Wayú people face threats to ancestral lands in La Guajira

The Wayú people, Colombia’s largest indigenous group, are facing unprecedented pressures in the La Guajira peninsula. Located between Colombia and Venezuela, this semi-desert region is home to an estimated 440,000 Wayú individuals who maintain a lifestyle rooted in ancestral territory and memory.

Their traditional way of life is currently threatened by several factors, including the expansion of mining, large-scale wind energy megaprojects, armed conflict, and structural poverty. These developments challenge the community's land rights, spirituality, and autonomy. Approximately 85% of the population lives in rural areas, organized in settlements known as rancherías, which serve as the core of their social and cultural life.