PN Tayrona, Colombia

Who Protects the Guardians of the World?


Blas, an indigenous Kogi
Blas, an indigenous of the Tayrona group mixes coca leaves with shell powder in a poporo, a kind of pipe
Chairama, El Pueblito
Tayrona huts provide the preserved scenery of Chayrama.
Horse in the Shadow
Horse rests in the shade of a Pueblito (Chairama) tree.
camouflaged horse
Horse grazes in a green meadow lost in the vastness of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
Saw Down
Indigenous kogi descends one of the stairs that serve Chayrama.
Tairona Engraving
A drawing carved into the rock found at the entrance to Chayrama.
Three brothers
Three brothers embrace at their lost house at the foot of the rise on which El Pueblito, the old Tayrona village of Chairama, is located.
Light beam
Light beam penetrates the dense jungle of Tayrona National Park
Passion fruit load
Mixed-race farmer carries passion fruit on a trail near Chayrama.
By horse
A resident rides along a trail that connects El Pueblito to the national road that crosses the Tayrona National Park.
Kogi native
A native of the Kogi ethnic group, he rests in one of the huts on the Pueblito, as Chayrama is popularly known, an old abandoned Tayrona settlement that the natives have recovered.
On my way
Tayrona native travels a jungle path around Chayrama, where he goes every day to sell artifacts.
Chairama Platform
Ceremonial platform at Chayrama, a historic Tayrona village.
Saw Down
Children descend one of the trails that wind around Chayrama, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
Sierra little Nevada
View from the low slopes of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the coastline that rises the fastest from the coast in the world, from sea level to 5700m from the Cristobal Colón and Simón Bolivar peaks.
The natives of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta believe that their mission is to save the Cosmos from the “Younger Brothers”, which are us. But the real question seems to be, "Who protects them?"

We admire, over the sand, the geological eccentricity of that lush setting.

While on our shores, the waves break with Caribbean smoothness, onward, the overgrown mountains rise steeply above the clouds.

Although the fog does not allow us to glimpse its final peaks – Cristobal Cólon and Simón Bolívar – it amazes us to know that, in less than 42 km, the Sierra Nevada rises from sea level to an altitude of 5.700 meters that justifies its baptism.

Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, PN Tayrona, Guardians of the World, Colombia

View from the low slopes of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the coastline that rises the fastest from the coast in the world, from sea level to 5700m from the Cristobal Colón and Simón Bolivar peaks.

And even more the awareness that the sacred world of the Tayrona civilization is located there, represented and defended today by 45.000 individuals belonging to three esoteric peoples: the Kogi, the Wiwa, the Arhuaco. And to another one much more integrated into the modern reality of Colombia, the Kancuamo.

Until the beginning of the XNUMXth century, the Tayrona occupied the entire vast tropical area nestled between the coast and the summits.

They grew demographically and prospered. They were also masters in the art of working gold and creating precious objects that they used for spiritual purposes.

To their unexpected detriment, when the Spaniards arrived in that part of the world, both gold and these artifacts abounded.

Downhill, PN Tayrona, Guardians of the World, Colombia

Indigenous kogi descends one of the stairs that serve Chayrama.

Tayrona's Tragedy of the Disembarkation of the Spaniards

In 1525, the conqueror Rodrigo de Bastidas he had already realized the riches he could steal from the natives. In order to facilitate your diversion to the spanish crown, founded the city of Santa Marta, at the entrance of the homonymous mountain range.

The indigenous resistance proved to be fierce. At the end of the XNUMXth century, the Tayrona civilization was defeated and “pushed” by the invaders almost to the snowy heights of the mountain range.

There, he took refuge from the attacks and illnesses of the Europeans and, until today, he protected his “cosmic” knowledge, based on a balance between the potential of the mind and spirit with the natural forces.

Engraving, PN Tayrona, Guardians of the World, Colombia

A drawing carved into the rock found at the entrance to Chayrama.

When we leave the beach, the power of those same forces assaults us. We are in the middle of the rainy season in the Colombian Caribbean. Without any warning, pitch-black clouds take over the sky and release a flood of water that reduces visibility to almost nothing.

Lacking shelter to protect us, we continued to walk through the jungle, soaking wet, amid slipping and stumbling on the protruding roots of trees and bushes.

As quickly as it had arrived, the storm is exhausted. The clouds open up to a scorching sun that dries us up in three stages.

