Paisas
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A Paisa is someone from a region in the northwest of
Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
, including part of the
West West is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance langu ...
and Central ''cordilleras'' of the Andes in Colombia. The Paisa region is formed by the
departments Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military * Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
of
Antioquia Antioquia is the Spanish form of Antioch. Antioquia may also refer to: * Antioquia Department Antioquia () is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the central northwestern part of Colombia with a narrow section that borders th ...
, Caldas, Risaralda and Quindío. Some regions of Valle del Cauca Department (north) and
Tolima Department Tolima () is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the Andean region, in the center-west of the country. It is bordered on the north and the west by the department of Caldas; on the east by the department of Cundinamarca; on the ...
(west) culturally identify as ''paisas''. The main cities of the Paisa region are
Medellín Medellín ( ; or ), officially the Special District of Science, Technology and Innovation of Medellín (), is the List of cities in Colombia, second-largest city in Colombia after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia Departme ...
, Pereira,
Manizales Manizales () is a city in central Colombia. It is the capital of the Caldas Department, Department of Caldas, and lies near the Nevado del Ruiz volcano. Currently, the city is the main center for the production of Colombian coffee and an importa ...
and
Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
. The name Paisa derives from the Spanish
apocope In phonology, apocope () is the omission (elision) or loss of a sound or sounds at the end of a word. While it most commonly refers to the loss of a final vowel, it can also describe the deletion of final consonants or even entire syllables. ...
of ''Paisano'' (fellow countryman), but they are also known as "Antioqueños" (those from the old
Antioquia Antioquia is the Spanish form of Antioch. Antioquia may also refer to: * Antioquia Department Antioquia () is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the central northwestern part of Colombia with a narrow section that borders th ...
, which included the other Paisa provinces, which was a single administrative body until the creation of the Caldas State in 1905). Although many refer to Paisas as an ethnic group (''raza antioqueña'' or ''raza paisa''), they are a part of the Colombians and
Latin American Latin Americans (; ) are the citizenship, citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their Latin American diaspora, diasporas are Metroethnicity, ...
peoples. Paisas can be found in other regions of Colombia and the
Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...
where they have migrated. They have a particular way of speaking Spanish that some writers refer to as ''español antioqueño''.


Genetics

The Paisas have been considered a genetically isolated population according to scientific studies. As evidenced by the analysis of direct-line mitochondrial DNA or
mtDNA Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA and mDNA) is the DNA located in the mitochondria organelles in a eukaryotic cell that converts chemical energy from food into adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial DNA is a small portion of the DNA contained in ...
(inherited from mother-to-child) and Y-chromosomal DNA or
Y-DNA The Y chromosome is one of two sex chromosomes in therian mammals and other organisms. Along with the X chromosome, it is part of the XY sex-determination system, in which the Y is the sex-determining chromosome because the presence of the Y ...
(inherited from father-to-son), the initial founding of the Paisa population occurred primarily through the admixture of male
Iberians The Iberians (, from , ''Iberes'') were an ancient people settled in the eastern and southern coasts of the Iberian Peninsula, at least from the 6th century BC. They are described in Greek and Roman sources (among others, by Hecataeus of Mil ...
(mostly from various
Spaniard Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking Ethnicity, ethnic group native to the Iberian Peninsula, primarily associated with the modern Nation state, nation-state of Spain. Genetics, Genetically and Ethnolinguisti ...
ethnic groups, and a smaller
Sephardic Jewish Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...
element) and female
Amerindians In the Americas, Indigenous peoples comprise the two continents' pre-Columbian inhabitants, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with them in the 15th century, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with the pre-Columbian population of ...
. Subsequently, within the emerging Paisa colonial society, a continued flow of additional male Spaniards immigrating into the Paisa region in the following generations encouraged marriages of these males to the early established Paisa population. This increased the overall European component and resulted in the " racial whitening" of the founding mixed-race population by preventing the mixed-race individuals marrying among themselves and growing in numbers, as well as preventing further unions of either Spaniards or mixed-race individuals with unmixed Amerindians. Ultimately, this led to the overall predominantly
European European, or Europeans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...
ancestry of today's Paisa population according to testing of autosomal DNA or
atDNA An autosome is any chromosome that is not a sex chromosome. The members of an autosome pair in a diploid cell have the same morphology, unlike those in allosomal (sex chromosome) pairs, which may have different structures. The DNA in autosomes i ...
, despite the asymmetrical sex-specific genetic markers that they inherited from the founding population which indicates their Y-DNA as being predominantly from European male forebears and mtDNA as being predominantly from Amerindian female ancestors. Nevertheless, the average population does still carry a significant amount of Native American ancestry, ranging from 20% to 40%, and from 4% to 10% for African. The mountains played a large role in isolating the Paisa population until the end of the nineteenth century and the area's industrial revolution.


Extremadura

The ancestors of the Paisa are primarily Spanish immigrants from
Extremadura Extremadura ( ; ; ; ; Fala language, Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is a landlocked autonomous communities in Spain, autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, Spain, Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central- ...
, Spain (sixteenth century). The first colonizers were Extremaduran like Gaspar de Rodas of Trujillo, who was the first colonial governor of the region. Several towns, cities and places in the Paisa Region are also Extremaduran:
Medellín Medellín ( ; or ), officially the Special District of Science, Technology and Innovation of Medellín (), is the List of cities in Colombia, second-largest city in Colombia after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia Departme ...
for Medellín of Badajoz; Cáceres for the
Province of Cáceres The province of Cáceres (; ; ; ) is a province of western Spain, and makes up the northern half of the autonomous community of Extremadura. Its capital is the city of Cáceres. Other cities in the province include Plasencia, Coria, Navalm ...
;
Valdivia Valdivia (; Mapuche: Ainil) is a city and commune in southern Chile, administered by the Municipality of Valdivia. The city is named after its founder, Pedro de Valdivia, and is located at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Valdivia, and ...
for conqueror
Pedro de Valdivia Pedro Gutiérrez de Valdivia or Valdiva (; April 17, 1497 – December 25, 1553) was a Spanish ''conquistador'' and the first royal governor of Chile. After having served with the Spanish army in Italy and Flanders, he was sent to South America in ...
.


Andalusia

Some conquerors from
Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...
like Marshall Jorge Robledo of
Jaén Jaén may refer to: Places Peru *Jaén Province, Peru, a province in Cajamarca Region, Peru ** Jaén District, one of twelve districts of the province Jaén in Peru ***Jaén, Peru, a city in Peru, capital of the Jaén Province Philippines * Jaen ...
, came also with the Extremadurans during the sixteenth century. However, during the seventeenth century, a group of Andalusian migrants is said to have settled the region.


