Fonseca, La Guajira

Fonseca is a municipality located in the Colombian Department of La Guajira. The town celebrates the Festival del Retorno in honor of St Augustine with religious celebrations, vallenato music events and others.

Fonseca
town
Flag
Seal
Motto(s): 
"Siempre de la Mano con el Pueblo"
"Always by the People"
Location of the town and municipality of Fonseca in the Department of La Guajira.
CountryColombia
RegionCaribbean
DepartmentLa Guajira
Government
 • MayorPedro Manjarrez Fragoso (ASI)[1]
Area
 • town662 km2 (256 sq mi)
 • Urban
4.8 km2 (1.9 sq mi)
Elevation
11.8 m (38.7 ft)
Population
 (2020 est.)
 • town32,220
 [2]
Time zoneUTC-5
ClimateAw
Website
fonseca-guajira.gov.co/
*

Geography

The municipality of Fonseca has a total area of 622 km² at an altitude over sea level of 11 m over sea level at the seat of the municipality. The municipality is on a depression in the valley of the Ranchería River which flows through the municipality from west to east, between the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Serranía del Perijá.[3][4][5]

Fonseca limits to the north with the municipality of Riohacha and Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range; to the south with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the Serranía del Perijá mountains; to the east with the municipality of Barrancas and to the west narrowly with the municipality of San Juan del Cesar.[5]

The average temperature throughout the year is of 28°Cº variating only between the two rainy seasons and two dry seasons or by altitude due to the mountainous environment.[6]

History

The area of Fonseca was inhabited by different indigenous groups; Chimila, Tupe, Wayuu, Cariachile people and Motilon.[7]

There are two hypothesis about the foundation of Fonseca. One describes that by the year 1750 [Catalan]] colonizer Agustín Fonseca and Italian José Agustín Parodi founded the village.[8]

Agustín Fonseca was the leader of a group of adventurers who settled by the Ranchería river, but in a rainy season the river flooded the area bringing diseases. They moved to a dryer place on what is supposedly the present-day main plaza of Fonseca. José Agustín Parodi was a captain of the Spanish Crown and arrived by orders of the Spanish monarchy.[7]

In 1773 the settlement of Fonseca was registered as jurisdiction of the Province of Santa Marta, only until 1967 La Guajira separated of Magdalena Department. On June 13, 1829 Fonseca became a municipality of the Intendencia of La Guajira by Decree 1954.[7] Fonseca became a municipality of the Department of La Guajira in 1954.[8]

Colombian armed conflict
Main article: Colombian armed conflict

Since the 1970s Barrancas has been influenced by the Colombian armed conflict because of its strategic location between the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the Serranía del Perijá mountain ranges and the border with Venezuela. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) through its Caribbean Bloc's 59th, 19th and 41st fronts and the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla Gustavo Palmesano Front have practiced selective assassinations, kidnappings, extortions, forcedly recruitments, town sieges, arms and illegal drugs trafficking among others against the Colombian government and the civilian population.[9]

The United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) appeared in the area in the early 2000s led by alias Jorge 40. After a violent presence in the area but also dissipating the guerrillas presence, the AUC demobilized in 2006.[9]

Politics

Administrative divisions

The municipality seat of Fonseca has some 32 neighborhoods mostly houses. The municipality also has three corregimientos; Conejo, El Hatico and Sitio Nuevo. Eight police inspections: Bangañitas, El Confuso, Los Altos, Sabaneta, Los Pondores, Cardonal, Trigo and Cañaboba. Some twenty veredas: El Porvenir, El Potrero, Jaguey, Puyalito, El Puy, Potrerito, Los Toquitos, Hatico Viejo, La Yaya, San Agustín, Puerto López, Las Bendiciones, Las Marimondas, Las Colonias, La Villa, Guamachal, Mamarongo, El Chorro and Mamonal. There is one indigenous reserve called Resguardo Indígena de Mayabangloma.[10]

Demographics

Population data pertaining to the municipality of Fonseca from the year 2000 to 2004.

Year Urban Rural Total[11]
2000 22,923 3,126 26,049
2001 23,702 3,232 26,934
2002 24,508 3,342 27,580
2003 25,341 3,456 28,797
2004 26,203 3,547 29,777

Culture

Fonseca celebrates the Festival del Retorno (Festival of the Return) every year in which people from Fonseca living in other towns, regions or countries are celebrated for their return to town.[12]

References
  1. (in Spanish) Colombian Registry of the Civil State: 2007 election results
  2. "Resultados y proyecciones (2005-2020) del censo 2005". Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  3. (in Spanish) Government of La Guajira: Geography of Fonseca Archived 2007-08-13 at the Wayback Machine
  4. (in Spanish) Fonseca Developing Plan 2004: Area and Location
  5. "Fonseca: Geography" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2012-07-09. Retrieved 2008-03-26.
  6. "Fonseca: Climate" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2012-07-09. Retrieved 2008-03-26.
  7. "Fonseca: History" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2012-07-09. Retrieved 2008-03-26.
  8. (in Spanish) Government of La Guajira: History of Fonseca Archived 2007-08-13 at the Wayback Machine
  9. (in Spanish) Government of Colombia - Human rights in La Guajira Archived 2008-05-29 at the Wayback Machine
  10. (in Spanish) Fonseca Development Plan 2004: Sub-duvisions
  11. (in Spanish) Fonseca Development Plan 2004: demography
  12. (in Spanish) mifonseca.net: Festival del Retorno Archived 2007-02-25 at the Wayback Machine

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