Reheated, we continue to climb towards Chairama, one of the largest Tayrona settlements at the time of the arrival of the Spaniards with more than two hundred and fifty terraces erected over the jungle and a population of 3000 natives.

The settlers got used to calling it El Pueblito.

Chairama, PN Tayrona, Guardians of the World, Colombia

Tayrona huts provide the preserved scenery of Chayrama.

The Long Colombian Chaos That Threatened the Survival of the Tayrona Indigenous

The proximity of the coast and vulnerability to Spanish attacks, dictated the early withdrawal of the population of Chairama and abandonment to plunder and nature. Such abandonment has only been stopped recently by the alleviation of the political-military situation in this area of ​​Colombia and because the government has finally begun to value the country's unique historical and ethnic heritage.

Thanks to its greater isolation, today the most emblematic Tayrona village is Teyuna, the mysterious Ciudad Perdida, located three days' walk from Chairama.

From its discovery in 1975, Teyuna gave rise to what became known as Infierno Verde, an authentic war between groups of artifact thieves (the guaqueros) which lasted for several years.

Despite looting and many other traumas, the descendants of their builders survived. They returned to inhabit the area and descend the Chairama and the Colombian villages on the side of the road where they interact with the Colombian “invaders”.

Passion Fruits, PN Tayrona, Guardians of the World, Colombia

Mixed-race farmer carries passion fruit on a trail near Chayrama.

Serra Cima, on the way to Chairama, El Pueblito

The climb to Chairama proves steeper than expected. Even demanding, dozens of different people walk that path every day, dedicated to their tasks.

Among other passersby, we come across a Creole farmer carrying a huge sack of passion fruit. And for property straddled by a peasant family in which three restless brothers are at war.

3 brothers, PN Tayrona, Guardians of the World, Colombia

Three brothers embrace at their lost house at the foot of the rise on which El Pueblito, the old Tayrona village of Chairama, is located.

Further up the mountain, we come across the first Kogi and Arhuaco Indians, whom we easily identify by their white clothes and their long dark hair.

We exchanged a few casual words in Castilian but these peoples are known for saying only what is strictly necessary and for the justified suspicion with which they approach the contacts of outsiders.

Stephen Ferry, a National Geographic reporter who visited their high Sierra Nevada retreats and attended the ceremonies of the Mamas (priests) describes some more concrete examples: “…when Mamas communicate, you immediately realize that their references don't belong to our world western.

A Pure Conception of the World. And Tayrona's Duty of Defending the Unconscious of Whites

They mention the Spanish conquest as if it had just happened. They speak openly of the force of creation, or Se, the spiritual center of all existence. It's from student, the thought, soul and imagination of men …”

Also according to Ferry's description, the Kogi, the Arhuaco, and the Wiwa consider that the really valuable things are underlying the meanings and connections that can be drawn from the palpable realities of the world.

His cosmology contemplates, for example, a universe made up of nine layers. The temple in which they meet also has nine steps, as there are nine months in the gestation of a child.

PN Tayrona, Guardians of the World, Colombia

Children descend one of the trails that wind around Chayrama, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.

For them, a hill can be seen as a house, the hair on the human body as the trees in the forest. Men's white hats arhuaco they represent the snowfields of the summits in which they live while the whole of their mountains form the Cosmos.

The Sierra Nevada Indians consider themselves the elder brothers, genuine guardians of the planet and their mountain the “Heart of the World”. They also see the foreign settlers as the younger brothers.

In a rare BBC documentary in which they agreed to participate “The Elder Brothers' Warning”, the Mamas warn that they will not maintain the condescending attitude they have defended forever: “Until now we have ignored the Younger Brother. We didn't even deign to spank him. But we can't continue to take care of the world alone… “

Beam of Light, PN Tayrona, Guardians of the World, Colombia

Light beam penetrates the dense jungle of Tayrona National Park

The Colombian Civil War, Cocaine and All the Devastation They Generated

Until a few decades ago, the descendants of the Tayrona ethnic groups saw their mission of spiritual protection in the world increasingly complicated.

Cocaine producers, guerrillas, paramilitaries and the Colombian army seized their lands or trespassed on them and confronted each other and disturbed the natural harmony of things.

In the late 90s, the Colombian government began to control the situation. It gradually defeated the private armies, fumigated the coca plantations and granted pardons and support for conversion. Many cocaine producers took advantage of this offer.

On horseback, PN Tayrona, Guardians of the World, Colombia

A resident rides along a trail that connects El Pueblito to the national road that crosses the Tayrona National Park.

