Paisa (region)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the region in Colombia. For other uses, see Paisa (disambiguation).

The fictional character Juan Valdez is a paisa stereotype.

A Paisa is someone from a region in the northwest of Colombia, including part of the West and Central cordilleras of the Andes in Colombia.[1] The Paisa region is formed by the departments of Antioquia, Caldas, Risaralda and Quindío. Some regions of Valle del Cauca Department (north) and Tolima Department (west) culturally identify as paisas. The main cities of the Paisa region are Medellín, Pereira, Manizales and Armenia.

The name Paisa derives from the Spanish

Latin American
peoples.

Paisas can be found in other regions of Colombia and the Americas where they have migrated. They have such a particular way of speaking Spanish that some writers refer to as español antioqueño.[2]

Rodrigo Arenas. Bronze and concrete, 38 m height, located in Medellín La Alpujarra Administrative Center Antioquia
.

Genetics

The Paisas have been considered a

Amerindians.[5][6]

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.[citation needed]

Ultimately, this led to the overall predominantly

atDNA,[3] 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.[7]

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

Medellín of Badajoz; Cáceres for the Province of Cáceres; Valdivia for conqueror Pedro de Valdivia
.

Andalusia

Some conquerors from Andalusia like Marshall Jorge Robledo of Jaén, 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.[8] Some scholars point out that this may be one of the regions of Hispanic America with the greatest concentration of ancestry from the Iberian region.[9] The Basques arrived in Antioquia during the seventeenth century.[10]

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, nicknamed "El Vizcaíno" (although some reputable sources claim that he was not a native of the Basque Country, but was instead born in Santoña, 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.[citation needed]

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.[citation needed]

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 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

El Retiro and El Santuario
. This part of Antioquia reminded these families of northern Spain.

Sephardi Jews

There is debate about

Jewish ancestry in the Paisa people.[11][12]

It was known that some Spanish and Portuguese

Cartagena de Indias Inquisition and took refuge in the Antioquian mountains during the sixteenth and seventeenth century. Some Colombian authors like Jorge Isaacs 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 conversos of Sephardic Jewish origin, for example Espinosa, Pérez, Mejía, and many others.[citation needed
]

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.[13]

Canarians

There are records also of presence of some Canarians and Canarian families, at least some of them known to be from

Cartagena de Indias.[17]

Etymology

Although the expression "Paisa" is of popular use as

Eje cafetero
.

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.

Nutibaras. In 1540 Marshall Jorge Robledo founded Cartago. In 1541 he founded Arma in what is today the south of Antioquia, near today Aguadas and Santa Fe de Antioquia
, at the banks of the Cauca River. This last town would become the provincial capital in 1813.

The first colonial governor was Don

Cartagena de Indias, Popayán or Bogotá
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

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

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 between the end of 1819 and the beginning of 1820.[19]

In 1826 Medellín 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, 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 (1899–1902), one of the main characters of the fighting, General Rafael Uribe Uribe at the side of the Liberal Party rebels
, came from the area.

The progressive government of General

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

Metropolitan Area of Medellín according to the Inter-American Development Bank.[20][21]

  • Don Gaspar de Rodas, the first colonial governor of the Province of Antioquia that compressed what is today the Paisa Region.
    Don Gaspar de Rodas, the first colonial governor of the Province of Antioquia that compressed what is today the Paisa Region.
  • General José María Córdova, the "Bolívar" of the Paisa Region.
    General José María Córdova, the "Bolívar" of the Paisa Region.
  • Pedro Justo Berrío, the president of the State of Antioquia that began the industrial revolution of the Paisas.
    industrial revolution
    of the Paisas.
  • General Rafael Uribe Uribe, one of the leaders of the Rebel Liberals during the Thousand Days War.
    General
    Thousand Days War
    .
  • President Rafael Reyes. His policies made a great benefit for the development of the Paisa Region. He proposed the creation of the Caldas Department.
    President Rafael Reyes. His policies made a great benefit for the development of the Paisa Region. He proposed the creation of the Caldas Department.

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.

Location of the Paisa Region in Colombia: In yellow the Antioquean Urabá, belonging to the cultural context of the Colombian Caribbean Region; in green the Paisa departments and in blue some Paisa areas of Tolima and Valle del Cauca.

Economy

The Paisa Region coincided with the important economic centers of Colombia like the

Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis
in agriculture and other economic activities like flower growing, cattle, gold and coal mines, tourism and others.

Culture

Language

See also: Colombian Spanish

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.[24]

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 [family] are from San Pedro de los Milagros). Though the

matriarchal
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 (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 beans, rice, maize, pork and cattle meat, tropical fruits, potato and several types of vegetables.[26]

Music

The Tiple, traditional instrument in the Paisa folklore in genres like the Paisa Trova and Pasillo.

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 and the guitar.

  • Traditional:
    • 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". It was originated in Antioquia, especially along the Antioquia Railway. 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: This Argentinian and Uruguayan music became popular in Antioquia during the first part of the twentieth century, maybe due to Argentinian migrations to Medellín. In 1935 the King of Tango, Carlos Gardel, died in a plane crash in the Paisa capital. The Paisa writer Manuel Mejía Vallejo 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: This music from the Caribbean Region of Colombia (Valledupar), 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.

John Paul II
.

