Valledupar

Vallenato is built on three instruments - the diatonic button accordion, the caja drum and the guacharaca scraper - and on four rhythms: son, paseo, merengue and puya. It began as a way of carrying news between settlements in this valley, sung by travelling players, and grew into one of the two dominant popular musics in Colombia. The Festival de la Leyenda Vallenata, held in Valledupar since 1968 over several days in late April, is the competition that establishes reputations; winners of the accordion king title are named for life and only a few have taken the crown of kings. UNESCO added traditional vallenato to the list of intangible heritage in need of urgent safeguarding in 2015, citing the decline of the older forms.

History

The Spanish named the valley after Upar, a legendary cacique of the Chimila. Pedro de Badillo was the first to explore the region, the German Ambrosius Ehinger, governor of Venezuela, took it in 1532, and Captain Hernando de Santana founded the city on 6 January 1550, the feast of the Epiphany, as the City of the Holy Kings of the Valle de Upar, a name worn down over time to Valledupar. Through the colonial period it was a centre for goods from the Caribbean on their way inland, with large cattle farms; on 22 May 1810 some 400 of its people rose against the Spanish mayor, and in 1813 the landowner María Concepción Loperena proclaimed independence and sent three hundred horses to Bolívar's army. It became capital of the Valledupar Province in 1850, took in immigrants from Europe and later the Middle East in the 20th century, and in 1967 became capital of the new department of Cesar (Wikipedia, Valledupar).

What to look for

• Accordion, caja and guacharaca - the three instruments and four rhythms.
• The April festival - where reputations are made.
• A music that began as news carrying - between valley settlements.
• A UNESCO urgent safeguarding listing - the old forms are declining.

When to go

Late April for the festival; December to April otherwise. A full day.

What to expect

Festival week fills the city entirely and prices rise sharply. Heat is severe - this valley is hot year round. Commercial vallenato dominates what is heard day to day; the traditional forms are what the listing is about.

Nearby

The Sierra Nevada rises west; Nabusimake is in the mountains beyond.

Key facts