Basque people

The presence of Basque ancestry in the Paisa Region is exhibited by the proliferation of Basque surnames. Some scholars point out that this may be one of the regions of
Hispanic America Hispanic America ( or ), historically known as Spanish America () or Castile (historical region), Castilian America (), is the Spanish-speaking countries and territories of the Americas. In all of these countries, Spanish language, Spanish is th ...
with the greatest concentration of ancestry from the Iberian region. The Basques arrived in Antioquia during the seventeenth century. The use of Basque language (Euskera) terminology in the present territory of Colombia goes back to the early exploration which occurred in 1499, during the third voyage of Columbus. It is said that from that time the territory experienced a strong influx of Basques including prominent figures such as the pilot and geographer
Juan de la Cosa Juan de la Cosa (c. 1450 – 28 February 1510) was a Basque navigator and cartographer, known for designing the earliest European world map which incorporated the territories of the Americas discovered in the 15th century. De la Cosa was the o ...
, nicknamed "El Vizcaíno" (although some reputable sources claim that he was not a native of the Basque Country, but was instead born in
Santoña Santoña is a town in the eastern coast of the autonomous community of Cantabria, on the north coast of Spain. It is situated by the bay of the same name. It is from the capital Santander, Cantabria, Santander. Santoña is divided into two zones, ...
, Cantabria). Thereafter, the Basques began to come regularly and distributed throughout the country. Due to this presence, the Colombian department of Antioquia has been considered a major point of Basque-Navarre immigration. This occurred mainly during the colonial era, when thousands of Basques migrated to be linked to the Spanish colonization companies. To people interested in investigating the presence of Euskal Herria in the department of Antioquia, one of the questions that troubles them relates to the use and retention of the Basque language in the department. It is estimated that for Antioquia, a region where tens of thousands of Spaniards arrived, of which a good portion were Basque, limited aspects of the Basque language were brought over. It has been difficult to track the use of Euskera in Antioquia and Colombia because the Basque language was always an outcast, which apparently left no written evidence in Antioquia. This is likely because the Spanish crown, to maintain the monopoly of its overseas companies and to restrict those people not belonging to Spanish rule, did not allow languages other than Castilian to be spoken. This meant that those invited to participate in the colonization of Indian companies, and foreigners in general, had to learn the official language, i.e., Castilian, hence the prevalence of Castilian-Basque-speaking bilinguals. Despite these restrictions, it is still possible to trace the history of Colombia's ties to the ancient language of the Basques. A reference that has use of Euskera in Colombian territory occurred in relation to Lope de Aguirre, a native of Gipuzkoa nicknamed "The Madman". Aguirre's rebellion defied the Spanish empire, carrying out acts against the subjects of the Spanish crown. Pedro de Ursúa, a Navarrese faithful to the Spanish king, who was also the founder of
Pamplona Pamplona (; ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Navarre, Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. Lying at near above sea level, the city (and the wider Cuenca de Pamplona) is located on the flood pl ...
in eastern Colombia, said that he could persuade the soldiers to be part of Aguirre's revolt, if they spoke in Euskera. During the seventeenth and eighteenth century,
Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...
families from Northern Spain settled in the
Aburrá Valley Aburrá Valley (in Spanish ''Valle de Aburrá''), is the natural river basin of the Medellín River and one of the most populous valleys of Colombia in its Andean Region with near 4 million inhabitants in its biggest urban agglomeration: The M ...
where
Medellín Medellín ( ; or ), officially the Special District of Science, Technology and Innovation of Medellín (), is the List of cities in Colombia, second-largest city in Colombia after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia Departme ...
and
Envigado Envigado () is a city and municipality due South of Medellín, Colombia in the department of Antioquia Department, Antioquia. It is located in the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley. It borders El Poblado, Medellín to the north, Sabaneta, An ...
are located, as well as small towns in eastern Antioquia, such as
Marinilla Marinilla is a town and Municipalities of Colombia, municipality in the Colombian Departments of Colombia, department of Antioquia Department, Antioquia. The population was estimated to be 67,893 in 2020. Marinilla is part of the subregion of Eas ...
, El Retiro and
El Santuario El Santuario is a town and municipality in the Antioquia Department, Colombia. It is part of the subregion of Eastern Antioquia. El Santuario was founded on 11 March 1765 by Captain Antonio Gómez de Castro. Its elevation is 2,150 meters above s ...
. This part of Antioquia reminded these families of northern Spain.


Sephardi Jews

There is debate about
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
ancestry in the Paisa people. It was known that some Spanish and Portuguese
New Christians New Christian (; ; ; ; ; ) was a socio-religious designation and legal distinction referring to the population of former Jews, Jewish and Muslims, Muslim Conversion to Christianity, converts to Christianity in the Spanish Empire, Spanish and Po ...
of
Sephardic Jewish Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...
ancestry (some of whom continued to practice Judaism secretly, and were also known as
marranos ''Marranos'' is a term for Spanish and Portuguese Jews, as well as Navarrese jews, who converted to Christianity, either voluntarily or by Spanish or Portuguese royal coercion, during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, but who continued t ...
, Spanish for swine) fled the
Cartagena de Indias Cartagena ( ), known since the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias (), is a city and one of the major ports on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Region of Colombia, Caribbean Coast Region, along the Caribbean Sea. Cartagena's past ...
Inquisition The Inquisition was a Catholic Inquisitorial system#History, judicial procedure where the Ecclesiastical court, ecclesiastical judges could initiate, investigate and try cases in their jurisdiction. Popularly it became the name for various med ...
and took refuge in the Antioquian mountains during the sixteenth and seventeenth century. Some Colombian authors like
Jorge Isaacs Jorge Isaacs Ferrer (April 1, 1837 – April 17, 1895) was a Colombian writer, politician and soldier. His only novel, '' María'', became one of the most notable works of the Romantic movement in Spanish-language literature. Biography His ...
and Miguel Ángel Osorio have claimed that it is indisputable that Paisas have Jewish ancestry. Several Paisa surnames are known to have been prevalent among
New Christian New Christian (; ; ; ; ; ) was a socio-religious designation and legal distinction referring to the population of former Jews, Jewish and Muslims, Muslim Conversion to Christianity, converts to Christianity in the Spanish Empire, Spanish and Po ...
converso A ''converso'' (; ; feminine form ''conversa''), "convert" (), was a Jew who converted to Catholicism in Spain or Portugal, particularly during the 14th and 15th centuries, or one of their descendants. To safeguard the Old Christian popula ...
s of Sephardic Jewish origin, for example Espinosa,
Pérez Pérez is a very common Castilian Spanish surname of patronymic origin. Origins The surname, written in Spanish orthography as , is a patronymic surname meaning "son of Pedro" ("Pero" in archaic Spanish), the Spanish equivalent of Peter (given n ...
, Mejía, and many others. Some scholars state that the presence of Sephardic Jews among the ancestors of Paisas is a fact, but it does not mean that all Paisas descend from them, nor that it is the only or predominant element among those that do, as is proven by the Paisas' descent from other groups like Basques, Extremadurans, and Andalusians.


Canarians

There are records also of presence of some Canarians and Canarian families, at least some of them known to be from
Lanzarote Lanzarote (, , ) is a Spanish island, the easternmost of the Canary Islands, off the north coast of Africa and from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering , Lanzarote is the fourth-largest of the islands in the archipelago. With 163,230 inhabi ...
, who settled in
Cáceres, Antioquia Cáceres () is a town and municipality in the Colombian department of Antioquia Antioquia is the Spanish form of Antioch. Antioquia may also refer to: * Antioquia Department Antioquia () is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, locat ...
, in the second half of the 16th century. Others emigrated in 1678 by the terms of the ''Tributo de Sangre'' to Santa Marta. In 1536,
Pedro Fernández de Lugo Pedro Fernández de Lugo (1475 Seville –1536 Santa Marta) was the second adelantado of the Canary Islands and governor of Tenerife and La Palma, a title confirmed again by Charles I of Spain, in Barcelona, on August 17, 1519. Pedro Fernández de L ...
led an expedition of 1,500 people, 400 of whom were Canarians from all the different islands that make up the archipelago''Colombia se conquistó gracias a un pequeño contingente de 400 canarios''
(in Spanish) "Colombia is Conquered by a Small Contingent of 400 Canary Islanders").
), for the conquest of the area around what became
Santa Marta Santa Marta (), officially the Distrito Turístico, Cultural e Histórico de Santa Marta (), is a port List of cities in Colombia, city on the coast of the Caribbean Sea in northern Colombia. It is the capital of Magdalena Department and the fou ...
. This contingent pacified the warring tribes on the coast and penetrated into the interior (including Paisa region). On the way, they founded several cities, two which, Las Palmas and Tenerife, still exist. In addition,
Pedro de Heredia Pedro de Heredia ( – 27 January 1554) was a Spanish conquistador, founder of the city of Cartagena de Indias and explorer of the northern coast and the interior of present-day Colombia. Early life Pedro de Heredia was born in in Madrid. He w ...
led 100 men from the Canary Islands to
Cartagena de Indias Cartagena ( ), known since the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias (), is a city and one of the major ports on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Region of Colombia, Caribbean Coast Region, along the Caribbean Sea. Cartagena's past ...
.


