Maicao
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Maicao (
Wayuu The Wayuu (also Wayu, Wayúu, Guajiro, Wahiro) are an Amerindian ethnic group of the Guajira Peninsula in northernmost part of Colombia and northwest Venezuela. The Wayuu language is part of the Maipuran (Arawak) language family. Geography ...
: ) is a city and municipality in the
Department of La Guajira La Guajira () is a department of Colombia. It occupies most of the Guajira Peninsula in the northeast region of the country, on the Caribbean Sea and bordering Venezuela, at the northernmost tip of South America. The capital city of the departm ...
, northern
Republic of 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 Cari ...
. It is located 76 km from
Riohacha Riohacha (; Wayuu: ) is a city in the Riohacha Municipality in the northern Caribbean Region of Colombia by the mouth of the Ranchería River and the Caribbean Sea. It is the capital city of the La Guajira Department. It has a sandy beach waterfr ...
, the capital of the department and is the second largest urban center near the border with
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
, after the city of
Cúcuta Cúcuta (), officially San José de Cúcuta, is a Colombian municipality, capital of the department of Norte de Santander and nucleus of the Metropolitan Area of Cúcuta. The city is located in the homonymous valley, at the foot of the Eastern ...
. The city was founded on June 27, 1927 by Colonel Rodolfo Morales and Tomás Curvelo Iguarán, on behalf of the Department of Magdalena in the middle of the
Wayuu The Wayuu (also Wayu, Wayúu, Guajiro, Wahiro) are an Amerindian ethnic group of the Guajira Peninsula in northernmost part of Colombia and northwest Venezuela. The Wayuu language is part of the Maipuran (Arawak) language family. Geography ...
people territory.Maicao: History
/ref> During the 1970s Maicao became a commercial hub due to an oil boom in Venezuela and the flow of contraband present in the Guajira peninsula.


Etymology

The name of Maicao comes from the Wayunaiki: ''mai-ka-u'' which means "Land of the
Maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. The ...
.


Geography

Maicao is located in the
Guajira Peninsula The Guajira Peninsula ( es, Península de La Guajira, links=no, also spelled ''Goajira'', mainly in colonial period texts, guc, Hikükariby) is a peninsula in northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela in the Caribbean. It is the norther ...
, the northernmost part of South America and within the Guajira desert. The municipality of Maicao borders to the north with the municipalities of
Uribia Uribia is town and municipality of the La Guajira department of Colombia. It is the youngest municipality of this Department since the year 2000. Northern Zone of the Cerrejón coal mines are located in this municipality. The municipality also con ...
and Manaure; to the east with the
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
; to the south with the municipality of
Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
and to the west with the municipality of
Riohacha Riohacha (; Wayuu: ) is a city in the Riohacha Municipality in the northern Caribbean Region of Colombia by the mouth of the Ranchería River and the Caribbean Sea. It is the capital city of the La Guajira Department. It has a sandy beach waterfr ...
covering a total area of 1,782 km² and at altitude over sea level of 52 m.


Climate

Climate in the municipality of Maicao is arid, presenting two rainy seasons and two dry seasons. The average temperature throughout the year is of .


History

Maicao was inhabited by the
Wayuu The Wayuu (also Wayu, Wayúu, Guajiro, Wahiro) are an Amerindian ethnic group of the Guajira Peninsula in northernmost part of Colombia and northwest Venezuela. The Wayuu language is part of the Maipuran (Arawak) language family. Geography ...
people prior to the arrival of the
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
. The Wayuu gave strong resistance to the Spanish conquest, remaining rebellious until the early 20th century. Maicao was officially founded on June 27, 1927 by Colonel Rodolfo Morales and Tomás Curvelo Iguarán, on behalf of the Department of Magdalena in the middle of the
Wayuu The Wayuu (also Wayu, Wayúu, Guajiro, Wahiro) are an Amerindian ethnic group of the Guajira Peninsula in northernmost part of Colombia and northwest Venezuela. The Wayuu language is part of the Maipuran (Arawak) language family. Geography ...
people territory. One of the first families to settle in the area were those of José Domingo Boscán and Manuel Palacio López, who settled near the Venezuelan border between the road that connects Riohacha and Maraicaibo, in addition to the fact that this area had relatively fertile land. In 1927, several wells and windmills were built in the area by a German firm. In 1929, the township (Spanish: ''Corregimiento'') of Maicao was created, following population growth. By 1940, Maicao had 500 inhabitants. The indigenous Wayuu managed contraband trading routes through Maicao arriving from Aruba, Curaçao,
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
and other
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 ...
territories mostly coffee, alcohol, tobacco and weapons among other taxable articles. During the 1970s Maicao became a commercial hub due to an oil boom in Venezuela and the flow of contraband present in the Guajira peninsula. The commercial boom attracted Arab and other Middle Eastern immigrants most of whom established in Maicao as merchants, establishing another culture in the area.


