Montes de María

“Who owns the land?” This question echoes through the valleys of the Montes de María, a question steeped in blood and resilience. Here in the Montes de María, less than two hours from the vibrant Cartagena, the very earth whispers tales of struggle and survival. This region, a tapestry of mountains and foothills extending from the western Andes, has been a refuge, a battleground, and a prize. The Montes de María. Remember that name, for it’s a name etched in the heart of Colombia. In the 1960s and 70s, this land, populated by mestizos, indigenous peoples, and Afro-Colombians, witnessed fierce land disputes. Small farmers fought against wealthy landowners, seeking titles to their small plots. Some achieved this dream, only to have it ripped away. The late 1990s and early 2000s brought a wave of terror. Paramilitary groups like the AUC, fueled by drug money, unleashed a brutal campaign of violence. Massacres became commonplace. Villages like El Salado were razed, their names synonymous with tragedy. Farmers were driven from their land, forced into a desperate exodus, seeking refuge in the poverty belts of Sincelejo, Cartagena, and Barranquilla. Over 50 villages were destroyed. A million peasants displaced. In Carmen de Bolivar, a once thriving town, 80% of its rural inhabitants were exiled. The AUC’s reign of terror didn’t last forever. They underwent a demobilization process, but the violence didn’t end. The Colombian armed forces stepped in. They committed extrajudicial executions, disappearances, and dispossessions. Mass arrests, based on biased intelligence and stigmatization, further decimated the peasant communities. A century of campesino organization, nearly wiped out. Then came the businessmen. President Uribe, with the support of powerful elites, encouraged investment in the Montes de María. A “reverse land reform” began. The land abandoned by displaced farmers was rapidly bought up, often through trickery and deceit. Notary offices worked around the clock to process the transactions. Among these opportunistic investors was Argos, a cement company. They bought land in San Onofre, an area controlled by a feared paramilitary leader. They claimed to be unaware of the violence and dispossession that had occurred, but courts have questioned their due diligence. While Argos later canceled their project and created a foundation to manage the acquired land, the stain of their actions remains. The Montes de María. A land scarred by violence, but also a land of resilience. The fight for this land continues. Farmers are slowly reclaiming their ancestral territories. The question of who owns the land is still being asked, a question that speaks to the heart of Colombia’s complex history.