Manaure, Cesar
Encyclopedia
Manaure also known as Balcón del Cesar (Cesar's Balcony) is a Colombia
n town and municipality located in the northeastern region of the Cesar Department
on the Serrania del Perija
.
in the Department of La Guajira
; to the east with Venezuela
and to the south with the municipality of Los Robles La Paz
.
The Municipality of Manaure is predominantly mountainous with higher altitudes ranging from 1000 to 2500 m oversea level on the eastern side of the municipality and decreasing to the west. The municipality has two main rivers; the Manaure River and the Chiriaimo River.
the region was inhabited by the Bohures indigenous group, descendants of the Caribs which arrived to the region from what is present-day Venezuela crossing the Serrania del Perija
mountain range.
. The village of Manaure was founded by a farmer named Buenaventura Maya on January 1, 1874. Founder Buenaventura Maya named the village in honor of the Cacique Manaure which ruled Maracaibo
.
Manaure acquired importance due the cultivation of coffee and cocoa in the late 18th century. In 1913 Manaure became a corregimiento of the municipality of Los Robles La Paz. During the period of civil war "La Violencia
" in the late 1950s, Manaure received migrations from different regions of Colombia specially from the Department of North Santander
. These immigrants became proprietors of farms in the corregimiento of Manaure and further developed the coffee plantations. These North Santander immigrants also lobbied to segregate the corregimiento of Manaure from the municipality of Los Robles La Paz, some of these local leaders were Guillermo Araque, Arturo Navarro, Arturo Acosta, Julio Maestre and José Ángel Pacheco.
They collected 600 signatures of the 200 needed as requisite to formalized the petition which also complied with the "Law of Frontiers" which gave certain benefits to certain villages near the border with other nations. This petition was fully supported by the then Governor of Cesar; José Guillermo Castro Castro.
Manaure was then proclaimed a municipality of the Department of Cesar by Ordinance 28 of November 28, 1980 by the Department Assembly of Cesar and signed the Law project on December 21 of the same year. The first mayor was Alfonso Murgas, appointed by Department decree and later mayors Guillermo Araque García, Enrique Campo Mieles, Claudio Morón, Orlando Velásquez, Jesús Palmera, Jaider López, Claudio Morón. The first mayor elected by popular vote was Enrique Campo Mieles. Campo Mieles was leter replaced by José Maria Castro for three months. Then Virgilio Ardila was elected mayor and was picked as the best mayor of Colombia. Then mayors José Perpiñan, reelected Virgilio Ardila, Gonzalo Aguirre, Hilis Plata and Henry Oñate Fragozo.
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n town and municipality located in the northeastern region of the Cesar Department
Cesar Department
Cesar Department or simply Cesar 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 the Department of Magdalena and Department of Bolivar, to the south with Department of Santander, to...
on the Serrania del Perija
Serrania del Perija
The Serranía del Perijá, Cordillera de Perijá or Sierra de Perijá is a mountain range, an extension of the eastern Andean branch , in northern South America, between Colombia and Venezuela, ending further north in the Guajira Desert, a total distance of about 310 km...
.
Geography
Manaure borders to the north with the municipality of La Jagua del PilarLa Jagua del Pilar
La Jagua del Pilar is a town and municipality in the Colombian Department of La Guajira. The municipality has a total area of 187 km² and located some 450 meters over sea level and with an average temperature of 27°C...
in the Department of La Guajira
Department of La Guajira
La Guajira is a department of Colombia. It occupies most of its namesake peninsula, the Guajira Peninsula in the northeast region of the country, facing the Caribbean Sea and Venezuela in the northern most part of South America...
; to the east with Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
and to the south with the municipality of Los Robles La Paz
Los Robles La Paz
Los Robles La Paz or simply La Paz is a municipality and a town in the Department of Cesar, Colombia. The town is close to the Capital city of the Department of Cesar; Valledupar. The municipality of La Paz borders to the north with La Guajira Department, to the northeast with the municipality of...
.