Arab Migration

Due to Maicao's proximity to the Venezuelan border, it attracted a number of immigrants to the municipality, in addition to its free port characteristics, and in the 1970's it attracted a number of Arab immigrants from the Levant. In 1989, the Colombo-Arab College Dar el Arkam was created. The migrants settled in the center of Maicao, where one of them, José Abuchaibe of Palestinian origin, built the largest building in the municipality, which is the Hotel Don Juan. In 1997 Middle Eastern immigrants built the
Mosque of Omar Ibn Al-Khattab The Mosque of Omar Ibn Al-Khattab ( Spanish transcription Omar Iban Al-Jattab) is a mosque in Maicao, La Guajira, Colombia. It is the third largest mosque in Latin America. It is locally known as "La Mezquita" ("The Mosque"), simply because it i ...
, one of the largest mosques in South America.


Colombian armed conflict period

The marijuana bonanza in the outskirts of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains also introduced another factor to the culture of the region. ''Marimberos'' or drug dealers initiated exports of numerous
illegal drug trade The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs throug ...
to the United States and Europe where there was a high demand for drugs. Opulence in certain urban areas became notable, including a Ferraris collection by Lafaurie-González clan (Eduardo, Iván and Fernando Lafaurie-Gonzalez) and their bunker style houses in Maicao and Riohacha. During the 1980s and 1990s the internal
Colombian armed conflict The Colombian conflict ( es, link=no, Conflicto armado interno de Colombia) began on May 27, 1964, and is a low-intensity asymmetric war between the government of Colombia, far-right paramilitary groups, crime syndicates, and far-left guerril ...
between the government of Colombia and numerous revolutionary groups mainly the
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army ( es, link=no, Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de ColombiaEjército del Pueblo, FARC–EP or FARC) is a Marxist–Leninist guerrilla group involved in the continuing Colombian confl ...
(FARC) and the National Liberation Army began to affect the municipality of Maicao. Extortions, kidnappings and assassinations became a common practice. The situation worsened due to the deflation of the Venezuelan economy and the trade decrease, as well as crackdowns on contraband by the Colombian government. In 1991 was given special customs status in 1991 in order to spur job growth. The government's intent was to allow raw materials to enter the zone untaxed, have workers there turn them into finished product, and then re-export the finished goods outside Colombia. The law allowed for a certain amount of goods to pass from Maicao into the Colombian interior, but only if they were declared to customs officials and duty was paid on them. Cigarettes however moved outside the Maicao special customs zone "duty not paid" and from there into the black market. Maicao became subject to royalties coming from the exploitation of
coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when ...
in the Cerrejon coal mine, however municipal administrations have been subject to widespread corruption and royalties have been temporarily suspended. The culture of avoiding paying taxes has created in numerous occasions tensions between the locals and the government, including burning down the local tax bureau office DIAN in protest for confiscating large amounts of contraband. The municipality also suffered a problem of displaced people due to the internal armed conflict and deficiencies in education and health. El Pilon: Las regalías de Maicao by Salomón Kalmanovitz
/ref>