Etymology

Although the expression "Paisa" is of popular use as
apocope In phonology, apocope () is the omission (elision) or loss of a sound or sounds at the end of a word. While it most commonly refers to the loss of a final vowel, it can also describe the deletion of final consonants or even entire syllables. ...
of "Paisano" (person from one's own country; fellow countryman), the origin of the expression goes back to a separatist movement that brewed through the region in the mid nineteenth Century. Those politicians that secretly supported secession would refer to the new country as "País A", short for País Antioquia. The moniker eventually was fused to create the word "paisa". Consequently, "''Paisa Region''" is the region where the Paisa people live. A more ancient expression is ''Antioqueño'' (Antioquean; one from
Antioquia Antioquia is the Spanish form of Antioch. Antioquia may also refer to: * Antioquia Department Antioquia () is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the central northwestern part of Colombia with a narrow section that borders th ...
). This one is more official, especially during the Colony (16th – 18th centuries) and the nineteenth century after the Independence of Colombia. All the region made a single body as "Province of Antioquia" first and "State of Antioquia" after. In 1905, the
Caldas Department Caldas () is a departments of Colombia, department of Colombia named after Colombian patriotic figure Francisco José de Caldas. It is part of the Paisa Region and its capital is Manizales. The population of Caldas is 998,255, and its area is 7, ...
was created from the southern part of Antioquia, rendering the word "''Antioqueño''" remain only applicable to those of Antioquia, while "Paisa" became a more cultural one for both the new Antioquia and the former Antioquia and the rest of the
Eje cafetero The Coffee Axis () is a geographic, cultural, economic and ecological region of Colombia, located in the departments of Caldas, Risaralda and Quindío, as well as the regions of northwestern Tolima, northern and eastern Valle del Cauca and southw ...
.


