English pirates, Dutch weapons smugglers and Spanish pearl-hunters have all tried to conquer the Guajira Peninsula – a vast swath of barren sea and sand that is Colombia's northernmost point – but none were able to overcome the indigenous Wayuu people, who wisely traded with, or waged war upon, the invaders.
The Wayuu's complex and autonomous political and economic structures meant they were ready to mount a staunch defence of their lands – on horseback and, to the surprise of the Spanish, with firearms.
This is a diesel-and-dust landscape with more than a whiff of lawlessness. Its symbol might be a plastic bag caught in a bush. Smugglers shuttle back and forth to Venezuela, shipping their wares to the rest of Colombia and beyond. And then there's the Wayuu, living autonomously on the edge of the continent in small familial villages known as rancherías.
The peninsula is split into three sections: Southern Guajira, home to its capital, Riohacha; Middle Guajira, on the border with Venezuela; and Upper Guajira, where you'll find end-of-the-world paradises such as Cabo de la Vela and Punta Gallinas, the latter an immaculate collision of desert and sea that is the Caribbean coast's most remarkable setting.
Read more: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/colombia/la-guajira-peninsula/introduction#ixzz4DW2zFC88