La Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is in northwest Colombia, along the Caribbean Sea at the top of South America.
The mountain range is isolated from the Andean Mountains, reaching over 5,700 meters in altitude.
It is the residence of multiple glacier peaks with a view to the Caribbean islands.
The home of the Tayrona civilization cultivating the lowlands, fishing, and establishing a culture of love and respect for nature.
With the arrival of Spanish troops engaged in persecution and murder, the communities escaped to higher elevations in the Sierra Nevada.
The descendants of the Tayrona still inhabit these mountains, establishing four pueblos, the Arhuaco, the Kogui, the Wiwa and the Kankuamo.
In 1964, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Natural Park was established, reserving the land for biodiversity preservation and granting the four pueblos access to ancestral sacred sites.
In 1991, Colombia's constitution was updated to recognize the rights of indigenous people to self-government in their historical regions.
In 2023, the area of the park was expanded by 20 percent, providing further support for the communities to access sacred rivers, lagoons, and cascades.
For these communities, Mother Earth is especially important, with traditions of stewardship for the Heart of the World.
It is wonderful to have more land under their stewardship to preserve nature and culture.
These films where produced by the Colombian Ministry of the Environment.
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