Hezbollah ties

According to
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...
investigators who allegedly told Rio de Janeiro's ''
O Globo ''O Globo'' (, ''The Globe'') is a Brazilian newspaper based in Rio de Janeiro. ''O Globo'' is the most prominent print publication in the Grupo Globo media conglomerate. Founded by journalist Irineu Marinho, owner of '' A Noite'', it was ori ...
'' in late October 2001 that in addition to the Triborder Region, a focal point of terrorism in South America was Maicao, described as an Islamic community of approximately 4,670 vacation spot for orthodox Islamics and the largest and best organized Islamic community in Colombia with a minority Shiites reportedly more closely associated with the Muslim fundamentalist concept.Library of Congress: Federal Research Division; Narcotics Funded Terrorists/Extremist Groups
/ref> The report said that there were cells of the radical group Hezbollah and that it controlled up to 70 percent of the local commerce. "The merchants from there make contributions equivalent to 10 percent and even up to 30 percent of their profits. And those responsible for the fund send the money via banks in Maracaibo in Venezuela, and in
Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...
. The Department of Administrative Security (Departamento de Seguridad Administrativa―DAS) shut down a clandestine radio station in Maicao on August 15, 1997, for broadcasting Hezbollah propaganda, and a couple of arrests for money laundering, Maicao's Muslim community reportedly has had few contacts with the law. Nevertheless, it is known that the black market for weapons and money laundering inMaicao and neighboring Zulia State in Venezuela is well established. Hezbollah cells based within Maicao have used drug trafficking and contraband networks to launder funds that were later used to finance terrorist operations worldwide.


Modern Times

On March 19, 2000 the town of
Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
segregated some 425 km² from Maicao and becoming a municipality. The municipality of Maicao lost a large area over the coal mine section decreasing the royalties percentage intended for the region.


Economy

Ninety percent of Maicao's economy depends on commerce and the rest is mainly in the service sector, in addition to a small percentage in the manufacturing industry. According to statistics from the Chamber of Commerce of the Municipality it is estimated that there are 1300 registered commercial stores. In 1992, the Special Customs Regime Zone of Maicao, Uribia and Manaureo was established in 1992 to regulate trade in the area. One of the products grown in Maicao is Ahuyama, better known as
Cucurbita moschata ''Cucurbita moschata'' is a species originating in either Central America or northern South America. It includes cultivars known as squash or pumpkin. ''C. moschata'' cultivars are generally more tolerant of hot, humid weather than cultivars of ...
, this vegetable is processed into flour from this municipality and marketed in European countries.


Culture

*
Mosque of Omar Ibn Al-Khattab The Mosque of Omar Ibn Al-Khattab ( Spanish transcription Omar Iban Al-Jattab) is a mosque in Maicao, La Guajira, Colombia. It is the third largest mosque in Latin America. It is locally known as "La Mezquita" ("The Mosque"), simply because it i ...
, built in September 1997, is the third largest mosque in South America. Although, Colombia is predominantly a Roman Catholic country, the region around Maicao has a large Lebanese Muslim migrant population who funded and built the mosque.


Transportation

The municipality of Maicao had one close airstrip, La Majayura Airport, which has been closed, but may reopen. The city is now served by Jorge Isaacs Airport, which is located in the southwest. It is also still a major transportation hub between Venezuela and Colombia. Land transportation is served by a two-lane single-road highway, crossing the municipality of Maicao from Rio Hacha towards Venezuela and another from the town of Maicao south towards
Valledupar Valledupar () is a city and municipality in northeastern Colombia. It is the capital of Caesar Department. Its name, ''Valle de Upar'' (Valley of Upar), was established in honor of the Amerindian cacique who ruled the valley; ''Cacique Upar''. T ...
. While much of the trade is legitimate, there is also a great deal of smuggling and contraband.


Heritage Sites

Maicao has several tourist sites such as the Monumento a la Identidad, a sculpture made by Cartagena artist Alfredo Tatis Benzo, this monument is also known as "El Abuelo de las Barbas del Maíz" () in reference to how Maicao received its name. In addition there is the Plaza Bolivar of Maicao, it had a statue of Simon Bolivar that was collapsed in 2021 by strong breezes, this statue had remained for more than 34 years in the square. In May 2022, a new statue was put up again, this time by the artist of the municipality, Vespaciano Ruiz Pichón. Another religious site in the municipality is the San José Church, which is the patron saint of the municipality.


Nature Reserves

Maicao along the municipality of Albania have the Natural Reserve, the reserve is specifically located in the township of Carraipía, south of Maicao.. This protected area has at least 14400 hectares, in addition to being the source of water for part of the population of Maicao. According to the Autonomous Regional Corporation of La Guajira (Spanish: ''Corporación Autónoma Regional de La Guajira'') there are approximately 200 types of plants and 177 species of birds, Montes de Oca contain endangered forest species such as Guayacán.


References


External links


Maicao Official website
{{coord, 11, 22, 40, N, 72, 14, 20, W, region:CO_type:adm2nd_source:GNS-enwiki, display=title Municipalities of La Guajira Department