Riohacha,
Rio Hacha or
Rio de la Hacha ( -
Wayuu:
Süchiimma, "Süchii" means river, and "mma" means land, Riverland), is a city in the
Riohacha Municipality in the northern
Caribbean Region of
Colombia by the mouth of the
Ranchería River and the
Caribbean sea, capital city of the
La Guajira Department. Founded by
conquistador Nikolaus Federmann in 1535, Riohacha was named after a local legend "The legend of the Axe". Owing to the powerful
rain shadow of the
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the area is mostly
desertic and inhabited by
Amerindians, predominantly by members of the
Wayuu ethnic group. During colonial times Riohacha was a very important port due to the discovery of vast numbers of
pearls. In the second half of the 20th Century, the city became one of Colombia's medium important, maritime commercial ports as well as a multicultural center for La Guajira Department. The city is mentioned several times in the novel
One Hundred Years of Solitude, twelve times in
Love in the Time of Cholera, and seven times in the novel
Chronicle of a Death Foretold, both written by
Gabriel García Márquez.