The success of military operations nullified the guerrilla and provided new opportunities. Like the one used by Luís and Richard Velázquez, who joined Plan Colombia and joined “their” dear Asociación Posadas Ecoturísticas.

As Richard Velazquez told us, “These are cambios muy chéveres” adjective that can be interpreted as “in the way”.

Nevertheless, among many others, the peoples of Tayrona descendants continue to feel the pressure of conventional farmers who seek their land to cultivate bananas and oil palms. It is also known, beforehand, that the cocaine issue is never really resolved.

On our way back from Pueblito, we once again met indigenous people. Blas is the second and most mysterious. We exchanged greetings and a short dialogue. Soon, the three of us were resting by a stream.

Kogi, PN Tayrona, Guardians of the World, Colombia

Blas, an indigenous of the Tayrona group mixes coca leaves with shell powder in a poporo, a kind of pipe

When we questioned him about the fatigue of the trips to and from Chairama, routes he takes to sell handicrafts to the few visitors to the village, we extract an elementary and apparently alienated explanation from him.

As soon as he can, Blas indulges in a fresh refill of coca leaves and crushed shells. Fill your poporo (gourd) and return us to the sounds of the jungle.

We feel the energy of nature and the absolute peace of mind of the native.

And we cannot help but think about who will save the Tayrona Indians from the unconsciousness of their younger brothers.

Santa Marta and PN Tayrona, Colombia

The Paradise from which Simon Bolivar departed

At the gates of PN Tayrona, Santa Marta is the oldest continuously inhabited Hispanic city in Colombia. In it, Simón Bolívar began to become the only figure on the continent almost as revered as Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary.
Machu Picchu, Peru

The City Lost in the Mystery of the Incas

As we wander around Machu Picchu, we find meaning in the most accepted explanations for its foundation and abandonment. But whenever the complex is closed, the ruins are left to their enigmas.
Mount Roraima, Venezuela

Time Travel to the Lost World of Mount Roraima

At the top of Mount Roraima, there are extraterrestrial scenarios that have resisted millions of years of erosion. Conan Doyle created, in "The Lost World", a fiction inspired by the place but never got to step on it.
Cartagena de Indias, Colombia

The Desired City

Many treasures passed through Cartagena before being handed over to the Spanish Crown - more so than the pirates who tried to plunder them. Today, the walls protect a majestic city always ready to "rumbear".
San Ignacio Mini, Argentina

The Impossible Jesuit Missions of San Ignacio Mini

In the century. In the XNUMXth century, the Jesuits expanded a religious domain in the heart of South America by converting the Guarani Indians into Jesuit missions. But the Iberian Crowns ruined the tropical utopia of the Society of Jesus.
Yucatan, Mexico

The End of the End of the World

The announced day passed but the End of the World insisted on not arriving. In Central America, today's Mayans watched and put up with incredulity all the hysteria surrounding their calendar.
Albuquerque, USA

When the Drums Sound, the Indians Resist

With more than 500 tribes present, the pow wow "Gathering of the Nations" celebrates the sacred remnants of Native American cultures. But it also reveals the damage inflicted by colonizing civilization.
savuti, botswana, elephant-eating lions
Safari
Savuti, Botswana

Savuti's Elephant-Eating Lions

A patch of the Kalahari Desert dries up or is irrigated depending on the region's tectonic whims. In Savuti, lions have become used to depending on themselves and prey on the largest animals in the savannah.
Herd in Manang, Annapurna Circuit, Nepal
Annapurna (circuit)
Annapurna Circuit: 8th Manang, Nepal

Manang: the Last Acclimatization in Civilization

Six days after leaving Besisahar we finally arrived in Manang (3519m). Located at the foot of the Annapurna III and Gangapurna Mountains, Manang is the civilization that pampers and prepares hikers for the ever-dreaded crossing of Thorong La Gorge (5416 m).
Treasures, Las Vegas, Nevada, City of Sin and Forgiveness
Architecture & Design
Las Vegas, USA

Where sin is always forgiven

Projected from the Mojave Desert like a neon mirage, the North American capital of gaming and entertainment is experienced as a gamble in the dark. Lush and addictive, Vegas neither learns nor regrets.
Passengers, scenic flights-Southern Alps, New Zealand
Adventure
Aoraki / Mount Cook, New Zealand

The Aeronautical Conquest of the Southern Alps

In 1955, pilot Harry Wigley created a system for taking off and landing on asphalt or snow. Since then, his company has unveiled, from the air, some of the greatest scenery in Oceania.
Ceremonies and Festivities
Pueblos del Sur, Venezuela

The Pueblos del Sur Locainas, Their Dances and Co.

