On March 22, 2025, in commemoration of World Water Day, we will embark on a transformative journey to the heart of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, a sacred place ancestrally protected by the Kogui Indigenous people. We will be accompanied by Yamil Amaya, leader of the Arhuaco Indigenous community, guide, and expeditionist of the Simmonds and Colón Snowy Peaks.
Our purpose is clear: to strengthen the alliance with Indigenous communities for the protection of water, biodiversity, and culture through the Women for Conservation program. We will sing to the people, celebrating Water Day in the Sacred Land, a day and a half’s journey to the Snowy Peaks.
The journey will begin two days earlier, on March 20, when we set off toward La Guajira, beginning a challenging two-day trek into the heights of the Sierra. Our expedition will take us to a community located over 3,300 meters above sea level, near the glacier of the Sierra Nevada. There, 40 Indigenous families, along with the mamos and spiritual authorities of the Kogui people, will welcome us as the guardians of the word in this crucial gathering.
Isabella will be accompanied by Patricia Coronado, an empowered Kogui woman and wife of José Coronado, mamo and highest authority of the community in the village of Bodega Bethel. Together, we will present our initiatives. Isabella will visit José Coronado’s family, especially his mother. The mission is to hold a meeting with several mamos and spiritual leaders of the Sierra Nevada to share the mission of Women for Conservation. The goal is to reach an agreement with the Kogui communities through this dialogue. Additionally, it will be a space to open a prayer for water.
Under her artistic name, ISAVIBE, Isabella will perform two songs with ancestral themes for the Kogui people in honor of World Water Day. We understand that the authorization of the mamos and the community council is essential, as in the Indigenous worldview, all decisions must be made collectively and in harmony with nature.
Among the projects we will present, we highlight family planning and environmental education, fundamental for the sustainability of the community. We will also propose the training of women guides, promoting female leadership in biodiversity conservation, as well as the project “Guardians of the Heart of the World,” a collaborative effort to strengthen Indigenous women’s autonomy in protecting their territory and water.
In addition to our educational and organizational work, we will bring a solidarity market for the families that will host us with gratitude. These supplies will be transported on muleback for two days, crossing the Sierra’s trails to provide tangible support to the community. Under her artistic name, ISAVIBE, Isabella will perform two songs with ancestral themes for the Kogui people in honor of World Water Day. We understand that the authorization of the mamos and the community council is essential, as in the Indigenous worldview, all decisions must be made collectively and in harmony with nature.
One of the main objectives of our visit will be the protection of (Oxypogon cyanolaemus), known as the Santa Marta Beardhelmet or Chivito del Páramo. This critically endangered (CR) endemic bird is a key species in our conservation program. Its survival is closely tied to the protection of the páramos and water sources that sustain life in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
From this meeting, we will seek to pave the way for implementing medical brigades and exploring the possibility of extending our work to other areas of the Sierra, such as Bodega Bethel. All of this will depend on the authorization of the mamos and the highest spiritual authorities, who safeguard the harmony of the territory.
This journey will reaffirm our commitment to protecting water and biodiversity, but it will also remind us that conservation must be carried out in dialogue with those who have been its guardians for generations. The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, considered the heart of the world, continues to resonate with the strength of its people and its nature. And we, with respect, will continue walking alongside them in this struggle for life and balance on the planet.