History

Although some sources argue that the American Indians that populated most of the Paisa Region were extinguished through European diseases and fights against the Spaniard conquerors, this has not been fully demonstrated.
Francisco César Francisco Miguel Vital Gomes do Vale César (born 11 November 1978) is a Portuguese politician, who currently is the leader of the Socialist Party in the Azores. He is also a member of the Assembly of the Republic since 2022 and is the son of the ...
made an expedition in 1537 from Urabá to the
Cauca River The Cauca River () is a river in Colombia that lies between the Occidental and Central cordilleras. From its headwaters in southwestern Colombia near the city of Popayán, it joins the Magdalena River near Magangué in Bolívar Department, an ...
to the lands of Dabeiba, but his troops were rejected by the Nutibaras. In 1540 Marshall Jorge Robledo founded Cartago. In 1541 he founded Arma in what is today the south of Antioquia, near today
Aguadas Aguadas is a town and municipality in the Colombian department of Caldas. It is bordered to the north by Abejorral, to the east by Sonsón, to the southeast by Salamina, to the south by Pacora, to the west by Caramanta and Valparaiso, and to ...
and
Santa Fe de Antioquia Santa Fe de Antioquia is a municipality in the Antioquia Department, Colombia. The city is located approximately north of Medellín, the department capital. The population was 23,216 at the 2018 census. History Founded in 1541 by Jorge Robled ...
, at the banks of the Cauca River. This last town would become the provincial capital in 1813. The first colonial governor was Don Gaspar de Rodas (1518–1607). The mountains of Antioquia attracted the Spaniards for its gold and lands for cattle, and the first towns were located near gold mines and rivers. Despite that, the region did not attract a population interested in creating important centers for the Spanish civilization like
Cartagena de Indias Cartagena ( ), known since the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias (), is a city and one of the major ports on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Region of Colombia, Caribbean Coast Region, along the Caribbean Sea. Cartagena's past ...
,
Popayán Popayán () is the capital of the Colombian department of Cauca. It is located in the Pubenza Valley in southwestern Colombia between the Western Mountain Range and Central Mountain Range. The municipality has a population of 318,059, an a ...
or
Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish Imperial period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city, capital and largest city ...
and it remained almost entirely isolated from the rest of the colony. This is the main reason for the cultural identity of the Paisas within the Colombian national context. Since the seventeenth century and until the end of the nineteenth centuries, Paisa families moved to the southern regions of Antioquia, in what is today the
Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis The Coffee Axis () is a geographic, cultural, economic and ecological region of Colombia, located in the departments of Caldas, Risaralda and Quindío, as well as the regions of northwestern Tolima, northern and eastern Valle del Cauca and southw ...
or the "''Viejo Caldas''" ( Old Caldas), though now most Colombian nationals refer to this region as the
Eje cafetero The Coffee Axis () is a geographic, cultural, economic and ecological region of Colombia, located in the departments of Caldas, Risaralda and Quindío, as well as the regions of northwestern Tolima, northern and eastern Valle del Cauca and southw ...
. This constant internal migration is known in history as the "''Colonización Antioqueña''" (Antioquean Colonization). Most of the cities and towns founded in the Old Caldas (Caldas, Risaralda, Quindío and some towns of the north of Valle del Cauca and the west of Tolima) are from that time. During the wars for the independence of Colombia, the most important Paisa figure was General
José María Córdova José María Córdova Muñoz, also known as the "Hero of Ayacucho", was a General of the Gran Colombian army during the Independence War of Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia from Spain. Born in 1799 to a humble merchant family in the Antioquia Depa ...
. He was from
Rionegro Rionegro () is a city and municipality in Antioquia Department, Colombia, located in the subregion of Eastern Antioquia. The official name of the city is Ciudad Santiago de Arma de Rionegro. Rio Negro means "Black River" in Spanish, as the cit ...
and fought important battles to free the region from the Spanish regime under the orders of
Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24July 178317December 1830) was a Venezuelan statesman and military officer who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bol ...
, who never went to the region. During
Bolívar's campaign to liberate New Granada Bolívar's campaign to liberate New Granada also known as the Liberation Campaign of 1819 was part of the Colombian and Venezuelan wars of independence and was one of the many military campaigns fought by Simón Bolívar. In 1819 Bolívar led ...
, Córdoba participated in the
Battle of Boyacá The Battle of Boyacá (1819), also known as the Battle of Boyacá Bridge was a decisive victory by a combined army of Venezuelan and New Granadan troops along with a British Legion led by General Simon Bolivar over the III Division of the Spa ...
and was entitled " Lieutenant Colonel" by the Libertador, despite his young age (he was only 20). Then he was charged by Bolívar to defend the Province of Antioquia and in fact he defeated the Spaniards during the Campaign of
Nechí Nechi is a town and municipality in the Colombian department of Antioquia. The population was 24,066 at the 2018 census. Climate Nechí has a tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate ...
between the end of 1819 and the beginning of 1820. In 1826
Medellín Medellín ( ; or ), officially the Special District of Science, Technology and Innovation of Medellín (), is the List of cities in Colombia, second-largest city in Colombia after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia Departme ...
was declared the capital of the Province of Antioquia. In 1856 a Federalist Political Constitution created the State of Antioquia and it faced some civil wars among Liberals and Conservatives. In 1877 the president of the federal state was
Pedro Justo Berrío Pedro Justo Berrío was a Colombian lawyer, soldier, and politician. He held several legislative positions throughout his life, including governor of Anitioquia from 1864 to 1873. He was born in the municipality of Santa Rosa de Osos of Antioqui ...
, who was one of the most prominent political leaders of the region at the end of the century and developed an active politic in education, transportation (including connecting the region with the rest of the country by train in 1874) and economic development. In 1886, with a centralized Political Constitution, the "Department of Antioquia" was created. Although the region was not affected directly by the
Thousand Days War The Thousand Days' War () was a civil war fought in Colombia from 17 October 1899 to 21 November 1902, at first between the Liberal Party and the government led by the National Party, and later – after the Conservative Party had ousted the ...
(1899–1902), one of the main characters of the fighting, General
Rafael Uribe Uribe Rafael Victor Zenón Uribe Uribe (April 12, 1859 – October 15, 1914, in Bogotá) was a Colombian lawyer, journalist, and general in the liberal party rebel army. Uribe Uribe is best known for his political ideas in favor of the establishme ...
at the side of the Liberal Party rebels, came from the area. The progressive government of General
Rafael Reyes Rafael Reyes Prieto (December 5, 1849 – February 18, 1921) was a Colombian politician and soldier who was the Chief of Staff of the Colombian National Army and President of Colombia (1904–1909).Gobernantes Colombianos, Ignacio Arismendi Pos ...
(1904–1909) was of benefit in the development for the region. One of his projects was the creation of new departments, including the
Caldas Department Caldas () is a departments of Colombia, department of Colombia named after Colombian patriotic figure Francisco José de Caldas. It is part of the Paisa Region and its capital is Manizales. The population of Caldas is 998,255, and its area is 7, ...
to be taken from the southern part of
Antioquia Antioquia is the Spanish form of Antioch. Antioquia may also refer to: * Antioquia Department Antioquia () is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the central northwestern part of Colombia with a narrow section that borders th ...
in 1905. During the twentieth century both Paisa departments (Antioquia and Caldas), would continue their development in industry, mining and agriculture. In 1966 the Caldas Department was divided in three parts: Caldas itself, Quindío and Risaralda. At the end of the century the region faced the crisis of growing drug traffic mafias, paramilitary groups and guerrillas, especially in Antioquia with the
Medellín Cartel The Medellín Cartel () was a powerful and highly organized Colombian drug cartel and terrorist organization originating in the city of Medellín, Colombia, that was founded and led by Pablo Escobar. It is often considered to be the first major ...
and the north of Valle del Cauca. However, development has proved to be a Colombian model in regions like the Metropolitan Area of Medellín according to the
Inter-American Development Bank The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB or IADB) is an international development finance institution headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States of America. It serves as one of the leading sources of development financing for the countri ...
. File:Gaspar de Rodas-Busto-Medellin.JPG, Don Gaspar de Rodas, the first colonial governor of the Province of Antioquia that compressed what is today the Paisa Region. File:José María Córdova.jpg, General
José María Córdova José María Córdova Muñoz, also known as the "Hero of Ayacucho", was a General of the Gran Colombian army during the Independence War of Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia from Spain. Born in 1799 to a humble merchant family in the Antioquia Depa ...
, the "Bolívar" of the Paisa Region. File:Pedro Justo Berrio-busto-Medellin(A).JPG,
Pedro Justo Berrío Pedro Justo Berrío was a Colombian lawyer, soldier, and politician. He held several legislative positions throughout his life, including governor of Anitioquia from 1864 to 1873. He was born in the municipality of Santa Rosa de Osos of Antioqui ...
, the president of the State of Antioquia that began the
Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...
of the Paisas. File:Rafael Uribe Uribe by Francisco Cano.png, General
Rafael Uribe Uribe Rafael Victor Zenón Uribe Uribe (April 12, 1859 – October 15, 1914, in Bogotá) was a Colombian lawyer, journalist, and general in the liberal party rebel army. Uribe Uribe is best known for his political ideas in favor of the establishme ...
, one of the leaders of the Rebel Liberals during the
Thousand Days War The Thousand Days' War () was a civil war fought in Colombia from 17 October 1899 to 21 November 1902, at first between the Liberal Party and the government led by the National Party, and later – after the Conservative Party had ousted the ...
. File:Rafael Reyes Prieto (cropped).jpg, President
Rafael Reyes Rafael Reyes Prieto (December 5, 1849 – February 18, 1921) was a Colombian politician and soldier who was the Chief of Staff of the Colombian National Army and President of Colombia (1904–1909).Gobernantes Colombianos, Ignacio Arismendi Pos ...
. His policies made a great benefit for the development of the Paisa Region. He proposed the creation of the
Caldas Department Caldas () is a departments of Colombia, department of Colombia named after Colombian patriotic figure Francisco José de Caldas. It is part of the Paisa Region and its capital is Manizales. The population of Caldas is 998,255, and its area is 7, ...
.


