an abbreviation which stands for "24 hours a day, 7 days a week", usually referring to a business or service available at all times without interruption...
and there are several companies in charge of this service. Taxi's standard fare is 3500 Colombian pesos (2 US Dollars approximately), and the night fare varies from 4000 to even 5000 Colombian pesos (2.3 to 3 US Dollars) according to the hour, being more expensive from 1 a.m. to 4 a.m.
3. "Mototaxis": A "Mototaxi" (Motorcycle-taxi) is a regular motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
used to carry a passenger from one point of the town to another (like a regular taxi) but in a lower fare than a taxi. Despite this kind of transportation being controversial, it is used by the majority of the population because it is the fastest way to move inside the city and its fare is reasonable: 1000 Colombian pesos (0.5 US Dollars) for shorts trips, 1500 Colombian pesos (0.75 US Dollars) for middle trips and 2000 Colombian pesos (0.9 US Dollars) for long trips inside the town. At night short and middle distance trips can increases to 2000 Colombian pesos (1.25 US Dollars). Though this service is very informal and barely legal, it is the most popular. This increase in the number of motorcycles in town led the mayor Jesús Paternina in 2008 to create a space named Anillo Verde -Green Circle- (which includes the most of the central zone) where motorbikes are only allowed if the driver is alone, no passengers.
Outside the town
Sincelejo is known for being an important crossroad on the Colombian Caribbean, it is placed close to several important towns on the region (MonteríaMontería
Montería is a municipality and city located in Northern Colombia and is the capital of the Department of Córdoba. The city is located away from the Caribbean, by the Sinú River. The city and region are famous for their distinct cultural heritages, which include a blend of indigenous Zenú Indians,...
, Magangué
Magangue
Magangué Magangué is a municipality in the Department of Bolivar in Colombia, located on the banks of the Magdalena River in the North Coast. It is the capital of the southern Department, and is the second most important town....
, Coveñas
Coveñas
Coveñas is a town and municipality located in the Sucre Department, northern Colombia. the town is a popular vacation place for the people of the colombian andean region.-References:...
and San Marcos
San Marcos, Sucre
San Marcos is a town and municipality located in the Sucre Department, northern Colombia.It is also called "La Perla del San Jorge".-References:...
) and also it is placed relatively close to important cities in Colombia like 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...
, Cartagena
Cartagena, Colombia
Cartagena de Indias , is a large Caribbean beach resort city on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region and capital of Bolívar Department...
, Valledupar
Valledupar
Valledupar is a city and municipality in northeastern Colombia. It is the capital of Cesar Department and was founded in 1550 by the Spanish conquistador Hernando de Santana. Its name, Valle de Upar , was established in honor of the Amerindian cacique who ruled the valley; Cacique Upar...
and Medellín
Medellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
. There are regular transportation from Sincelejo to these place by bus and taxi, being taxis a little more expansive.
15 kilometers away from Sincelejo is Las Brujas Airport where is possible to find daily flights to the major cities in Colombia: Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
and Medellín
Medellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
. By land transportation the fare is approximately 1 US Dollar/10 Kilometers. By air transportation the fare is about 2.5 US Dollars/Kilometer. Despite there is not an official a terminal for land transportation, the place where Ocala Avenue and Troncal del Caribe intersect, it is the most important departing and arriving place in Sincelejo