Editing Cesar Department (section)

== History ==
{{Historical populations
|type =
|footnote = Source:<ref>{{cite web|title=Reloj de Población|url=http://www.dane.gov.co/reloj/|website=DANE|publisher=Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadísitica|access-date=6 July 2017|archive-date=16 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180116020433/http://www.dane.gov.co/reloj/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|1973 | 340657
|1985 | 699428
|1993 | 827219
|2005 | 903279
|2018 | 1200574
}}

===Pre-Colombian===

The region was first inhabited by indigenous peoples known as Euparíes in the Valley of Upar and Guatapuríes in the Valley of the Cesar River, among these were the Orejones pertaining to the Tupe, Acanayutos pertaining to the [[Motilon people|Motilon]] and Alcoholados pertaining to the [[Chimila people|Chimila]].

Spanish chronicles describe the tribes as being part of a federation of tribes led by a single chief ([[Cacique]]), with the village of ''Eupari'' as the largest and central to the other villages. These tribes are believed to be related to the [[Mesoamerica]]n culture, the [[Kalina people|Caribs]] and [[Arawaks]], directly associated to the [[Muisca people|Muisca]] culture in the Colombian eastern branch of the [[Andes]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Castro Trespalacios|1979|p=22}}</ref>

Archeological findings has shown that the indigenous in the area worked with stones and wood, including a [[boomerang]] shaped weapon found in a cemetery at [[Los Robles La Paz]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Castro Trespalacios|1979|p=23}}</ref>

===Spanish conquest and colonization===

The first European to explore the area was Spanish Captain Pedro de Vadillo, but German [[Ambrosio Alfínger]] savagely conquered the region in 1531.<ref name="ACGI-2003" /><ref>{{Harvnb|Castro Trespalacios|1979|p=21}}</ref> In 1550 the village of Valle de Upar was founded by [[Hernando de Santana]] and [[Juan de Castellanos]].<<ref name=autogenerated3>[http://www.lablaa.org/blaavirtual/ayudadetareas/geografia/geo70.htm LABLAA: Department of Cesar; History]</ref>

===Republican era===

In 1813, María de la Concepción Loperena proclaimed the independence of Valledupar and donated 300 horses to [[Simón Bolívar]]. In 1829 Valledupar became a [[Canton (country subdivision)|Cantón]] of the [[Province of Santa Marta]]. By Law 15 of 1850, Valledupar was segregated from Santa Marta becoming the Province of Valledupar. In 1857 became a province of the State of Magdalena and by Law of December 29, 1864, became the Department of Valledupar pertaining to State of Magdalena. On December 21, 1967, the Department of Cesar was created officially.<ref name="ACGI-2003" />

===Modern era===
From 1996 to 2006 paramilitary groups committed gross human rights violations affecting tens of thousands of victims in the Cesar mining region. Prodeco, a subsidiary of [[Glencore]], and the US [[Drummond Company]] collaborated with the paramilitaries<ref name="pax">{{Cite book |last=Moor |first=Marianne |date=June 2014 |title=The dark side of coal paramilitary violence in the mining region of Cesar, Colombia |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1176254365 |access-date=2022-04-28 |oclc=1176254365}}</ref> in order to continue coal mining.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Deutsche Welle |date=2014-07-09 |title=Blutige Kohle aus Kolumbien  |url=https://www.dw.com/de/blutige-kohle-aus-kolumbien/a-17767356 |access-date=2022-04-28 |website=DW.COM |language=de-DE}}</ref>