San Juan del Cesar is a municipality and town located in the

La Guajira Department 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 ...

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 ...

Etymology

San Juan Bautista del Cesar name in en, John the Baptist and ''Chet-tzar'' or ''Sasare'' indigenous language for calm water, the name of the

Cesar River The Cesar River ( es, Río Cesar) is a river in northern Colombia which is a part of the Magdalena Basin. It flows through the Cesar-Ranchería Basin and separates the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta from the mountain ranges of the Serranía del Pe ...

History

The region San Juan del Cesar was inhabited by

Arhuacos The Arhuaco are an indigenous people of Colombia. They are Chibchan-speaking people and descendants of the Tairona culture, concentrated in northern Colombia in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Name The Arhuaco are also known as the Aruaco, B ...

indigenous tribe, led during that time by a

Cacique A ''cacique'' (Latin American ; ; feminine form: ''cacica'') was a tribal chieftain of the Taíno people, the indigenous inhabitants at European contact of the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. The term is a Spa ...

named "''Marocazo''". It was founded on June 24, 1701 by Captain Salvador Felix Arias Pereira with the name of Villa of San Juan Bautista, over Mount Yiyirigak by the

. Arias-Pereira was in a mission to "pacify" the indigenous tribes in rebellion; the Tupes, Coyaimas, Conopans and Marocazos. San Juan del Cesar Territorial Development Plan: General Information
/ref> The Villa of San Juan immediately became a pass for people traveling between

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''. ...

and the port 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 waterf ...

, back then an important commercial route flowing with cattle and agricultural products. The first church was built by

Priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

Gonzalo Suárez Oñate.

Geography

The municipality of San Juan del Cesar is located between the mountain ranges of 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 ...

and the

Serranía del Perijá The Serranía del Perijá, Cordillera de Perijá or Sierra de Perijá is a mountain range, an extension of the eastern Andean branch ( Cordillera Oriental), in northern South America, between Colombia and Venezuela Venezuela (; ), offici ...

by the

and close to the

Ranchería River The Ranchería River ( es, Río Ranchería) is a river located in northern La Guajira Department, Colombia. Born in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta southern steps flows south, abruptly turns northeast and then north where it finally flows into th ...

. It borders to the north with the municipality of

and Distracción, to the south with the municipalities of Villanueva, El Molino and the

Cesar Department Caesar Department ( es, Departamento del Cesar, links=no) or simply Caesar () is a department of Colombia located in the north of the country in the Caribbean region, bordering to the north with the Department of La Guajira, to the west with th ...

. To the east with the

Bolivarian Republic of 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 west again with the municipality of Riohacha, Dibulla and Cesar Department covering a total area of 1,415 km². The urban area of San Juan del Cesar covers 10% of this area; 141 km² and the rural area 90%; 1,274 km². The municipality is part of the Upper Valley of the

(Spanish: ''Alto Valle del Río César''), where the Cañaverales

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...

is located.

Climate

The average temperature is 27°C year round.

Economy

San Juan del Cesar together with Riohacha and Dibulla, are one of the production zones in which the yam, also known as Ñame, is cultivated in the department. San Juan del Cesar is one of the largest producers of yam in the Colombian Caribbean region in which 85 hectares of yam production has been reported.

Administrative divisions

Neighborhoods

The municipality seat of San Juan del Cesar had in 2003 some 35 neighborhoods; Villa Corelca, Gran Colombia, Manzanares, El Centro, La Floresta, San Rafael, Regional, La Victoria, Juan Bautista Forero, Loma Fresca, Manzanillo, Paraíso de Betel, La Esperanza, 16 de Julio, Norte Félix Arias, 20 de Julio, Buenos Aires, El Prado, Las Delicias, Alpes, Enrique Brito, El Carmen, San Francisco, Juan Antonio Araujo, Rafael de Armas, Las Tunas I y II, Chiquinquirá, Villa Hermosa, Manuel Antonio Dávila, San Juan Bautista, Chapinero, Los Ángeles and Los Olivos.

Corregimientos

* Cañaverales * Caracolí * Corral de Piedras * El Totumo * Guayacanal * La Junta * La Peña * Los Haticos * Los Pondores * Villa del río

Centros Poblados

* Boca del Monte * Corralejas * Curazao * El Hatico de los Indios * El Tablazo * La Peña de los Indios * Lagunita * Los Cardones * El Placer * Los Pozos * La Sierrita * Pondorito * Potrerito * Zambrano

Veredas

* Boca del Monte * Copo de Nieve * Curazao * El Caney * El Capuchino * El Carmen * El Limón * El Machín * El Pital * El Placer * El Playón * El Voladorcito * Farias * La Loma del Potrero * Los Tamacos * Los Tunales * Piloncito * Sabana Grande * Sabanas de Joaquina * San Benito * Tocapalma * Torcuatopinto * Ulago

Heritage Sites

In 2021, the municipality of San Juan del Cesar was selected by the National Tourism Fund (FONTUR) among the 25 municipalities of the "Pueblos que Enamoran" initiative, due to its historical sites and tourist attractions, in particular, La Ruta del Cacique ().

Churchs

In 1973, the community of the municipality decided to raise funds for the construction of a new modern church. The old church was demolished, in the meantime the parish priest Manuel Antonio Dávila ordered to build a small chapel near the cemetery of the municipality, in order to preserve the images of the old church and perform masses there while the new church was being built. The construction of this temple, which today is called the San Juan Bautista Parish, was carried out by the architect from Barranquilla, Carlos Makis Ordóñez, and lasted between 1944 and 1945. The parishes of San Juan Bautista, El Divino Niño and Nuestra Señora del Carmen located in the town of San Juan del Cesar are supported by the municipal administration for religious events. Also the municipality has several churchs categorized as assets of cultural interest by the Ministry of Culture, such as the Lagunita church, which was designated as a material heritage site in July 2003, where eucharistic celebrations are held in honor of the patron saint, San Rafael Arcángel. Another parish that has been considered a cultural property of cultural interest since 2003 is the San Francisco de Asis Church in the corregimiento of Pondores, south of the municipal capital.

Museums

The municipality has the Manuel Antonio Dávila House of Culture, which is attached to the office of Social Management and the Secretariat of Government and Education, which was declared a national heritage site in July 2003 along with the churches of the corregimientos of the municipality. In this cultural events have been held such as events of historical photographs of the municipality. The municipality also contains other heritage sites such as the Ventana Marroncita () which is part of the Cacique route, this place inspired Diomedes Diaz's album "Tres Canciones", this museum located in Corregimiento La Junta, contains clothing and photos of Diomedes. The Corregimiento de La Junta, also has a gallery of Diomedez's eldest daughter, Rosa Elvira Diaz Mejia with personal belongings.

References

External links

San Juan del Cesar official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:San Juan Del Cesar Municipalities of La Guajira Department Populated places established in 1701 1701 establishments in the New Kingdom of Granada