Atanquez

Atanquez
Location in the municipality of Valledupar.
Country	Colombia
Department	Cesar
Municipality	Valledupar
Founded	Pre-Columbian
Officially established	1781
Government
• Type	Corregimiento
• Corregidor	Ricardo Romero
Website	www.atanquez.com

Atanquez or San Sebastian is a Colombian town and corregimiento of Valledupar in the Department of Cesar. Atanquez is located on the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range at approximately 2,000 m over sea level. Atanquez is known for being predominantly inhabited by the indigenous ethnic group Kankuamos among others and mestizo groups.

Atanquez was an indigenous settlement founded according to oral tradition by a Mama (spiritual leader) named Tukaka. In the mid-18th century the Spanish had already colonized the plains surrounding the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range and decided to also colonize the mountains and re-found the indigenous settlements. These indigenous villages were Atanquez, Maraocaso and El Rosario which grew in population due to the displacement caused during the period of Spanish conquest of the Chimila and Guanebucanes in the lower and surrounding areas of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains in the 16th century.

The Kogui named these the "Wiwa", while the Arhuaco called them "Arzario". Former African slaves also established in Atanquez and formed the "Palenque of Atanquez". The Spanish sent Capuchin and Dominican friars to "civilize" the indigenous and named it San Sebastian. According to an order of the Royal Audience of Santa Fe de Bogota by a Sub-delegated Judge of Land named Don Agustín de la Sierra in 1781. The corregimiento of Atanquez was created by Municipal Accord of Valledupar 02 on January 4, 1906 and ordered by then Mayor of Valledupar, Moisés Martínez. Atanquez also became part of the indigenous Kankuamo Resguardo created by Resolution 012 of April 10, 2003 as established by the Colombian Institute of Agrarian Reform (INCORA).

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Wikipedia