Latest News

Petro opens consultation on ‘Black Line’ after Colombia court ends protection decree

By Richard Emblin - March 5, 2026

President Gustavo Petro has announced the start of a consultation process with ethnic communities to draft a new decree protecting the sacred “Black Line” of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta after Colombia’s highest administrative court annulled the previous legal framework governing the ancestral territory. The announcement came late on March 4 during an interethnic […]

A coming-of-age hike into Colombia’s Sierra Nevada

By Maya Salgado Swabey - November 28, 2022

On a first trip to Colombia as an adult, Maya Salgado decided to do the five-day hike to the Sierra Nevada’s Lost City, and archaeological wonder that could become a “paradise lost” with mass tourism.

LACMA hosts The Portable Universe of Colombia’s indigenous cultures

By The City Paper Staff - June 8, 2022

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art LACMA is hosting a groundbreaking exhibition of works showcasing the diversity and materiality of ancient Colombian cultures.

Spiritual leaders from the Sierra Nevada make historic visit to Bogotá

By The City Paper Staff - November 10, 2021

A delegation of spiritual leaders from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta made their first visit to Bogotá to petition the national government for greater conservation of their ancestral territory.

Colombia’s indigenous leaders urge COVID-19 vaccines given track record with tropical viruses

By Richard Emblin - August 23, 2021

As nations grapple with anti-vaxxers, Colombia’s indigenous peoples are rallying communities to get inoculated given experience with tropical viruses.

One Starry Night Toad in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta

By Global Wildlife Conservation - February 20, 2020

Revered as a symbol of fertility by the Elders of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, a rare harlequin toad is the focus of a conservation/photography project.

Arhuaco youth in Colombia’s Sierra Nevada launch Earth Guardians

By John Lundin - September 20, 2015

A group of youngsters in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta have launched the Colombia chapter of Earth Guardians to spread the word on climate change.