Geography

Although what is known as "Paisa Region" is a cultural entity and it is not defined by administrative divisions, it is possible to locate some areas as the natural space of the Paisa people. *
Antioquia Department Antioquia () is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the central northwestern part of Colombia with a narrow section that borders the Caribbean Sea. Most of its territory is mountainous with some valleys, much of which is part o ...
: The biggest department (63,612 km2) with a population of 6,299,886. However, some areas of the department are not considered culturally Paisa like the Antioquean Urabá and the north of Antioquia, more integrated to the Caribbean Region of Colombia. The Paisas are located especially in the mountainous part of the province, at the center and south, in what is called the "Montaña Antioqueña" (Antioquean Mountain). The capital is
Medellín Medellín ( ; or ), officially the Special District of Science, Technology and Innovation of Medellín (), is the List of cities in Colombia, second-largest city in Colombia after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia Departme ...
, the second urban and industrial center of Colombia. Other big cities are located in the Metropolitan Area of Medellín,
Rionegro Rionegro () is a city and municipality in Antioquia Department, Colombia, located in the subregion of Eastern Antioquia. The official name of the city is Ciudad Santiago de Arma de Rionegro. Rio Negro means "Black River" in Spanish, as the cit ...
, La Ceja,
Santa Fe de Antioquia Santa Fe de Antioquia is a municipality in the Antioquia Department, Colombia. The city is located approximately north of Medellín, the department capital. The population was 23,216 at the 2018 census. History Founded in 1541 by Jorge Robled ...
,
Puerto Berrío Puerto Berrío is a municipality and town in the Colombian department of Antioquia. It is part of the Magdalena Medio Antioquia sub-region. Geography Puerto Berrío is located in a region of Antioquia known as the Middle Magdalena (near the Mag ...
,
Yarumal Yarumal is a municipality in the Antioquia Department, Colombia. The municipality (three parishes and 20 villages) has an area of . The population was 41,542 at the 2018 census. Its average elevation is above sea level. It has a minor basilica, ...
and others. The southwest of the Department ('' Suroeste Antioqueño'') is a part of the
Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis The Coffee Axis () is a geographic, cultural, economic and ecological region of Colombia, located in the departments of Caldas, Risaralda and Quindío, as well as the regions of northwestern Tolima, northern and eastern Valle del Cauca and southw ...
. *
Caldas Department Caldas () is a departments of Colombia, department of Colombia named after Colombian patriotic figure Francisco José de Caldas. It is part of the Paisa Region and its capital is Manizales. The population of Caldas is 998,255, and its area is 7, ...
: It was established in 1905 and has an area of 7,888 km2 with a population of 908,841.DANE
Coffee Axes statistics 2005
link retrieved on 7 April 2009.
The capital is
Manizales Manizales () is a city in central Colombia. It is the capital of the Caldas Department, Department of Caldas, and lies near the Nevado del Ruiz volcano. Currently, the city is the main center for the production of Colombian coffee and an importa ...
, founded by Antioquean colonizers in 1849. *
Risaralda Department Risaralda () is a department of Colombia. It is located in the western central of the country, in the Andean region, It is part of the Coffee axis with Caldas and Quindío. Its capital is Pereira. Risaralda is very well known for the high q ...
: It was established in 1966 from the territory of Caldas. It has an area of 4,140 km2 and a population of 863,663. The capital is Pereira (founded in 1863). *
Quindío Department Quindío () is a departments of Colombia, department of Colombia. It is located in the western central of the country, specifically in the Andean natural region, Andean region. Its capital is Armenia, Colombia, Armenia. It is famous for its coffe ...
: It was established in 1966 also from Caldas with
Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
as capital. It is one of the smallest departments of Colombia (1,845 km2) with a population of 518,691 persons. *
Tolima Department Tolima () is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the Andean region, in the center-west of the country. It is bordered on the north and the west by the department of Caldas; on the east by the department of Cundinamarca; on the ...
: Some towns of the west of Tolima are of Paisa origin:
Roncesvalles Roncesvalles ( , ; ; ; ; ) is a small village and municipality in Navarre, northern Spain. It is situated on the small river Urrobi at an altitude of some in the Pyrenees, about from the French border as the crow flies, or by road. Histo ...
(founded by Antioqueans in 1905);
Herveo Herveo () is a town and municipality in the Tolima Department, Tolima department of Colombia. The population of the municipality was 10,292 as of the 1993 census. Municipalities of Tolima Department {{Tolima-geo-stub ...
(f. 1860); Líbano (f. 1849); Casabianca (f. 1886); Murillo (f. 1871); Anzoategui (f. 1895);
Villahermosa Villahermosa ( , ; "Beautiful Town") is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Tabasco, and serves as the municipal seat (governing county) of the state. Located in Southeast Mexico, Villahermosa is an important city because of its ...
(f. 1887). * Valle del Cauca Department: The towns and cities of the north of the Valle del Cauca Department are also of Paisa origin:
Sevilla Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Seville ...
(founded by Antioqueans in 1903); Alcalá (f. 1819); Argelia (f. 1904, known also as "''Medellincito'', Little Medellín); Bolívar (f. 1884); Caicedonia (f. 1910) Cartago (f. 1540),
El Aguila EL, El or el may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * El, a character from the manga series ''Shugo Chara!'' by Peach-Pit * Eleven (''Stranger Things'') (El), a fictional character in the TV series ''Stranger Things'' * El, fami ...
(f. 1905); La Unión (f. 1890);
Versalles Versalles is a town and municipality located in the Department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia. Versalles is a town near El Dovio and Roldanillo Roldanillo is a town and municipality located in the Departments of Colombia, Department of Valle ...
(f. 1894), Trujillo (f.1922).


Economy

The Paisa Region coincided with the important economic centers of Colombia like the Metropolitan Area of Medellín (
textile Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...
, industries like appliances, automobiles and chemicals, services like health care and fashion); the
Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis The Coffee Axis () is a geographic, cultural, economic and ecological region of Colombia, located in the departments of Caldas, Risaralda and Quindío, as well as the regions of northwestern Tolima, northern and eastern Valle del Cauca and southw ...
in agriculture and other economic activities like flower growing, cattle, gold and coal mines, tourism and others.


Culture


Language

The way Paisas speak Spanish, also known as '' Antioquean Spanish'', is distinctive within Colombia. Paisas are said to speak Spanish fast and soft. They have many local and regional expressions that are opaque even for other Colombians. From the rural Paisa dialect, a popular urban version called ''Parlache'' developed. *
Voseo In Spanish grammar, () is the use of as a grammatical person, second-person grammatical number, singular pronoun, along with its associated verbal forms, in certain regions where the language is spoken. In those regions it replaces , i.e. th ...
(using ''vos'' instead of ''tú''): In colloquial speech, Paisas use '' vos'' as the second person singular informal pronoun (instead of '' '') and '' usted'' for formal address, although it is common to use ''usted'' even with relatives and friends. However, ''vos'' is restricted to colloquial use and, unlike exclusively ''voseo'' regions that use it for official purposes like the press and government, ''vos'' in the Paisa Region is rarely used in official documents. Several Paisa writers (such as
Tomás Carrasquilla Tomás Carrasquilla Naranjo (1858 – 1940) was a Colombian writer who lived in the Antioquia region. He dedicated himself to very simple jobs: tailor, secretary of a judge, storekeeper in a mine, and worker at the Ministry of Public ...
, Fernando González Ochoa,
Manuel Mejía Vallejo Manuel Mejía Vallejo (23 April 1923 – 23 July 1998) was a Colombian writer and journalist. The specialist Luís Carlos Molina says that Mejía represents the Andean aspect of the contemporary Colombian narrative, characterized by a world ...
,
Fernando Vallejo Fernando Vallejo Rendón (born 1942 in Medellín, Colombia) is a Colombian-born novelist, filmmaker and essayist. He obtained Mexican nationality in 2007. Biography Vallejo was born and raised in Medellín, though he left his hometown early in ...
, and
Gonzalo Arango Gonzalo Arango Arias (Andes, Antioquia, 1931 – Gachancipá, Cundinamarca, 1976) was a Colombian writer, poet, and journalist. In 1958 he led a modern literary and cultural movement known as Nadaism (Nothing-''ism''), inspired by surre ...
) use ''vos'' in their works as a distinct marker of the Paisa identity. However, the use of ''tú'' is well known due to the immigration of Colombian groups like the '' Costeños''. *
Seseo In Spanish dialectology, the realization of coronal fricatives is one of the most prominent features distinguishing various dialect regions. The main three realizations are the phonemic distinction between and ('), the presence of only alve ...
(lack of distinction between and ): As with most American dialects of Spanish, Paisas do not distinguish ‹s› from ‹z› or soft ‹c›. While ''seseo'' is dominant, the Paisa /s/ is articulated as an apicoalveolar , a sound transitional between and , as in central and northern Spain and southern Central America. The apicoalveolar 's' was influenced by Basques, Catalans, and Extremadurans, and ''seseo'' was influenced by Andalusians and Canarians. *
Yeísmo (; literally "Y-ism") is a distinctive feature of many dialects of the Spanish language, characterized by the loss of the traditional palatal lateral approximant phoneme (written ) and its merger into the phoneme (written ). It is an examp ...
(merger of into ): Paisas pronounce ‹ll› as ‹y›, so that there is no distinction between ''cayó'' (it fell) and ''calló'' (became silent). *The
voiced Voice or voicing is a term used in phonetics and phonology to characterize speech sounds (usually consonants). Speech sounds can be described as either voiceless (otherwise known as ''unvoiced'') or voiced. The term, however, is used to refe ...
consonants , , and are pronounced as
plosive In phonetics, a plosive, also known as an occlusive or simply a stop, is a pulmonic consonant in which the vocal tract is blocked so that all airflow ceases. The occlusion may be made with the tongue tip or blade (, ), tongue body (, ), lip ...
s after and sometimes before any consonant, like other Colombian dialects (rather than the
fricative A fricative is a consonant produced by forcing air through a narrow channel made by placing two articulators close together. These may be the lower lip against the upper teeth, in the case of ; the back of the tongue against the soft palate in ...
or
approximant Approximants are speech sounds that involve the articulators approaching each other but not narrowly enough nor with enough articulatory precision to create turbulent airflow. Therefore, approximants fall between fricatives, which do prod ...
that is characteristic of most other dialects). Thus ''pardo'' , ''barba'' , ''algo'' , ''peligro'' , ''desde'' (dialectally or —rather than the , , , , (dial. etc.) of Spain and the rest of Spanish America. A notable exception is the region of Nariño and most ''Costeño'' speech (Atlantic coastal dialects) which feature the soft, fricative realizations common to all other Hispanic American and European dialects. *The phoneme is realized as a glottal like in all other regions of Colombia, except
Nariño Department Nariño () is a department of Colombia named after independence leader Antonio Nariño. Its capital is Pasto. It is in the west of the country, bordering Ecuador and the Pacific Ocean. Nariño has a diverse geography and varied climate acc ...
, where the phoneme is realized as velar . This phoneme is also heard in southern Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, the Caribbean coast of Venezuela, Ecuadorian coast, the Spanish-speaking islands of the Caribbean, the Canary Islands, and southern Spain—as well as occasionally in Chile, Peru, and Northwest Argentina.


