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Although our stay was short, visiting and learning about Minca, Parque Nacional Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, The Mother and the Indigenous peoples that care for her was a great privilege from our visit to Colombia.
While in Minca we had a chance to experience an unparalleled level of peace and constantly marveled at our surroundings. We were honored to share space with some of the 650 bird species that inhabit this region. I want to do right by our experience and the place that welcomed us, so for this blog it felt appropriate to share information from sources that I believe are reliable and take a deeper dive into the destination that is Minca, Colombia.
Video by Nabeel Chirathodi: Sunset in Minca Please note, that I have cited where I found information. All photos and videos are our own.
The Land: Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
The town of Minca is located in the hills of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, a place where the wisdom of Mother Nature is honored through the indigenous peoples of The Sierra Nevada. This region is home to the two largest coastal mountains in the world. Mt. Colon and Mt. Bolivar have summits reaching 5,775 and 5,560 meters above sea level and are are located 42 kilometers from the coast of Santa Marta.
One of the most unique parts about Minca and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is that it is quite literally, a microcosm for planet earth. According to National Geographic this small geographical area is home to coral reefs, sandy beaches, deserts, rainforests, tropical dry forests, savannahs, paramos, tundra, alpine lakes and glaciers- all of which are harmoniously connected. This specific mountain range was named ‘the most irreplaceable ecosystem on earth’ by Popular Science and declared as a Biosphere Reserve of Man and Humanity by Unesco in 1979.
Because of this, it makes sense that the Indigenous population of the Arhuaco believe that the world was created emerging from this very spot. For this reason they call Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta ‘the mother’.
Photos by Rachel Faulds and Nabeel Chirathodi
Like the rest of the planet, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is threatened by the effects of climate change. The glaciers of this region are melting rapidly. These glaciers feed the rivers and the local ecosystem of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and losing them can be devastating to the many species that inhabit this region.
According to an article published in Unbounded World by Daniel Henryk Rasolt:
Tropical mountain glaciers are rapidly melting around the world (up to 99% are in South America), but those that remain in Colombia could be entirely gone before 2050.
He states that the glaciers in this region have been losing ice mass for over 150 years, but the speed of the melting has increased exponentially in the last 20-30 years. It is estimated that Colombia has lost 90% of it's ice mass since 1850.
The glaciers of Sierra Nevada De Santa Marta exist at a higher altitude than other glacial regions of Colombia. They consist of 38 distinct masses (and have never existed as one large mass). Their isolation is a unique quality but also makes this region more vulnerable. The effects of the disappearing glaciers is already impacting and will continue to impact the surrounding ecosystems of this region.
All of the information here about the glaciers of the Sierra Nevada De Santa Marta was obtained from Unbounded World. This source is also linked at the bottom, where you can read more about the different glacial regions of Colombia.
The People: Arhuaco
We were introduced to the Arhuaco people and their connection with The Mother, during our stay in Minca. National Geographic states that the Arhuaco are one of four Indigenous groups in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, all of which originated from a larger ancient group called Tairona. According to BBC this ancient civilization was forced to retreat into what is now known as the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range in the 16th century as a way to escape the Spanish conquistadors.
The members of the Arhuaco refer to themselves as the ‘Elder Brothers’ of the earth and maintain a worship and custodianship of Mother Earth. They are of the belief that they are tasked with maintaining the harmony of nature and the universe on behalf of all mankind, including us, the outsiders referred to as ‘little brothers’. They believe that harmony is achieved through balance and that when there is a disturbance that upsets the balance of things it must be recognized and compensated for by an offering. This offering is referred to as "payments" and the importance of the payment is based on the thought put into it.
Along with other Indigenous groups that originated from the Tairona (the Kogi, Wiwa and Kankuamo) the Arhuaco peoples live in what is now the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in an area enclosed by what they refer to as 'the black line'. It is the belief that all that we see on earth including animals, waters and landscapes were first born within this black line. This line is a spiritual boundary which surrounds their series of sacred sites. At these sites the spiritual guides, the Mamos make "payments" to maintain balance on earth.
The Mamo believes that they are a representative of all living beings and dedicate themselves to the preservation of nature. Their training begins in their youth, believing that they are chosen by divination the Mamo spends 18 years isolated from birth to adulthood near the summit of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Their training is ingrained with their societal values until they master a 'cosmic consciousness' allowing them to interpret and communicate directly with the planet. This information was originally obtained from both BBC and through a piece written by Mamo Mayor Zäreymakú (Juan Marcos Pérez) Kankurwa Mamingueka as published by Cultural Survival.
Photo by Rachel Faulds and Nabeel Chirathodi
The Growth: Coffee
Colombia is renowned for their coffee. It is one of the world's leading coffee producers and I can confidently say that every cup we had throughout our stay in Colombia was extraordinary.
The town of Minca, and her surrounding areas provide the ideal conditions for the growth of a medium bodied arabica style bean. As originally told in National Geographic Minca creates a home for this style of bean to flourish by providing the required steep shade covered mountains, ideal rainfall, altitude and temperatures.
The indigenous tribes of Kogi and Arhuao are among the leaders for organic coffee production and have developed a sustainable farming network. Combining generational old techniques with spiritual beliefs and modern planting knowledge they are able to create beans that are "triple certified" as fair trade, rain forest friendly and organic.
The harvesting season in this region is November to February. All of this information can be found in more detail in an article published in National Geographic. Access to all the resources I used to find information for this blog are linked at the bottom of this page.
Photos by Rachel Faulds and Nabeel Chirathodi
The Guest: Ecotourism
Colombia Travel shares that research, conservation and recovery efforts are at the forefront of the ecotourism of Parque Nacional Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. This park is the most widely known and accepted ecotourism region for both domestic and foreign guests owing to the beautiful and diverse landscape.
The activities recommended by Colombia Travel include but are not limited to cultural contact, birdwatching, mountain climbing, archeology and hiking. The hiking recommended includes routes like the trail to Cerro Kennedy. This route brings you through the village of Minca on route to your final destination of the mountain peak. On route you will be trekking through the home of many native and migratory birds.
As always it is important to be respectful while you explore and remember you are visiting the home of the communities that have made this region their own. According to The International Ecotourism Society a few of the guiding principals for ecotourism are as follows:
Minimize physical, social, behavioral, and psychological impacts.
Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect.
Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts.
Provide direct financial benefits for conservation.
Recognize the rights and spiritual beliefs of the Indigenous People in your community and work in partnership with them to create empowerment.
You can read more about ecotourism here.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention ‘The Lost City’ which is found in Parque Nacional Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. National Geographic states that this historical landmark is believed to have been built by the Tairona people around 650 years before Machu Picchu and that it’s name translates to ‘origins of the people of the earth’. We didn’t have a chance to visit (but hope to in the future), so I am ill equipped to write about this city. If you’d like to find out more about the Lost City I found a resource you can access at Colombia Travel.
Photos by Rachel Faulds and Nabeel Chirathodi
Things to Know
Closest Airport: Simon Bolivar International Airport
Official Language: Spanish Currency: Colombian Peso
Closest Canadian Embassy: Bogota (you can find information about the embassy services and on how to contact the embassy here).
Type of Climate: Tropical Monsoon. This means you have high temperatures and a lot of rainfall throughout the year. Monsoon(wet) Season: May-October
Dry Season: December-April
More Information: National Geographic: Indigenous protectors of these sacred peaks have kept others out-til now
Please note that this post was written from our perspective and experiences as a interracial heterosexual couple from Canada. Your experiences may vary. Please read the Canadian travel advisory (or your own countries travel advisory) prior to travel.