From the beginning of the XNUMXth century, with Hispanic settlers and, more recently, with Portuguese emigrants, customs and traditions well known in the Iberian Peninsula and, in particular, in northern Portugal, were consolidated in the Pueblos del Sur.
Mannequins and pedestrians reflected
Cities
Saint John's, Antigua (Antilles)

The Caribbean City of Saint John

Situated in a cove opposite the one where Admiral Nelson founded his strategic Nelson Dockyards, Saint John became Antigua's largest settlement and a busy cruise port. Visitors who explore beyond the artificial Heritage Quay discover one of the most genuine capitals of the Caribbean.
Cocoa, Chocolate, Sao Tome Principe, Agua Izé farm
Meal
São Tomé and Principe

Cocoa Roças, Corallo and the Chocolate Factory

At the beginning of the century. In the XNUMXth century, São Tomé and Príncipe generated more cocoa than any other territory. Thanks to the dedication of some entrepreneurs, production survives and the two islands taste like the best chocolate.
intersection
Culture
Hungduan, Philippines

Country Style Philippines

The GI's left with the end of World War II, but the music from the interior of the USA that they heard still enlivens the Cordillera de Luzon. It's by tricycle and at your own pace that we visit the Hungduan rice terraces.
Reindeer Racing, Kings Cup, Inari, Finland
Sport
Inari, Finland

The Wackiest Race on the Top of the World

Finland's Lapps have been competing in the tow of their reindeer for centuries. In the final of the Kings Cup - Porokuninkuusajot - , they face each other at great speed, well above the Arctic Circle and well below zero.
M:S Viking Tor Ferry-Wrapped Passenger, Aurlandfjord, Norway
Traveling
Flam a Balestrand, Norway

Where the Mountains Give In to the Fjords

The final station of the Flam Railway marks the end of the dizzying railway descent from the highlands of Hallingskarvet to the plains of Flam. In this town too small for its fame, we leave the train and sail down the Aurland fjord towards the prodigious Balestrand.
Bride gets in car, traditional wedding, Meiji temple, Tokyo, Japan
Ethnic
Tokyo, Japan

A Matchmaking Sanctuary

Tokyo's Meiji Temple was erected to honor the deified spirits of one of the most influential couples in Japanese history. Over time, it specialized in celebrating traditional weddings.
Got2Globe Photo Portfolio
Got2Globe Portfolio

life outside

Cape Town, South Africa, Nelson Mandela
History
Cape Town, South Africa

In the End: the Cape

The crossing of Cabo das Tormentas, led by Bartolomeu Dias, transformed this almost southern tip of Africa into an unavoidable scale. And, over time, in Cape Town, one of the meeting points of civilizations and monumental cities on the face of the Earth.
Puerto Rico, San Juan, walled city, panoramic
Islands
San Juan, Puerto Rico

The Highly Walled Puerto Rico of San Juan Bautista

San Juan is the second oldest colonial city in the Americas, after the Dominican neighbor of Santo Domingo. A pioneering emporium and stop over on the route that took gold and silver from the New World to Spain, it was attacked again and again. Its incredible fortifications still protect one of the most lively and prodigious capitals in the Caribbean.
coast, fjord, Seydisfjordur, Iceland
Winter White
Seydisfjordur, Iceland

From the Art of Fishing to the Fishing of Art

When shipowners from Reykjavik bought the Seydisfjordur fishing fleet, the village had to adapt. Today, it captures Dieter Roth's art disciples and other bohemian and creative souls.
silhouette and poem, Cora coralina, Goias Velho, Brazil
Literature
Goiás Velho, Brazil

The Life and Work of a Marginal Writer

Born in Goiás, Ana Lins Bretas spent most of her life far from her castrating family and the city. Returning to its origins, it continued to portray the prejudiced mentality of the Brazilian countryside
Mount Lamjung Kailas Himal, Nepal, altitude sickness, mountain prevent treat, travel
Nature
Annapurna Circuit: 2th - Chame a Upper BananaNepal