Land and inheritance

Paisas are very attached to their families and land. As their natural cultural space is on the mountains, it is also a symbol of their land. They give a great importance to surnames and ancestors. They even associate surnames to towns ("''los Pérez son de San Pedro de los Milagros''", the Pérez amilyare from San Pedro de los Milagros). Though the
patrilinear Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...
character is very important for families, Paisas keep a strong
matriarchal Matriarchy is a social system in which positions of power and privilege are held by women. In a broader sense it can also extend to moral authority, social privilege, and control of property. While those definitions apply in general English, ...
culture. Paisas are well known in Colombia for their kindness and welcoming attitude to people from other regions and visitors. They are known to joke and exaggerate creating enjoyable conversations, though this can confuse those who are not used to their way of speaking. They speak proudly of their land, towns, cities, history, traditions and abilities in commerce. It is common that Paisas do not use their local
demonym A demonym (; ) or 'gentilic' () is a word that identifies a group of people ( inhabitants, residents, natives) in relation to a particular place. Demonyms are usually derived from the name of the place ( hamlet, village, town, city, region, ...
(for example, "''medellinenses'', ''manizalitas'', etc), but they refer to themselves as "Paisas".


Cuisine

The Paisa cuisine is very influenced by their traditional rural background of the mountains. It belongs to the Colombian Andes cuisine with abundance of
bean A bean is the seed of some plants in the legume family (Fabaceae) used as a vegetable for human consumption or animal feed. The seeds are often preserved through drying (a ''pulse''), but fresh beans are also sold. Dried beans are traditi ...
s,
rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...
,
maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...
,
pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...
and
cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...
meat Meat is animal Tissue (biology), tissue, often muscle, that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted and farmed other animals for meat since prehistory. The Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of vertebrates, including chickens, sheep, ...
, tropical fruits,
potato The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...
and several types of vegetables.LoPaisa.com:
Las recetas de la abuela
. Link retrieved on 8 April 2009.
*
Bandeja paisa Bandeja paisa (; ), with variations known as bandeja de arriero, bandeja montañera, and bandeja antioqueña, is one of the most representative meals in Colombian cuisine, especially of the Antioquia department and the Paisa region, as well as ...
: This is a more traditional dish and is generally composed by ''carne asada'' (grilled steak) or ''carne molida'' (finely ground grilled steak), ''chicharrón'' (fried pork rind), rice, red beans, a slice of avocado, sweet fried plantains, a fried egg, a small white corn ''
arepa ''Arepa'' () is a type of flatbread made of ground maize dough stuffed with a filling, eaten in northern parts of South America since pre-Columbian times, and notable primarily in the cuisine of Colombia and Venezuela, but also present in Bolivi ...
'', and sometimes ''
chorizo ''Chorizo'' ( , ; ; see #Names, below) is a type of pork sausage originating from the Iberian Peninsula. It is made in many national and regional varieties in several countries on different continents. Some of these varieties are quite differe ...
'' (sausage). Bandeja paisa is also a very popular dish served in Colombian restaurants in Europe and the United States. *
Sopa de mondongo ''Sopa de mondongo'' is a soup that originally came from Colombia, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. It is made from diced tripe (the stomach of a cow or pig) slow-cooked with vegetables such as bell peppers, onions, carrots, ...
. * Empanada antioqueña. * Frijoles. *
Mazamorra , or masamorra, (from , from , influenced by Spanish , 'dough') is the name for numerous traditional dishes from Latin America. Regional variations Argentina In Argentina, is a traditional dish. It is a dessert with native roots made with whit ...
. *
Rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...
with
Chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...
. * Arepa antioqueña.


Music

The Paisa Region is center of different genres of music among traditional, modern and adopted. The most important instruments of music by tradition are the
tiple A tiple (, literally treble or soprano), is a particular type of guitar, typically with 10 or 12 strings but sometimes fewer, and is built in several distinct regional styles. A tiple player is called a ''tiplista''. The first written mention of ...
and the
guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
. * Traditional: **
Pasillo Pasillo () is an Ecuadorean and Colombian genre of music popular in the territories that composed the 19th century Viceroyalty of New Granada: Born in the Andes during the independence wars, it spread to other areas; especially Ecuador (where it i ...
: In the Paisa Region has had a great diffusion as it is proven by the annual National Festival of the Colombian Pasillo in
Aguadas Aguadas is a town and municipality in the Colombian department of Caldas. It is bordered to the north by Abejorral, to the east by Sonsón, to the southeast by Salamina, to the south by Pacora, to the west by Caramanta and Valparaiso, and to ...
. Carlos Vieco is one of the best known Paisa composers of Pasillo for example with "''Hacia el Calvario''" ("Towards Calvary"). ** Rail Music: In Spanish '' Música de Carrilera'' is the Paisa "
Country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
". It was originated in Antioquia, especially along the
Antioquia Railway The Antioquia Railway () is a historic railway system in Colombia of freight train, freight and passenger trains that joined much of the central regions of the Antioquia department along the Magdalena river, and ultimately extended to provinces ...
. It is also known as "''Música guasca''". ** Songs of Heartbreak: In Spanish '' Música de despecho''. In Colombia this genre became identity of the Paisa region. The composer and musician Darío Gómez of San Jerónimo has been nominated "The King of the Songs of Heartbreak" (''El Rey del Despecho''). His song "''Nadie es eterno''" ("Nobody is Eternal") became one of the most popular song in Colombia. Other artists of this genre are El Charrito Negro, Luis Alberto Posada, Jhonny Rivera, Lady Yuliana, Pipe Bueno, Giovany Ayala, Grupo Tornado, Fernando Burbano, Bera, El Andariego and many others. The Paisa - American Lucía Pulido is the main artist of this genre in United States. ** Paisa Trova: In Spanish '' Trova paisa''. It shows the creativity, humor, mentality, and identity of the Paisas. The most important is to create new Trovas in every performance. Salvo Ruiz and Ñito Restrepo from Concordia are regarded as the fathers of the Paisa Trova. * Adopted: **
Tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries from a combination of Arge ...
: This
Argentinian Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...
and
Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
an music became popular in Antioquia during the first part of the twentieth century, maybe due to Argentinian migrations to
Medellín Medellín ( ; or ), officially the Special District of Science, Technology and Innovation of Medellín (), is the List of cities in Colombia, second-largest city in Colombia after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia Departme ...
. In 1935 the King of Tango,
Carlos Gardel Carlos Gardel (born Charles Romuald Gardès; 11 December 1890 – 24 June 1935) was a French-born Argentine singer, songwriter, composer and actor, and the most prominent figure in the history of tango. He was one of the most influential inter ...
, died in a plane crash in the Paisa capital. The Paisa writer
Manuel Mejía Vallejo Manuel Mejía Vallejo (23 April 1923 – 23 July 1998) was a Colombian writer and journalist. The specialist Luís Carlos Molina says that Mejía represents the Andean aspect of the contemporary Colombian narrative, characterized by a world ...
wrote "''Aire de Tango''" (''Air of Tango''), a work that shows the big influence of Tango in the modern Paisa folklore. The Tango Festival takes place in Barrio Manrique of Medellín where is the "''Tangovía''" and a monument to Gardel. **
Vallenato Vallenato () is a popular folk music genre from Colombia. It primarily comes from its Caribbean region. ''Vallenato'' literally means "born in the valley". The valley influencing this name is located between the ''Sierra Nevada de Santa Mar ...
: This music from the Caribbean Region of Colombia (
Valledupar Valledupar () is a city and municipality in northeastern Colombia. It is the capital of Cesar Department. Its name, ''Valle de Upar'' (Valley of Upar), was established in honor of the Amerindian cacique who ruled the valley; ''Cacique Upar''. The ...
), has found in the Paisa Region its place. It was brought especially by young students from the north of Colombia who came to study in the Andean cities. There are several Paisa music groups of Vallenato.


