Guaviare Department

Guaviare It's one of the 32 departments that make up the Republic of Colombia. It is made up of 4 municipalities of which its capital is the municipality of San José del Guaviare. It is located in the Amazon region to the east of the country.

DEPARTMENT SYMBOLS

Flag of Guaviare

Shield of Guaviare

Click here to listen to: Guaviare Anthem

History of the Guaviare Department:

The current territory of the department of Guaviare has been inhabited since the prehispanic era by various indigenous communities, such as nukak, puinave, guayaberos, sikuani, cubeos, piratepuyos, desanos, tucanos and carijonas. The kurripakos of the family arawak They have also occupied these territories, living in reservations recognized by the State, with an indigenous population that exceeds four thousand people. However, the tinigua, located in the northwest of the department, became extinct.

The colonization of the region has occurred in different stages, from the end of the 19th century until World War II, when it was exploited rubber in the jungles. In the 1960s, colonization for livestock farming, cocoa plantations and fishing was promoted, giving rise to the municipality of San José in 1976. The following decade marked a significant colonization for coca cultivation, impacting the life and history of the Guaviare. The current population is close to 100 thousand inhabitants.

From the conquest until the first years of the republic, Guaviare was part of the Popayan province, he Boyacá department of the Greater Colombia (1821-1830), the Caquetá Territory (1830-1857), integrated into the Sovereign State of Cauca, and the special police station of Vaupés in 1910. Law 55 of 1977 created the Guaviare police station, separating it from Vaupés, with its capital in San José del Guaviare. On July 4, 1991, the National Constituent Assembly I elevate it to the category of department.

The colonization of the Guaviare has been motivated by its natural riches, such as balata, rubber, trade in furs, ornamental plants and fish, in addition to the illicit cultivation of coca.

Political-administrative division of Guaviare

The Department is made up of 4 municipalities of which San José del Guaviare is the capital. Below is the list of Municipalities of Guaviare.

Guaviare Gastronomy

Much of Guaviare's gastronomy is linked to the rivers, which have provided a safe source of food for many years to the inhabitants of the area, in the same way the agriculture that is developed in the place, as well as livestock, provides another range of ingredients that enrich the department's varied cuisine. Some of the most representative recipes of Guaviare are:

• Moriche chicha
• The wet fish
• Baked Chigüiro
• Casabe
• Manoco
• Sancocho de Gallina Tapacura or Gumarra
• Green mango candy

Find out here the complete list of Guaviare gastronomy recipes

Guaviare Fairs and Festivals

Among the fairs and festivals of the department we find the “International Yurupary Gold Festival” held in August in San José del Guaviare, the “Festival of colonies” which is held to celebrate the patron saint festivities of the capital and to pay tribute to the cultures of each region, “El Caimán Rumbero Summer Festival” organized in the township of El Capricho, in this same township the “Festival Guacamaya de Oro” is also celebrated, another of the great events of the year is “The Summer Festival”, held on the beaches of the Guaviare River.

Find out here the complete list of festivals, fairs, parties and events in Guaviare

Guaviare Tourist Sites

The natural wealth that Guaviare has as well as the archaeological and cultural legacy of the pre-Hispanic cultures that inhabited and inhabit the department have turned it into a dream tourist destination for lovers of nature and culture, among the tourist sites of Guaviare stand out :

• The Nukak National Nature Reserve
• The Chiribiquete National Natural Park
• The “stone city”
• The Spas of Agua Bonita and Villa Luz
• The cave paintings of the Guayabero River and the Caño Dorado
• The Guayabero rapid
• Guaviare hot springs

Find out here the complete list of tourist places in Guaviare

Guaviare Economy

The agricultural sector is the main legal economic engine of Guaviare, other important activities are livestock and fishing and then, plantain, cassava, cocoa, corn, rice, chontaduro, arazá, copoazú, caimarona, guaitutu or anón grapes. Amazonian, cocona, seje, inchi nut and African palm.

Thanks to the natural, cultural and historical wealth that the department has, tourism has gained strength in recent years as a new possible economic engine in the area.

Legends and Myths of Guaviare

Among the legends and myths that are part of the imagination of the Guaviarense, the following stand out:

• The legend of Yurupari
• The Jar Leg
• Compadre Bototo
• The Headless Biker
• Myth of the origin of the world of the nukak makú.