(I) Eminent Annapurnas

We woke up in Chame, still below 3000m. There we saw, for the first time, the snowy and highest peaks of the Himalayas. From there, we set off for another walk along the Annapurna Circuit through the foothills and slopes of the great mountain range. towards Upper Banana.
Mother Armenia Statue, Yerevan, Armenia
Autumn
Yerevan, Armenia

A Capital between East and West

Heiress of the Soviet civilization, aligned with the great Russia, Armenia allows itself to be seduced by the most democratic and sophisticated ways of Western Europe. In recent times, the two worlds have collided in the streets of your capital. From popular and political dispute, Yerevan will dictate the new course of the nation.
Maui, Hawaii, Polynesia,
Natural Parks
Maui, Hawaii

Maui: The Divine Hawaii That Succumbed to Fire

Maui is a former chief and hero of Hawaiian religious and traditional imagery. In the mythology of this archipelago, the demigod lassos the sun, raises the sky and performs a series of other feats on behalf of humans. Its namesake island, which the natives believe they created in the North Pacific, is itself prodigious.
Merganser against sunset, Rio Miranda, Pantanal, Brazil
UNESCO World Heritage
Passo do Lontra, Miranda, Brazil

The Flooded Brazil of Passo do Lontra

We are on the western edge of Mato Grosso do Sul but bush, on these sides, is something else. In an extension of almost 200.000 km2, the Brazil it appears partially submerged, by rivers, streams, lakes and other waters dispersed in vast alluvial plains. Not even the panting heat of the dry season drains the life and biodiversity of Pantanal places and farms like the one that welcomed us on the banks of the Miranda River.
Zorro's mask on display at a dinner at the Pousada Hacienda del Hidalgo, El Fuerte, Sinaloa, Mexico
Characters
El Fuerte, Sinaloa, Mexico

Zorro's Cradle

El Fuerte is a colonial city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. In its history, the birth of Don Diego de La Vega will be recorded, it is said that in a mansion in the town. In his fight against the injustices of the Spanish yoke, Don Diego transformed himself into an elusive masked man. In El Fuerte, the legendary “El Zorro” will always take place.
amazing
Beaches

Amberris Caye, Belize

Belize's Playground

Madonna sang it as La Isla Bonita and reinforced the motto. Today, neither hurricanes nor political strife discourage VIP and wealthy vacationers from enjoying this tropical getaway.

One against all, Sera Monastery, Sacred Debate, Tibet
Religion
Lhasa, Tibet

Sera, the Monastery of the Sacred Debate

In few places in the world a dialect is used as vehemently as in the monastery of Sera. There, hundreds of monks, in Tibetan, engage in intense and raucous debates about the teachings of the Buddha.
Back in the sun. San Francisco Cable Cars, Life Ups and Downs
On Rails
San Francisco, USA

San Francisco Cable Cars: A Life of Highs and Lows

A macabre wagon accident inspired the San Francisco cable car saga. Today, these relics work as a charm operation in the city of fog, but they also have their risks.
Tsukiji fish market, Tokyo, Japan
Society
Tokyo, Japan

The Fish Market That Lost its Freshness

In a year, each Japanese eats more than their weight in fish and shellfish. Since 1935, a considerable part was processed and sold in the largest fish market in the world. Tsukiji was terminated in October 2018, and replaced by Toyosu's.
Saksun, Faroe Islands, Streymoy, warning
Daily life
Saksun, streymoyFaroe Islands

The Faroese Village That Doesn't Want to be Disneyland

Saksun is one of several stunning small villages in the Faroe Islands that more and more outsiders visit. It is distinguished by the aversion to tourists of its main rural owner, author of repeated antipathies and attacks against the invaders of his land.
Flock of flamingos, Laguna Oviedo, Dominican Republic
Wildlife
Oviedo Lagoon, Dominican Republic

The (very alive) Dominican Republic Dead Sea

The hypersalinity of the Laguna de Oviedo fluctuates depending on evaporation and water supplied by rain and the flow coming from the neighboring mountain range of Bahoruco. The natives of the region estimate that, as a rule, it has three times the level of sea salt. There, we discover prolific colonies of flamingos and iguanas, among many other species that make up one of the most exuberant ecosystems on the island of Hispaniola.
The Sounds, Fiordland National Park, New Zealand
Scenic Flights
Fiordland, New Zealand

The Fjords of the Antipodes

A geological quirk made the Fiordland region the rawest and most imposing in New Zealand. Year after year, many thousands of visitors worship the sub-domain slashed between Te Anau and Milford Sound.