Roots that are not forgotten: what the Tayrona and the Kogui continue to teach us

reservabiologicaca

11 hours ago

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Anyone who walks through the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta soon realizes that this is no ordinary landscape. Its stone paths, terraces glimpsed through the forest, and rivers flowing down from the peaks speak of a very ancient relationship between people and the mountains. At Reserva Caoba, we live in this territory, which is why we want to invite you to remember: who the Tayrona were, who the Kogui and the other peoples of the Sierra are today, and why it matters to all of us not to forget these roots

The Tayrona: A Civilization Built in Harmony with the Mountains

Before and during the arrival of the Spanish, the northern and northwestern slopes of the Sierra were home to the Tayrona culture. They were a complex society that organized villages and cities, built stone pathways, constructed terraces, and developed goldworking techniques and architectural forms that continue to amaze us today.

They also mastered water engineering. Their terraces and channels directed rainwater through their settlements and helped preserve soil fertility on very steep slopes. More than a thousand years ago, they were already finding ways to cultivate the land, build their homes, and care for water at the same time.

Teyuna: The City That Was Never Lost

The best-known site of this legacy is the Teyuna Archaeological Park, commonly known as the Lost City. Its earliest structures are believed to date to around AD 800, centuries before Machu Picchu.

To the outside world, it was “rediscovered” in 1972 by a group of guaqueros—looters who plundered ancient tombs and archaeological sites. But to the Indigenous peoples of the Sierra, it was never lost. It is a sacred place and is under the care of the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History (ICANH).

UNESCO describes the site as evidence of a cultural tradition that remains alive today. That word—alive—is the key to everything that follows.

The Peoples of Today

It is a mistake to speak of the Tayrona as though they had disappeared. The Kogui, Arhuaco, Kankuamo, and Wiwa peoples are historically connected to them and have preserved their traditions and languages despite centuries of outside pressure.

The Kogui survived in large part by remaining isolated for generations. They call themselves Kággaba, meaning “people.”

All four peoples understand the Sierra as a single ancestral territory, defined by what is known as the Black Line (Línea Negra), which encompasses coastal and lake areas that today lie beyond officially recognized Indigenous reserves.

The Law of Origin and the Pagamentos

To understand these peoples, we must first understand the Law of Origin (Ley de Origen), which the Colombian state recognizes in Decree 1500 of 2018 as the foundation of their governance and authority.

It is not a written code, but a set of principles, rules, and responsibilities that guide how people should live and care for the territory.

Those who interpret and uphold these principles are the mamos, spiritual authorities who perform pagamentos at a network of sacred sites. These sites are found throughout the Sierra Nevada and Tayrona National Natural Park. At Caoba, we also have several pagamento sites.

A pagamento is an act of reciprocity: when we receive something from the earth, we give something back.

An academic study published on Redalyc explains that, for the Kogui, maintaining the Sierra’s balance requires a constant exchange of forces and substances, and that Aluna—the realm of thought and spirit—is the origin of everything.

Caring for the earth does not begin with our hands; it begins with our intentions.

The idea can be summed up this way: for these peoples, the entire mountain range is a living being. Through offerings and chants, the mamos believe they help sustain the balance not only of their mountain home but of the world itself.

Elder Brothers and Younger Brothers

The peoples of the Sierra refer to themselves as the Elder Brothers (Hermanos Mayores). According to their worldview, the first human beings originated in the Sierra, and their responsibility is to care for the world and safeguard the cosmic cycle.

The rest of humanity are the Younger Brothers (Hermanos Menores).

The distinction is not about superiority, but about knowledge—specifically, knowledge of the natural world. From their perspective, we have forgotten how to care for our shared home, and they feel a responsibility to remind us, while still considering us family.

This is their worldview, and we receive it with respect.

Even so, some of the things they warn us about are plain to see. The rivers that supply Santa Marta, including the Piedras, Manzanares, and Gaira, have experienced dramatic reductions in water flow during El Niño events, amid deforestation in the upper reaches where they originate.

When the mountains suffer, the city feels it too.

Why Remembering Matters Today

They preserve knowledge we need. Centuries of observation of climate, water, and soils have produced knowledge that cannot be found in books alone.
Territory and culture are inseparable. Protecting a waterfall without protecting the people who have cared for it is only half the job.
They remind us where our water comes from. Around eighteen major rivers originate in the Sierra, supplying communities across the departments of Magdalena, Cesar, and La Guajira.
Memory is a form of justice. Recognizing that these peoples are still here, and that their law predates our own, allows us to relate to them as equals.

At Caoba, we feel this connection firsthand. Our family founded the reserve in 1999 on land that had been completely deforested, and ever since, we have worked to bring the forest back to life.

We are recent visitors to a mountain range with thousands of years of history, and what we do only makes sense if we do it with humility.

We do not speak on behalf of Indigenous peoples. They have their own voices, communities, and organizations.

Four Ways to Show Respect and Keep Their Legacy Alive

Use the correct names. Teyuna; the Kogui, Wiwa, Arhuaco, and Kankuamo peoples.

Visit through the right channels. The Lost City should be visited with authorized tour operators and in coordination with local communities. Ask how the communities benefit from tourism.
Ask permission before taking photographs. This applies to people, ceremonies, and ritual objects. Whenever possible, buy textiles and handicrafts directly from the people who make them.
Learn from reliable sources. Consult Colombia’s National Natural Parks authority, ICANH, Indigenous organizations, and scholarly works such as those of anthropologist Gerardo Reichel-Dolmatoff.

Perhaps the simplest lesson the Sierra has to teach us is this: caring for the world begins with remembering those who cared for it before us.