Maria

Maria grew up in the Wayuu territory of Kaimakat, in La Guajira, Colombia. 

When she was younger, Maria’s mother made the decision to send her to live with her extended family, to receive more formal education, learn Spanish and experience traditions from outside of her Wayuu culture.

“My mother wanted to make sure I had different experiences,” Maria explains. “She decided that I should study and spend time away from our territory, and I gained a lot from this time.” 

Maria came back to her territory and took on the role of a community leader, helping to manage community affairs and to mediate issues arising between community members. After graduating from high school and studying at university, she applied to work at Cerrejón as a Social Analyst.

“Being back in my community as a community leader meant I learnt a lot about dialogue and negotiating, and I took these skills and decided to put them to use in a different way,” Maria says. “I knew the Wayuu culture, other territories in the area, and spoke the mother tongue Wayuunaiki, and so I realised I could be the bridge between my community and the mine.”

Cerrejón is one of the largest open-pit coal-export mining operations in the world and an important economic contributor to La Guajira. Day to day, Maria acts as a channel of communication between communities living close to the mine’s operations and Cerrejón. She helps to address the needs of local people through Cerrejón’s community initiatives – from providing fishing boats and nets, to support for Wayuu traditional craft ventures. 

“Today when I engage with the communities that we offer support to, it gives me great satisfaction,” Maria reflects. “There is a true dialogue, and it gives me peace of mind to know Cerrejón is helping them with their businesses and our way of life.”

Looking to the future, Maria hopes that Cerrejón’s initiatives can be part of efforts to respect and preserve Wayuu traditions. 

“I feel very connected to where I come from and to the legacy of my grandmothers and grandfathers,” she says. “Wayuu people have always lived off the nature and this is a way of life that we are working hard to conserve today. We coexist with the land and everything it offers us!”