Religion

Roman Catholicism in Colombia arrived in the region with the Spaniard colonizers at the beginning of the sixteenth century.
Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...
s settled along with colonizers and built churches and monasteries in the towns founded by the Spaniards. Perhaps Spanish and Portuguese
marranos ''Marranos'' is a term for Spanish and Portuguese Jews, as well as Navarrese jews, who converted to Christianity, either voluntarily or by Spanish or Portuguese royal coercion, during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, but who continued t ...
arrived in the region as well. Roman Catholicism became the predominant religion and Paisas remained devout and churchgoing. The 1991 Colombian Political Constitution that decreed freedom of religion opened the gates to other religious denominations, though Paisas are considered Catholics by culture. The theory of Jewish origins has benefited the Jewish communities in the region as well. The two first Colombian persons recognized by the Catholic Church as blessed or
saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...
s are from the Paisa Region:
Laura Montoya Laura Montoya, in full ''María Laura de Jesús Montoya Upegui'' (26 May 1874 – 21 October 1949), religious name ''Laura of Saint Catherine of Siena'', was a Colombian Roman Catholic religious sister and the founder of the Congregation of the ...
(from Jericó) and Mariano de Jesús Euse (from
Yarumal Yarumal is a municipality in the Antioquia Department, Colombia. The municipality (three parishes and 20 villages) has an area of . The population was 41,542 at the 2018 census. Its average elevation is above sea level. It has a minor basilica, ...
). A Paisa prelate from Tolima, Cardinal
Alfonso López Trujillo Alfonso López Trujillo (8 November 1935 – 19 April 2008) was a Colombian Cardinal Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church and president of the Pontifical Council for the Family. Biography Youth Born in Villahermosa, Tolima, López Trujillo mo ...
, was close to the Pope
John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...
.


