Villanueva, La Guajira
Encyclopedia
Villanueva is a town and municipality located in the northern Department
of La Guajira, Colombia
. Villanueva is known in Colombia for being the cradle of many vallenato
singers and composers. The economy of the town relies heavily on agriculture
and farming.
, between the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
mountains and the serrania del Perija
which Villanueva borders. The municipality is crossed by the Villanueva River which flows into the Cesar River. The municipality seat is located by the Cerro Pintao ("Painted Hill") which also covers the municipalities of San Juan del Cesar, El Molino and Urumita and in the Department of Cesar the municipalities of Manaure
, La Paz, San Diego
and Codazzi
covering an area of 25,000 ha and with an altitude ranging from 1600 to 3,688 m (Paramo
) giving birth to some 13 rivers.
Villanueva limits to the north with the municipalities of El Molilno, with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the east; to the south with the municipalities of Urumita
and San Juan del Cesar
; and to the west with the Department of Cesar covering a total area of 265 km² and at altitude of 250 m over sea level. More than half of the total area of the municipality is part of the Serrania del Perija while the rest is flat, within the valley.
Canopan and their settlement was called "Timiriguaco" (Great village). The village was allegedly founded by Don Roque de Alba in 1662.
(AUC) by orders of Carlos Castaño
. Alias "Jorge 40", commander of the Northern Bloc of the AUC
, part of the paramilitary structure later admitted to participating in the massacre by order of Castaño, in which the operation was commanded by alias "Daniel" and a unit of some 80 paramilitaries.
Victims were dragged out of their homes while a paramilitary commander called out their names on a list. Alias "Jorge 40" confessed that the massacre had taken place because there had been reports that the neighborhood was an enclave of the Luciano Ariza Front of the National Liberation Army
(ELN) guerrilla. He also confessed the motives of selecting December 8 as the date of the massacre, a traditional local Roman Catholic celebration known as the "Dia de las Velitas
", and in which people use fireworks to celebrate. Fireworks would conceal the sound of the shots.
and commercial trade between the other Southern Guajira municipalities and the city of Valledupar
in the Department of Cesar. of the 26,500 Ha, 7,300 Ha are used for plantations, 8,000 for cattle raising, 10,146 Ha were unused and 454 covered urban areas.
In the lower part of the Serrania del Perija there are limestone deposits which are exploited in artisan manner.
, a vallenato
musical contest as well as a religious celebration in honor of Saint Thomas
.
Departments of Colombia
Colombia is an unitary republic formed by thirty-two departments and a Capital District . Each department has a Governor and a Department Assembly , elected by popular vote for a four-year period. The governor cannot be re-elected in consecutive periods...
of La Guajira, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. Villanueva is known in Colombia for being the cradle of many vallenato
Vallenato
Vallenato, along with cumbia, is currently a popular folk music of Colombia. It primarily comes from the Colombia's Caribbean region. Vallenato literally means "born in the valley". The valley influencing this name is located between the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Serranía de Perijá in...
singers and composers. The economy of the town relies heavily on agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and farming.
Geography
The municipality of Villanueva is located in the southern region of the Department of La Guajira within the valley of the Cesar RiverCesar River
The Cesar River is a river in northern Colombia which is a part of the Magdalena Basin. It separates the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta from the mountain ranges of the Serrania del Perija an extension of the Cordillera Oriental...
, between the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is an isolated mountain range apart from the Andes chain that runs through Colombia. Reaching an altitude of 5,700 metres above sea level just 42 km from the Caribbean coast, the Sierra Nevada is the world's highest coastal range...
mountains and the serrania del Perija
Serrania del Perija
The Serranía del Perijá, Cordillera de Perijá or Sierra de Perijá is a mountain range, an extension of the eastern Andean branch , in northern South America, between Colombia and Venezuela, ending further north in the Guajira Desert, a total distance of about 310 km...
which Villanueva borders. The municipality is crossed by the Villanueva River which flows into the Cesar River. The municipality seat is located by the Cerro Pintao ("Painted Hill") which also covers the municipalities of San Juan del Cesar, El Molino and Urumita and in the Department of Cesar the municipalities of Manaure
Manaure, Cesar
Manaure also known as Balcón del Cesar is a Colombian town and municipality located in the northeastern region of the Cesar Department on the Serrania del Perija.-Geography:...
