History of Maicao

and weapons among other taxable articles. During the 1970s Maicao became a commercial hub due to an oil bonanza in Venezuela and the flow of contraband present in the Guajira peninsula. The commercial boon attracted Arab and other Middle Eastern immigrants most of whom established in Maicao as merchants, establishing another culture in the area.

Colombian armed conflict period

The marijuana bonanza in the outskirts of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains also introduced another factor to the culture of the region. Marimberos or drug dealers initiated exports of numerous illegal drug trade to the United States and Europe where there was a high demand for drugs. Opulence in certain urban areas became notable, including a Ferraris collection by Lafaurie-González clan (Eduardo, Iván and Fernando Lafaurie-Gonzalez) and their bunker style houses in Maicao and Riohacha.

During the 1980s and 1990s the internal Colombian armed conflict between the government of Colombia and numerous revolutionary groups mainly the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army began to affect the municipality of Maicao. Extortions, kidnappings and assassinations became a common practice. The situation worsened due to the deflation of the Venezuelan economy and the trade decrease, as well as crackdowns on contraband by the Colombian government.

In 1991 was given special customs status in 1991 in order to spur job growth. The government's intent was to allow raw materials to enter the zone untaxed, have workers there turn them into finished product, and then re-export the finished goods outside Colombia. The law allowed for a certain