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:

References

Notes

  1. ^ "Región paisa". Paisas.biz (in Spanish). 13 December 2008. Archived from the original on 15 June 2009.
  2. ^ Zapata, José J. (1934). "Gregoria Gutierrez González" (PDF). Repertorio Historico (in Spanish). 8 (134). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 June 2007. y como solo para Antioquia escribo, yo no escribo español sino antioqueño [Because I write only for Antioquia, I do not write in Spanish but in Antioquean]
  3. ^
    PMID 16648268
    .
  4. S2CID 3229287
    .
  5. PMID 11032790
    .
  6. S2CID 298604
    .
  7. S2CID 27716846
    .
  8. ^ Basque Families of Antioquia, Buber's Basque, link retrieved on 4 April 2009.
  9. ^ Etnias de Colombia: "Los vascos Archived 28 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine", (in Spanish). Link retrieved on 4 April 2009. Cite: "la profusión en Antioquia está por encima del promedio estadístico atribuible a la simple distribución casual de apellidos asimilados" (tr.en. "The profusion in Antioquia is above the media of a simple and casual surname assimilation.")
  10. ^ Etnias de Colombia: "Los vascos Archived 28 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine", (in Spanish). Link retrieved on 4 April 2009. Cite: "a partir del siglo XVII aumentó el acceso vascuence a América y a la Nueva Granada." (tr.en. "since the seventeenth century grew the migration of Basque people to the Americas and the Nueva Granada.")
  11. ^ Azriel Bibliowicz, «Intermitencia, ambivalencia y discrepancia: historia de la presencia judía en Colombia Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine», Amérique Latine Histoire et Mémoire, Numéro 3-2001 - Migrations en Colombie (original in French, this link in Spanish.) Link retrieved on 6 April 2009. Note: "Este autor también analiza la hipótesis del origen judío de los antioqueños, sosteniendo que hay un fundamento para dicha aseveración." (tr.en. "This author also analyzes the hypothesis of the Jewish origin of the antioqueans, holding that there is a foundation for such statement")
  12. ^ Horacio Calles: "How I discover my Jews background Archived 2 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine", Saudades. Link retrieved on 4 April 2009.
  13. ^ Jorge Guillermo Angel R.: "Los sefardíes, pequeña historia de una minoría" (in Spanish). Conference for the Antioquean Academy of History, on "HaBait". http://www.habait.co.il/document/80,65,11.aspx Link retrieved on 6 April 2009. Cite: " Claro está que el hecho de que muchos sefardíes hayan venido a Antioquia no quiere decir que de ellos desciendan todos los antioqueños, como a veces se exagera. Es indiscutible que aquí llegaron castellanos con raíces vascas, andaluces y extremeñas, así como también alemanes e ingleses, franceses y portugueses, rusos (son rusos el apellido Sanín y el nombre Adelaida), turcos y griegos, de quienes desciende una buena cantidad de personas y de formas culturales que prevalecen en lo cotidiano." (tr.en. "It is obvious that the fact that several Sephardic persons have come to Antioquia, does not mean that all the Antioqueans descend from them, as people often exaggerate it. It is indisputable that others who arrived here were Castillians with Basque roots, Andalusian people and Extremadurans, as well as Germans and Britons, Frenchmen and Portuguese, Russians (the surname Sanín is Russian and the first name Adelaida,), Turks and Greeks, from which there are large numbers of descendants and their cultural backgrounds prevail in our daily lives")
  14. ^ a b Francisco Hernández Delgado; María Dolores Rodríguez Armas (2010). "La emigración de Lanzarote y sus causas". Archivo Histórico Municipal de Teguise (www.archivoteguise.es) (in Spanish). Teguise, Lanzarote, Canary Islands: Departamento de Cultura y Patrimonio, Ayuntamiento de Teguise. Archived from the original on 27 July 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  15. ^ Morales Padrón, Francisco. Canarias - América. Colección "Guagua", 1982. p. 49.
  16. ^ a b Colombia se conquistó gracias a un pequeño contingente de 400 canarios (in Spanish) "Colombia is Conquered by a Small Contingent of 400 Canary Islanders").
  17. ISBN 978-84-7926-488-8
    .
  18. ^ Doña Soledad Acosta de Samper: Biografía de hombres ilustres, Don Gaspar de Rodas Archived 11 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish), Imprenta de la Luz, Bogotá, 1883. In Luis Ángel Arango Online Library of Colombia. Link retrieved on 7 April 2009.
  19. ^ Constancio Franco V: "Rasgos biográficos de los próceres i mártires de la Independencia: José María Córdoba", (in Spanish), Bogotá, 1880. In Luis Ángel Arango Online Library of Colombia. Link retrieved on 7 April 2009. Note: "Pacificado el territorio de Cundinamarca, el |libertador, conociendo las aptitudes del jóven guerrero, le confió la mision de libertar la provincia de Antioquia, para lo cual le dió un cuadro de oficiales i cien hombres de tropa." (tr.en. "When the territory of Cundinamarca was pacified, the Libertador, knowing the aptitudes of the young warrior, trusted to him the mission to free the Province of Antioquia, and then he gave him a patrol of hundred men")
  20. ^ Business News America: Medellín: Flying high, 6 February 2009. Link retrieved on 15 April 2009.
  21. ^ Colombia Law and Business Post: Inter-American Development Bank Meets in Medellín, 29 March 2009. Link retrieved on 15 April 2009.
  22. ^ DANE: Antioquia statistics 2005. Link retrieved on 7 April 2009.
  23. ^ a b c DANE: Coffee Axes statistics 2005, link retrieved on 7 April 2009.
  24. OCLC 836299682.[page needed
    ]
  25. ^ Canfield (1981:36)
  26. ^ LoPaisa.com: "Las recetas de la abuela" (in Spanish). Link retrieved on 8 April 2009.

Bibliography

  • (1993) "La Colonización Antioqueña" Santa, Eduardo. [Tercer Mundo S.A. Bogotá],
    ISBN 958-601-444-4

External links
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