Maicao was inhabited by the
Wayuu people prior to the arrival of the
Spanish. The Wayuu gave strong resistance to the Spanish conquest, remaining rebellious until the early 20th century. Maicao was officially founded on June 27, 1927 by Colonel Rodolfo Morales and Tomás Curvelo Iguarán, on behalf of the Department of Magdalena in the middle of the
Wayuu people territory. In 1927, several wells and windmills were built in the area by a German firm. By 1940, Maicao had 500 inhabitants. The migrants settled in the center of Maicao, where one of them, José Abuchaibe of Palestinian origin, built the largest building in the municipality, which is the Hotel Don Juan. In 1997 Middle Eastern immigrants built the
Mosque of Omar Ibn Al-Khattab, one of the largest mosques in South America.
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 Maicao was given special customs status 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 amount of goods to pass from Maicao into the Colombian interior, but only if they were declared to customs officials and duty was paid on them. Cigarettes however moved outside the Maicao special customs zone "duty not paid" and from there into the black market. Maicao became subject to royalties coming from the exploitation of
coal in the
Cerrejon coal mine, however municipal administrations have been subject to widespread corruption and royalties have been temporarily suspended. The culture of avoiding paying taxes has created in numerous occasions tensions between the locals and the government, including burning down the local tax bureau office
DIAN in protest for confiscating large amounts of contraband. The municipality also suffered a problem of displaced people due to the internal armed conflict and deficiencies in education and health.
Hezbollah ties According to
FBI investigators who allegedly told Rio de Janeiro's
O Globo in late October 2001 that in addition to the Triborder Region, a focal point of terrorism in South America was Maicao, described as an Islamic community of approximately 4,670 vacation spot for orthodox Islamics and the largest and best organized Islamic community in Colombia with a minority Shiites reportedly more closely associated with the Muslim fundamentalist concept. The report said that there were cells of the radical group
Hezbollah and that it controlled up to 70 percent of the local commerce. "The merchants from there make contributions equivalent to 10 percent and even up to 30 percent of their profits. And those responsible for the fund send the money via banks in
Maracaibo in Venezuela, and in
Panama.
Modern times On March 19, 2000 the town of
Albania segregated some 425 km2 from Maicao and became a municipality. The municipality of Maicao lost a large area over the coal mine section decreasing the royalties percentage intended for the region. == Economy ==