, La Paz, San Diego
San Diego, Cesar
San Diego is a town and municipality in the Colombian Department of Cesar.-External links:* *...
and Codazzi
Codazzi
Agustín Codazzi or Codazzi, is a city and municipality of the Department of Cesar. It was founded in 1784 by the Spanish Captain Salvador Felix de Arias with the name of El Pueblito del Espiritu Santo but later renamed after the Italian cartographer, Giovanni Battista Agostino Codazzi, who died in...
covering an area of 25,000 ha and with an altitude ranging from 1600 to 3,688 m (Paramo
Páramo
The term páramo can refer to a variety of ecosystems. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as “all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline”. A more narrow term classifies the páramo according to its regional placement - specifically located in “the northern Andes...
) giving birth to some 13 rivers.
Villanueva limits to the north with the municipalities of El Molilno, with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the east; to the south with the municipalities of Urumita
Urumita
Urumita is a town and municipality of the Colombian Department of La Guajira.-Geography:The municipality of Urumita is located on the Serrania del Perija mountain range with part of its territory covering the valley of the Cesar River towards the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range...
and San Juan del Cesar
San Juan del Cesar
San 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:...
; and to the west with the Department of Cesar covering a total area of 265 km² and at altitude of 250 m over sea level. More than half of the total area of the municipality is part of the Serrania del Perija while the rest is flat, within the valley.
Climate
Climate in the municipality of Villanueva is determined by altitude and precipitation. The municipality has an average temperature of 28°C throughout the year with two rainy seasons and two dry seasons.History
Prior to the arrival of the Spanish explorers in the early 16th Century the area of what is present-day Villanueva was inhabited by a Chimila tribe; the Itotos, then led by CaciqueCacique
Cacique 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...
Canopan and their settlement was called "Timiriguaco" (Great village). The village was allegedly founded by Don Roque de Alba in 1662.
Villanueva massacre
massacred occurred on December 8, 1998 in the neighborhood known as El Cafetal and some 11 people were assassinated by members of the United Self-Defense Forces of ColombiaUnited Self-Defense Forces of Colombia
The United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia was created as an umbrella organization of regional far-right...
(AUC) by orders of Carlos Castaño
Carlos Castaño
Carlos Castaño Gil was the founder of the Peasant Self-Defense Forces of Córdoba and Urabá , an extreme right paramilitary organization in Colombia...
. Alias "Jorge 40", commander of the Northern Bloc of the AUC
Northern Bloc of the AUC
The Northern Bloc of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia was a Colombian paramilitary organization that operated until March 2006, when it demobilized....
, part of the paramilitary structure later admitted to participating in the massacre by order of Castaño, in which the operation was commanded by alias "Daniel" and a unit of some 80 paramilitaries.
Victims were dragged out of their homes while a paramilitary commander called out their names on a list. Alias "Jorge 40" confessed that the massacre had taken place because there had been reports that the neighborhood was an enclave of the Luciano Ariza Front of the National Liberation Army
National Liberation Army (Colombia)
National Liberation Army is a revolutionary, avowed Marxist guerrilla group that has been operating in several regions of Colombia since 1964....
(ELN) guerrilla. He also confessed the motives of selecting December 8 as the date of the massacre, a traditional local Roman Catholic celebration known as the "Dia de las Velitas
Día de las Velitas
Día de las Velitas is one of the most observed traditional holidays of Colombia. It is celebrated on December 7, on the eve of the Immaculate Conception, which is a public holiday in Colombia...
", and in which people use fireworks to celebrate. Fireworks would conceal the sound of the shots.
Economy
The economy of Villanueva is based primarily on agricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and commercial trade between the other Southern Guajira municipalities and the city 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...
in the Department of Cesar. of the 26,500 Ha, 7,300 Ha are used for plantations, 8,000 for cattle raising, 10,146 Ha were unused and 454 covered urban areas.
In the lower part of the Serrania del Perija there are limestone deposits which are exploited in artisan manner.
Culture
Villanueva celebrates in the month of September the Cradle of Accordions FestivalCradle of Accordions Festival
The Cradle of Accordions Festival is a festival in the Colombian northern town of Villanueva, Department of La Guajira in the month of September. The Cradle of Accordions Festival is celebrated on the same day as Saint Thomas and many vallenato musicians from the Department of Cesar and La Guajira...
, a vallenato
Vallenato
Vallenato, along with cumbia, is currently a popular folk music of Colombia. It primarily comes from the Colombia's Caribbean region. Vallenato literally means "born in the valley". The valley influencing this name is located between the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Serranía de Perijá in...
musical contest as well as a religious celebration in honor of Saint Thomas
Thomas the Apostle
Thomas the Apostle, also called Doubting Thomas or Didymus was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is best known for questioning Jesus' resurrection when first told of it, then proclaiming "My Lord and my God" on seeing Jesus in . He was perhaps the only Apostle who went outside the Roman...
.