The Municipality of Manaure is predominantly mountainous with higher altitudes ranging from 1000 to 2500 m oversea level on the eastern side of the municipality and decreasing to the west. The municipality has two main rivers; the Manaure River and the Chiriaimo River.
Pre-Columbian
Prior to the Spanish colonization of the AmericasSpanish colonization of the Americas
Colonial expansion under the Spanish Empire was initiated by the Spanish conquistadores and developed by the Monarchy of Spain through its administrators and missionaries. The motivations for colonial expansion were trade and the spread of the Christian faith through indigenous conversions...
the region was inhabited by the Bohures indigenous group, descendants of the Caribs which arrived to the region from what is present-day Venezuela crossing the Serrania del Perija
Serrania del Perija
The Serranía del Perijá, Cordillera de Perijá or Sierra de Perijá is a mountain range, an extension of the eastern Andean branch , in northern South America, between Colombia and Venezuela, ending further north in the Guajira Desert, a total distance of about 310 km...
mountain range.
Republicanism
The area of Manaure was initially under the jurisdiction of Los Robles La PazLos Robles La Paz
Los Robles La Paz or simply La Paz is a municipality and a town in the Department of Cesar, Colombia. The town is close to the Capital city of the Department of Cesar; Valledupar. The municipality of La Paz borders to the north with La Guajira Department, to the northeast with the municipality of...
. The village of Manaure was founded by a farmer named Buenaventura Maya on January 1, 1874. Founder Buenaventura Maya named the village in honor of the Cacique Manaure which ruled Maracaibo
Maracaibo
Maracaibo is a city and municipality located in northwestern Venezuela off the western coast of the Lake Maracaibo. It is the second-largest city in the country after the national capital Caracas and the capital of Zulia state...
.
Manaure acquired importance due the cultivation of coffee and cocoa in the late 18th century. In 1913 Manaure became a corregimiento of the municipality of Los Robles La Paz. During the period of civil war "La Violencia
La Violencia
La Violencia is a period of civil conflict in the Colombian countryside between supporters of the Colombian Liberal Party and the Colombian Conservative Party, a conflict which took place roughly from 1948 to 1958 ....
" in the late 1950s, Manaure received migrations from different regions of Colombia specially from the Department of North Santander
Department of North Santander
North Santander is a department of Colombia. It is in the north of the country, bordering Venezuela. Its capital is Cúcuta, one of the major cities of Colombia....
. These immigrants became proprietors of farms in the corregimiento of Manaure and further developed the coffee plantations. These North Santander immigrants also lobbied to segregate the corregimiento of Manaure from the municipality of Los Robles La Paz, some of these local leaders were Guillermo Araque, Arturo Navarro, Arturo Acosta, Julio Maestre and José Ángel Pacheco.
They collected 600 signatures of the 200 needed as requisite to formalized the petition which also complied with the "Law of Frontiers" which gave certain benefits to certain villages near the border with other nations. This petition was fully supported by the then Governor of Cesar; José Guillermo Castro Castro.
Manaure was then proclaimed a municipality of the Department of Cesar by Ordinance 28 of November 28, 1980 by the Department Assembly of Cesar and signed the Law project on December 21 of the same year. The first mayor was Alfonso Murgas, appointed by Department decree and later mayors Guillermo Araque García, Enrique Campo Mieles, Claudio Morón, Orlando Velásquez, Jesús Palmera, Jaider López, Claudio Morón. The first mayor elected by popular vote was Enrique Campo Mieles. Campo Mieles was leter replaced by José Maria Castro for three months. Then Virgilio Ardila was elected mayor and was picked as the best mayor of Colombia. Then mayors José Perpiñan, reelected Virgilio Ardila, Gonzalo Aguirre, Hilis Plata and Henry Oñate Fragozo.
Veredas
Manaure is the only municipality in the Department of Cesar without corregmientos. Manaure has four veredas.- Canada
- Sabana de Leon
- Honda del Rio
- Via del Cerro