Ciénaga () is a municipality and a town in the
Magdalena Department,
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
, the second largest population center in this department, after the city of
Santa Marta
Santa Marta (), officially Distrito Turístico, Cultural e Histórico de Santa Marta ("Touristic, Cultural and Historic District of Santa Marta"), is a city on the coast of the Caribbean Sea in northern Colombia. It is the capital of Magdalena ...
. It is situated at
11° 00' North, 74° 15' West, between the
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (English: ''Snow-Covered Mountain Range of Saint Martha'') is an isolated mountain range in northern Colombia, separate from the Andes range that runs through the north of the country. Reaching an elevation of ...
, the
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
and the
Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta marsh in northern Colombia. The town is situated in the northern part of Magdalena, 35 km from Santa Marta. According to estimations, in 2019, there were 105,510 inhabitants.
The mean annual temperature is 34 °C.
History
Prior to the arrival of the Spanish colonizers the area was vastly populated by
Chimila indigenous people and a village known as ''Pongueyca''. The foundation of Ciénaga has always been a matter of dispute due to many different historical theories and the lack of documented sources. It is believed to be founded first in what is now a small village known as Pueblo Viejo and the site of a former Chimila tribe. In 1529 monk Fray Tomás Ortiz established a parish that would later burn in a fire. It was then refounded as a city by Fernando de Mier y Guerra under the name of ''Villa de San Juan Bautista de la Ciénaga'' but also was known with the names of ''San Juan del Córdoba'', ''Aldea Grande'', ''Córdoba'', ''Pueblo de la Ciénaga'' and simply ''Ciénaga''.
![Plaza Cienaga Panorama 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Plaza_Cienaga_Panorama_2.jpg)
During the war of independence from Spain, Ciénaga became a battle ground on November 10, 1820, between loyalists and independentists of what became known as the
Battle of Ciénaga.
On December 6, 1928, the
Banana massacre (in Spanish, ''matanza de las bananeras'') occurred in this town. It was a massacre of workers for the
United Fruit Company
The United Fruit Company (now Chiquita) was an American multinational corporation that traded in tropical fruit (primarily bananas) grown on Latin American plantations and sold in the United States and Europe. The company was formed in 1899 fro ...
; an unknown number of workers died after the government decided to send the military forces to end a month-long strike organized by the workers' union in order to demand better working conditions. 100 - 2,000 people were
massacred
A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or have no way of defending themselves. A massacre is generally considered to be morally unacceptable, especially when per ...
in the strike.
In 2012, the Colombian government named Ciénaga a ''
Pueblo Patrimonio'' (heritage town) of Colombia, making it the first town in Magdalena department to earn the distinction. As of March 2021, Ciénaga is Colombia's northernmost ''Pueblo Patrimonio''.
Culture
Ciénaga has been the place of birth and home to numerous notable people, including native
Thousand Days' War
The Thousand Days' War ( es, Guerra de los Mil Días) was a civil war fought in Colombia from 17 October 1899 to 21 November 1902, at first between the Colombian Liberal Party, Liberal Party and the government led by the National Party (Colomb ...
hero, musician and farmer
Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
Clemente Escalona, father and teacher of
vallenato
Vallenato () or "Szlager" in Wayuu language (from the German "Schlager"), is a popular folk music genre from Colombia. It primarily comes from its Caribbean region. ''Vallenato'' literally means "born in the valley". The valley influencing th ...
composer
Rafael Escalona
Rafael Calixto Escalona Martinez (May 26, 1926 – May 13, 2009) was a Colombian composer and troubadour. He was known for being one of the most prominent vallenato music composers and troubadours of the genre and for being the co-founder of the ...
.
Guillermo Buitrago, who died very young - 29 years old - became a very important figure of the 20th century's
folklore
Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...
in Colombia. The city pays annual homage to him in the Guillermo de Jesús Buitrago Guitar Festival. It was also the birthplace of Andrés Paz Barrosthe,
cumbia
Cumbia refers to a number of musical rhythms and folk dance traditions of Latin America, generally involving musical and cultural elements from American Indigenous peoples, enslaved Africans during colonial times, and Europeans. Examples include:
...
cienaguera founder and musical composer. Ciénaga celebrates every year on January 20 the ''Fiesta del Caimán'' (Feast of the
Caiman
A caiman (also cayman as a variant spelling) is an alligatorid belonging to the subfamily Caimaninae, one of two primary lineages within the Alligatoridae family, the other being alligators. Caimans inhabit Mexico, Central and South America fro ...
) honoring a local legend known as ''La Historia de Tomasita''.
The impact of the banana industry on Ciénaga and the surrounding region is depicted in several stories by
Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez (; 6 March 1927 – 17 April 2014) was a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter, and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo () or Gabito () throughout Latin America. Considered one ...
in ''
100 Years of Solitude'' and ''The Leaf Storm''.
Important to note this town was also the principal port of Colombia during the late 19th century and was where the largest immigrant groups entered Colombia, mainly from Lebanon and Europe.
Gallery
Image:Cienaga1.png
Image:Cienaga3.png
Image:Cienaga4.png
Image:Cienaga5.png
Image:Cienaga6.png
Image:Cienagamap.png
See also
*
Cienega
References
External links
*
Ciénaga official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cienaga, Magdalena
Port cities in the Caribbean
Municipalities of Magdalena Department