Yariguies
Encyclopedia
The Yariguí people were an indigenous Colombia
n tribe that gave their name to a mountainous area they once inhabited in the Andean cloud forest. It has been said that they committed mass suicide instead of submitting to Spanish colonial rule.
, in the western portion of the current department of Santander in Colombia.
The approximate boundaries of their indigenous territory were the Minero River to the south, the Sogamoso River to the north, the Magdalena River
to the west, and the Cordillera Oriental to the east. They lived, then, in a region of woodland and rainforest, a land of high temperatures and great humidity, which made life difficult for the inhabitants.
family, the Yariguies were a people formed essentially of nomadic hunters and gatherers. They were divided into five independent clans: the Arayas Chiracotas, Tolomeos, Suamacaes, Opones, and Carares. Each clan was independently governed by its own cacique
.
s, arrows, poisoned darts, and surprise tactics to reduce the 16th-century army of Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada
from 900 to 169 men.
By 1570, four Yariguí caciques were known to the Spaniards: Beto of the Arayas, Caciquillo of the Opones, Martinillo of the Carares, and Suamacá of the los Suamacaes, all dedicated to attacking the expeditions on the Magdalena, Sogamoso, Carare, and Opón rivers that transported colonists, militias, and merchants to Vélez and Santafé de Bogotá. They also attacked troops sent to hunt down natives.
The cacique Pipatón offered the most famous resistance, having been captured and maimed by having his heels cut in 1601, after which he escaped and returned to lead the resistance against the Spanish. Nonetheless, at the end of his life, he turned himself in to the colonial authorities and was sent to a convent of friars in Bogotá, where he died after 1612.
Three circumstances combined to weigh against the Yariguies' desires to keep their land free from intrusion: their low birthrate, the increasing number of colonists, and the diseases brought by Europeans, especially swine flu, smallpox, and measles, against which the natives had no immunological defenses. These factors caused the population of indigenous peoples to decline drastically over the 17th and 18th centuries.
In the end, what the Spanish could not accomplish, capitalist enterprise did. The extermination of the Yariguies is one of the many genocides committed against indigenous American communities, committed, moreover, with total impunity.
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...
n tribe that gave their name to a mountainous area they once inhabited in the Andean cloud forest. It has been said that they committed mass suicide instead of submitting to Spanish colonial rule.
Territory
The indigenous nation of the Yariguies was located in an extensive forested area of the Magdalena River ValleyMagdalena River Valley
The Magdalena River Valley is a valley in Colombia located within the Colombian Andes mountain ranges. The valley is specifically located between the Cordillera Central and Cordillera Oriental and crossed by the river of the same name, the Magdalena River....
, in the western portion of the current department of Santander in Colombia.
The approximate boundaries of their indigenous territory were the Minero River to the south, the Sogamoso River to the north, the Magdalena River
Magdalena River
The Magdalena River is the principal river of Colombia, flowing northward about through the western half of the country. It takes its name from the biblical figure Mary Magdalene. It is navigable through much of its lower reaches, in spite of the shifting sand bars at the mouth of its delta, as...
to the west, and the Cordillera Oriental to the east. They lived, then, in a region of woodland and rainforest, a land of high temperatures and great humidity, which made life difficult for the inhabitants.
Language and culture
Belonging to the Carib languageCarib language
Carib, also known as Caribe, Cariña, Galibi, Galibí, Kali'na, Kalihna, Kalinya, Galibi Carib, Maraworno and Marworno, is an Amerindian language in the Cariban language family....
family, the Yariguies were a people formed essentially of nomadic hunters and gatherers. They were divided into five independent clans: the Arayas Chiracotas, Tolomeos, Suamacaes, Opones, and Carares. Each clan was independently governed by its own cacique
Cacique
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...
.
History
From first contact with Spanish explorers, the Yariguies were hostile and presented a strong resistance. They impeded the invaders' penetration into their lands, aided by the natural difficulties of the rainforest. The chroniclers, like Fray Pedro Simón, referred to the Yariguies, using their macanaMacana
The term macana, of Taíno origin, refers to various wooden weapons used by the various native cultures of Central and South America.The earliest meaning attributed to macana is a sword-like weapon made out of wood, but still sharp enough to be dangerous...
s, arrows, poisoned darts, and surprise tactics to reduce the 16th-century army of Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada
Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada
Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada was a Spanish explorer and conquistador in Colombia. He explored the northern part of South America. While successful in many of his exploits, acquiring massive amounts of gold and emeralds, he ended his career disastrously; and has been suggested as a possible model...
from 900 to 169 men.
By 1570, four Yariguí caciques were known to the Spaniards: Beto of the Arayas, Caciquillo of the Opones, Martinillo of the Carares, and Suamacá of the los Suamacaes, all dedicated to attacking the expeditions on the Magdalena, Sogamoso, Carare, and Opón rivers that transported colonists, militias, and merchants to Vélez and Santafé de Bogotá. They also attacked troops sent to hunt down natives.
The cacique Pipatón offered the most famous resistance, having been captured and maimed by having his heels cut in 1601, after which he escaped and returned to lead the resistance against the Spanish. Nonetheless, at the end of his life, he turned himself in to the colonial authorities and was sent to a convent of friars in Bogotá, where he died after 1612.
Three circumstances combined to weigh against the Yariguies' desires to keep their land free from intrusion: their low birthrate, the increasing number of colonists, and the diseases brought by Europeans, especially swine flu, smallpox, and measles, against which the natives had no immunological defenses. These factors caused the population of indigenous peoples to decline drastically over the 17th and 18th centuries.
In the end, what the Spanish could not accomplish, capitalist enterprise did. The extermination of the Yariguies is one of the many genocides committed against indigenous American communities, committed, moreover, with total impunity.