Notables

Several Paisa personalities have been famous in regional, national and international contexts in every field of science, sport, music, technology, economy, politics and even crime. Some of the most notable in an international context: * Artists: Sculptor Rodrigo Arenas Betancur, musicians
Karol G Carolina Giraldo Navarro (born February 14, 1991), known professionally as Karol G, is a Colombian singer. Considered as one of the most influential reggaeton and Urban contemporary music, urban pop artists, she has received awards including a ...
,
Feid Salomón Villada Hoyos (born 19 August 1992), better known by his stage names Feid and Ferxxo, is a Music of Colombia, Colombian singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born in Medellín, Colombia, he has worked with several well-known singer ...
,
Juanes Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez (born 9 August 1972), known professionally as Juanes, is a Colombian musician who was a member of the Rock music, rock band Ekhymosis and is now a solo artist. Since releasing his solo debut album ''Fíjate B ...
,
Kali Uchis Karly Marina Loaiza (born July 17, 1994), known professionally as Kali Uchis ( ), is an American singer and songwriter. Her accolades include a Grammy Awards, Grammy Award, an American Music Awards, American Music Award, two Billboard Music Awar ...
,
J Balvin José Álvaro Osorio Balvín (born 7 May 1985), known professionally as J Balvin, is a Colombian singer. He is one of the best-selling Latin artists, with 35 million records sold worldwide. Balvin was born in Medellín. At age 17, he moved to th ...
,
Maluma Juan Luis Londoño Arias (born 28 January 1994), known professionally as Maluma, is a Colombian singer. Born and raised in Medellín, he developed an interest in music at a young age, recording songs since age sixteen. Arias released his debu ...
, painter and sculptor
Fernando Botero Fernando Botero Angulo (19 April 1932 – 15 September 2023) was a Colombian figurative artist and sculptor. His signature style, also known as "Boterismo", depicts people and figures in large, exaggerated volume, which can represent political ...
, Prima Ballerina Freya Monroy, painter
Débora Arango Débora Arango Pérez (November 11, 1907 – December 4, 2005) was a Colombian artist, born in Medellín, Colombia as the daughter of Castor María Arango Díaz and Elvira Pérez. Though she was primarily a painter, Arango also worked in other ...
, philosopher
Fernando González Fernando Francisco González Ciuffardi (; born 29 July 1980) is a Chilean former professional tennis player. During his career, he reached at least the quarterfinals of all four Grand Slam (tennis)#Tournaments, major tournaments. He contested hi ...
, writers
Tomás Carrasquilla Tomás Carrasquilla Naranjo (1858 – 1940) was a Colombian writer who lived in the Antioquia region. He dedicated himself to very simple jobs: tailor, secretary of a judge, storekeeper in a mine, and worker at the Ministry of Public ...
,
Fernando Vallejo Fernando Vallejo Rendón (born 1942 in Medellín, Colombia) is a Colombian-born novelist, filmmaker and essayist. He obtained Mexican nationality in 2007. Biography Vallejo was born and raised in Medellín, though he left his hometown early in ...
,
Porfirio Barba-Jacob Miguel Ángel Osorio Benítez (July 29, 1883 – January 14, 1942), better known by his pseudonym, Porfirio Barba-Jacob, was a Colombian poet and writer. Born in Santa Rosa de Osos, Antioquia, to parents Antonio María Osorio and Pastora ...
,
Gonzalo Arango Gonzalo Arango Arias (Andes, Antioquia, 1931 – Gachancipá, Cundinamarca, 1976) was a Colombian writer, poet, and journalist. In 1958 he led a modern literary and cultural movement known as Nadaism (Nothing-''ism''), inspired by surre ...
. * Sport: Football players Víctor Aristizábal,
René Higuita José René Higuita Zapata (; born 27 August 1966) is a Colombian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He was nicknamed ''El Loco'' ("The Madman") for his high-risk ' sweeper-keeper' playing style and his flair for the dr ...
,
Juan Pablo Ángel Juan Pablo Ángel Arango (born 24 October 1975) is a Colombian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He began his career at Nacional, whom he helped to win the championship in 1994, and then moved to River Plate of Argenti ...
,
Iván Córdoba Iván Ramiro Córdoba Sepúlveda (, born 11 August 1976) is a Colombian former professional footballer who played as a defender. He began his career in Colombia with Deportivo Rionegro and Atlético Nacional, before moving to Argentine club ...
, Juan Fernando Quintero,
David Ospina David Ospina Ramírez (born 31 August 1988) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Categoría Primera A club Atlético Nacional, which he captains, and the Colombia national team. Ospina began his career at Atlé ...
and
Andrés Escobar Andrés Escobar Saldarriaga (; 13 March 1967 – 2 July 1994) was a Colombian professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He played for Atlético Nacional, BSC Young Boys, and the Colombia national team. Nicknamed ''The Gentleman'', ...
, golfer
Camilo Villegas Camilo Villegas Restrepo (; born 7 January 1982) is a Colombian professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. Early life Villegas was born in Medellín, Colombia, and took up golf as a child. After several different National Junior Championshi ...
, cyclist
Mariana Pajón Mariana Pajón Londoño ODB OLY (born 10 October 1991) is a Colombian cyclist, two-time Olympic gold medalist and BMX World Champion.
. * Journalists:
Baldomero Sanín Cano Baldomero Sanín Cano (27 June 1861 in Rionegro, Antioquia – 12 May 1957 in Bogotá) was a Colombian essayist, journalist, linguist, humanist and university professor. He graduated as a teacher in the Normal de Rionegro, in the department o ...
. * Politicians:
Belisario Betancur Cuartas Belisario Betancur Cuartas (4 February 1923 – 7 December 2018) was a Colombian politician who served as the 26th President of Colombia from 1982 to 1986. He was a member of the Colombian Conservative Party. His presidency was noted for its at ...
,
César Gaviria César Augusto Gaviria Trujillo ( ; born 31 March 1947) is a Colombian economist and politician who served as the President of Colombia from 1990 to 1994, Secretary General of the Organization of American States from 1994 to 2004 and National D ...
,
Sergio Fajardo Sergio Fajardo Valderrama (; born 19 June 1956) is a Colombian politician and mathematician. He first entered politics in 2003 when he was elected Mayor of Medellin, Medellín, the List of cities in Colombia, second-largest city in Colombia and ...
,
Marco Fidel Suárez Marco Fidel Suárez (April 23, 1855 – April 3, 1927) was a Colombian political figure. He served as president of Colombia from 1918 to 1921. He was born on April 23, 1855, in the town of Hatoviejo, Antioquia. His parents were Rosalía Suárez a ...
,
Álvaro Uribe Álvaro Uribe Vélez (born 4 July 1952) is a Colombian politician who served as the 31st President of Colombia from 7 August 2002 to 7 August 2010. Uribe started his political career in his home department of Antioquia Department, Antioquia. H ...
,
Federico Gutiérrez Federico Andrés Gutiérrez Zuluaga (born 28 November 1974) is a Colombian politician, civil engineer, who currently serves as the mayor of Medellín, having held this office previously from 2016 to 2019. Before being mayor, he had been a membe ...
,
Iván Duque Iván Duque Márquez (; born 1 August 1976) is a Colombian politician and lawyer who served as the president of Colombia from 2018 to 2022. He was elected as the candidate from the Democratic Centre Party in the 2018 Colombian presidential ...
* Heroes: General
José María Córdova José María Córdova Muñoz, also known as the "Hero of Ayacucho", was a General of the Gran Colombian army during the Independence War of Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia from Spain. Born in 1799 to a humble merchant family in the Antioquia Depa ...
. * Religious: Cardinal
Alfonso López Trujillo Alfonso López Trujillo (8 November 1935 – 19 April 2008) was a Colombian Cardinal Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church and president of the Pontifical Council for the Family. Biography Youth Born in Villahermosa, Tolima, López Trujillo mo ...
,
Laura Montoya Laura Montoya, in full ''María Laura de Jesús Montoya Upegui'' (26 May 1874 – 21 October 1949), religious name ''Laura of Saint Catherine of Siena'', was a Colombian Roman Catholic religious sister and the founder of the Congregation of the ...
, Mariano de Jesús Euse. * Infamous:
Pablo Escobar Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria (; ; 1 December 19492 December 1993) was a Colombian drug lord, narcoterrorist, and politician who was the founder and leader of the Medellín Cartel. Dubbed the "King of Cocaine", Escobar was one of the wealthie ...
, Manuel Marulanda Vélez,
Fabio Vásquez Castaño Fabio Vásquez Castaño (1940 – 10 December 2019) was a Colombian rebel and revolutionary who was trained by Fidel Castro regime during the 1960s. He was born in Calarcá, Quindío, and was one of the original founders of the Colombian guerrilla ...
,
Luis Alfredo Garavito Cubillos Luis Alfredo Garavito Cubillos (25 January 1957 – 12 October 2023), also known as ("The Beast") or ("Goofy"), was a Colombian serial killer, sex offender, pedophile, and necrophile who sexually assaulted 200 victims before sexually assault ...
,
Carlos Castaño Gil Carlos Castaño Gil (16 May 1965 – 16 April 2004) was a Colombian paramilitary leader who was a founder of the Peasant Self-Defenders of Córdoba and Urabá (ACCU), a far-right paramilitary organisation in Colombia and a former member of the ...
,
Vicente Castaño José Vicente Castaño Gil, also known as El Profe (born July 2, 1957), is a former leader of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), a right-wing Colombian paramilitary organization. After demobilizing, he was accused of murdering h ...
,
Fidel Castaño Fidel Antonio Castaño Gil Rambo (August 8, 1951 – January 6, 1994) was a Colombian drug lord and paramilitary who was among the founders of Los Pepes and the Peasant Self-Defense Forces of Cordoba and Uraba (ACCU), a paramilitary group whi ...
, Jorge Luis Ochoa,
Fabio Ochoa Vásquez Fabio Ochoa Vásquez (born May 2, 1957) is a former leading member of the Medellín Cartel, along with his older brothers Juan David and Jorge Luis. His role briefly made him a billionaire. He was extradited to the US and served 25 years o ...
, Juan David Ochoa,
Carlos Lehder Carlos Enrique Lehder Rivas (born 7 September 1949) is a Colombian and German former drug lord who was co-founder of the Medellín Cartel. Born to a German father and Colombian mother, he was the first high-level drug trafficker extradited t ...
,
Daniel Rendón Herrera 200px, Rendón Herrera after being captured by the Colombian police. Daniel Rendón Herrera (alias Don Mario; born 1966) is a Colombian drug lord. He was captured on 15 April 2009 while hiding in a jungle. Rendón Herrera once led the Los Gaitan ...
,
John Jairo Velásquez John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...
, Gustavo Gaviria Rivero, Dandeny Muñoz Mosquera, Miguel Arroyave, Ernesto Báez, Carlos Mario Jiménez,
Hernán Giraldo Hernán Giraldo Serna (born August 16, 1948), also known as the "Lord of the Sierra", is the leader of the Colombian paramilitary organization Tayrona Resistance Block, a 1,166-member armed group, part of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia ...
.


References


Notes


Bibliography

* (1993) "La Colonización Antioqueña" Santa, Eduardo. ercer Mundo S.A. Bogotá {{ISBN, 958-601-444-4


External links


Bandeja Paisa Recipe.

Portal de Música tradicional del gusto popular paisa.

Portal de enlaces paisas.
*https://bnbcolombia.com/the-top-10-coffee-zone-towns/ Culture of Colombia