The municipality has a total area of 1,847 km2 and its only 2 m above sea level. The average temperature is of 28 °C. Its main attraction relies on a recreational center called Maziruma, a beach resort.[3]
History
The area of present-day municipality of Dibuya was inhabited predominantly during the Pre-Columbian era by indigenous tribes pertaining to the Koguis and Guanebucanes ethnic groups descendants of the Tairona civilization with a direct influence from the Wayuu ethnic group. During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, the indigenous village of Yaharo was first seen by Spanish explorers upon reaching the coasts of the Guajira Peninsula in 1502. In 1525, Spanish explorer Rodrigo de Bastidas visited the Yaharo Town and registered an account of the village.[4] A year before, in 1524 Bastidas had created the Government of Santa Marta which covered an area from Cabo de la Vela to the mouth of the Magdalena River.[5]
Between 1609 and 1640, the Spanish colonizers imported some 800 or more African slaves. Most of these later escaped and formed Palenques. In 1679 the Government of Santa Marta offered these palenques their freedom in exchange of protecting the territory from English pirates.[6]
In 1872 Dibuya became a municipality seat or district by law 216 of this same year and was part of the Department of Magdalena. In 1886 this category was removed by interim governor of the department Luis Cotes by Decree 377 of February 17, 1886 when the United States of Colombia was dissolved. The Council of Riohacha formally created the Corregimiento of Dibuya on April 1, 1887.[8]
^(in Spanish) Juan Friede, “La conquista del territorio y el poblamiento”, Manual de Historia de
Colombia, 3 Vols., Vol. 1, Bogotá, Instituto Colombiano de Cultura, 1982, pp.116-222, p.131.