Information Wrap - Canavarel

AMERICA

A Cargo of Questions 1992

Colombia

CANAVAREL

The Tayrona National Park is named after the Tayrona Indians. Columbus never set foot on Colombian soil, but Alonso de Ojeda, one of his companions on the second voyage, explored the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, and was amazed by the wealth of golden ornament possessed by the Tayrona culture. 

The legend of El Dorado begins in the stories of fabulous mountains of gold and emeralds that were prompted by this discovery. Later on, the impact of a huge influx of precious metals from the Americas through Spain to the European economies, produced an inflation of prices that affected every transaction in the "old world". 

The Kogui and Arhuacos still live in the valleys of the Sierra nevada today, the almost untouched Kogui traditions are of help in the archaelogical interpretation of the Tayrona culture.

Recently the government of Colombia declared an amnesty on the status of money held abroad by Colombians. No questions would be asked as to how these funds were acquired on repatriation. Overnight, the reserves of currency swelled to such a degree that the Colombian Peso became a very hard currency. It was revalued on the world market to such an extent that the entire price structure of the economy was hoiked up to levels that the averagely poor could not afford. Such large monetary reserves, however, have transformed the attitude of foreign capital investment, even though parts of the economy, the supply of electricity, telecommunications, ports and financial services are in turmoil.

An interesting logic where an increased confidence in a currency market produces less money for workers and the poor. Is capitalism logical?

What has changed in 500 years?

Information Wrap

Colombia is now named after Columbus, but has changed name several times, usually on the occasion of a new constitution. those of 1857 and 1863 were federalist and the constitution of 1886 was centralist. The independence movement was always in the hands of the elite Creoles (the Spanish word criollo, implying "native" or "local", historically denoted a class in the colonial caste system, comprising people born in the colonies but of totally or at least largely Spanish descent), as were the two political factions. The conflict known as 'La Violencia', the civil war that broke out in 1948, in some ways still remains to be resolved, even though Liberals and Conservatives signed a pact to share power in 1957. Together, these ruling groups managed the country in turn, eliminating a central feature of democracy, political opposition. This has changed recently, and has allowed the people to express their concern at the adverse effects upon the country's economy, brought about by mismanagement and corruption of a ruling elite.

When will La Violencia be resolved?

Is peace a dream?