The Ehinger party crosses the Oca mountains,…
1532 CE
The Ehinger party crosses the Oca mountains, and after crossing the Serranía del Perijá mountain range, arrives in the region of present Valledupar, along the Cesar Rive.
The territory of what is today the municipality of Valledupar is inhabited predominantly by indigenous peoples pertaining to the Chimilas sharing the same language and culture (Euparies, Cariachiles, Pocabuyes, Sucuigas, Guanaos, Socuigas, Garupares, Chiriguanaes, Malibues, Sondaguas, Tamalameques, Itotos, etc.)
and to a lesser extent to the Tupes, which are a mixture between immigrating Kalina peoples and the Chimilas.
Their territory extends between the central region of the Guajira Peninsula to the Magdalena River between the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Serranía del Perijá mountain ranges, covering most of the Valley of the Cesar River (also referred to as Valley of Upar or Valley of the Pocabuys).
There are two major cities in the region: one is called Thamara (present-day Tamalameque) and the other is Upari, named after their powerful chief, the cacique Upar.
The Spanish scribes describe Thamara as a very large city with more than a thousand huts.
The Chimila society is structured as a pyramid with a working class divided into fishers, hunters, artisans, miners, goldsmiths and merchants.
The Chimilas use Arhuacos as their slaves.
The Chimilas believe in an immortal figure called Masirguta and are monotheist, believing in the god Narayajana (also referred to as Yao).
Chimilas practice musical rites with drums of many sizes, flutes with a tip made out of wax varying in between two and five holes, imitating the singing of the rufous-vented chachalaca birds with maracas and an instrument called guacharaca and .
The Chimilas cultivate maize in a technical manner and to a lesser extent other local species of vegetables and fruits for consumption and certain trees near their huts to produces shadows and freshen their area.
Chimilas also harvest the Gynerium sagittatum, a cane used to produce bows and arrows.
Ehinger savagely conquers the region, burning down entire villages, including those of Eupari and Thamara, and taking the indigenous peoples as slaves.
Ehinger also sentences to death the Cacique Upar.
From Valledupar, the conquistadors come finally to …