Paisa (region)

APaisais someone from a region in the northwest ofColombia, including part of theWestandCentralcordillerasof theAndes in Colombia.The Paisa region is formed by thedepartmentsofAntioquia,Caldas,RisaraldaandQuindío. Some regions ofValle del Cauca Department(north) andTolima Department(west) culturally identify aspaisas. The main cities of the Paisa region areMedellín,Pereira,ManizalesandArmenia.
The name Paisa derives from the SpanishapocopeofPaisano(fellow countryman), but they are also known as "Antioqueños" (those from the oldAntioquia, which included the other Paisa provinces, which was a single administrative body until the creation of theCaldas Statein 1905). Although many refer to Paisas as an ethnic group (raza antioqueñaorraza paisa), they are a part of theColombiansandLatin Americanpeoples.
Paisas can be found in other regions of Colombia and theAmericaswhere they have migrated. They have a particular way of speaking Spanish that some writers refer to asespañol antioqueño.
The Paisas have been considered agenetically isolated populationaccording to scientific studies.As evidenced by the analysis of direct-line mitochondrial DNA ormtDNA(inherited from mother-to-child) and Y-chromosomal DNA orY-DNA(inherited from father-to-son), the initial founding of the Paisa population occurred primarily through the admixture of maleIberians(mostly from variousSpaniardethnic groups, and a smallerSephardic Jewishelement) and femaleAmerindians.
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. Thisincreased the overall European componentand 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 predominantlyEuropeanancestry of today's Paisa population according to testing of autosomal DNA oratDNA,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.
The ancestors of the Paisa are primarily Spanish immigrants fromExtremadura, Spain (sixteenth century). The first colonizers wereExtremaduranlikeGaspar de RodasofTrujillo, who was the first colonial governor of the region. Several towns, cities and places in the Paisa Region are also Extremaduran:MedellínforMedellín of Badajoz;Cáceresfor theProvince of Cáceres;Valdiviafor conquerorPedro de Valdivia.
Some conquerors fromAndalusialike MarshallJorge RobledoofJaén, 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.
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 ofHispanic Americawith 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 geographerJuan 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 inSantoña, 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 ofPamplonain 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,Basquefamilies from Northern Spain settled in theAburrá ValleywhereMedellínandEnvigadoare located, as well as small towns in eastern Antioquia, such asMarinilla,El RetiroandEl Santuario. This part of Antioquia reminded these families of northern Spain.
There is debate aboutJewishancestry in the Paisa people.
It was known that some Spanish and PortugueseNew ChristiansofSephardic Jewishancestry (some of whom continued topractice Judaism secretly, and were also known asmarranos, Spanish for swine) fled theCartagena de IndiasInquisitionand took refuge in the Antioquian mountains during the sixteenth and seventeenth century. Some Colombian authors likeJorge IsaacsandMiguel Ángel Osoriohave claimed that it is indisputable that Paisas have Jewish ancestry. Several Paisa surnames are known to have been prevalent amongNew Christianconversosof Sephardic Jewish origin, for exampleEspinosa,Pérez, 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.
There are records also of presence of some Canarians and Canarian families, at least some of them known to be fromLanzarote, who settled inCáceres, Antioquia, in the second half of the 16th century.Others emigrated in 1678 by the terms of theTributo de Sangreto Santa Marta.In 1536,Pedro Fernández de Lugoled an expedition of 1,500 people, 400 of whom were Canarians from all the different islands that make up the archipelago), for the conquest of the area around what becameSanta Marta.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 Heredialed 100 men from the Canary Islands toCartagena de Indias.
Although the expression "Paisa" is of popular use asapocopeof "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 isAntioqueño(Antioquean; one fromAntioquia). 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, theCaldas Departmentwas 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 theEje cafetero.
Although some sources argue that theAmerican Indiansthat populated most of the Paisa Region were extinguished through European diseases and fights against the Spaniard conquerors, this has not been fully demonstrated.
Francisco Césarmade an expedition in 1537 fromUrabáto theCauca Riverto the lands ofDabeiba, but his troops were rejected by theNutibaras. In 1540 MarshallJorge RobledofoundedCartago. In 1541 he founded Arma in what is today the south of Antioquia, near todayAguadasandSanta 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 DonGaspar 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 likeCartagena de Indias,PopayánorBogotáand 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 theColombian Coffee-Growers Axisor the "Viejo Caldas" (Old Caldas), though now most Colombian nationals refer to this region as theEje cafetero. 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,Quindíoand some towns of the north ofValle del Caucaand the west ofTolima) are from that time.
During the wars for the independence of Colombia, the most important Paisa figure was GeneralJosé María Córdova. He was fromRionegroand fought important battles to free the region from the Spanish regime under the orders ofSimón Bolívar, who never went to the region. DuringBolívar's campaign to liberate New Granada, Córdoba participated in theBattle of Boyacáand 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 ofNechíbetween the end of 1819 and the beginning of 1820.
In 1826Medellínwas 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 wasPedro 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 theThousand Days War(1899–1902), one of the main characters of the fighting, GeneralRafael Uribe Uribeat the side of theLiberal Party rebels, came from the area.
The progressive government of GeneralRafael Reyes(1904–1909) was of benefit in the development for the region. One of his projects was the creation of new departments, including theCaldas Departmentto be taken from the southern part ofAntioquiain 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,QuindíoandRisaralda.
At the end of the century the region faced the crisis of growing drug traffic mafias, paramilitary groups and guerrillas, especially in Antioquia with theMedellín Carteland the north ofValle del Cauca. However, development has proved to be a Colombian model in regions like theMetropolitan Area of Medellínaccording to theInter-American Development Bank.
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.
The Paisa Region coincided with the important economic centers of Colombia like theMetropolitan Area of Medellín(textile, industries like appliances, automobiles and chemicals, services like health care and fashion); theColombian Coffee-Growers Axisin agriculture and other economic activities like flower growing, cattle, gold and coal mines, tourism and others.
The way Paisas speak Spanish, also known asAntioquean 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 calledParlachedeveloped.
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 thepatrilinearcharacter is very important for families, Paisas keep a strongmatriarchalculture.
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 localdemonym(for example, "medellinenses,manizalitas, etc), but they refer to themselves as "Paisas".
The Paisa cuisine is very influenced by their traditional rural background of the mountains. It belongs to the Colombian Andes cuisine with abundance ofbeans,rice,maize,porkandcattlemeat, tropical fruits,potatoand several types of vegetables.
The Paisa Region is center of different genres of music among traditional, modern and adopted. The most important instruments of music by tradition are thetipleand theguitar.
Roman Catholicism in Colombia arrived in the region with the Spaniard colonizers at the beginning of the sixteenth century.Franciscanssettled along with colonizers and built churches and monasteries in the towns founded by the Spaniards. Perhaps Spanish and Portuguesemarranosarrived 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 asblessedorsaintsare from the Paisa Region:Laura Montoya(fromJericó) andMariano de Jesús Euse(fromYarumal). A Paisa prelate fromTolima, CardinalAlfonso López Trujillo, was close to the PopeJohn Paul II.
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: