Valledupar's cultural background comes from
three different major cultures; the Amerindians, the European settlers, and
Africans imported as slaves to the colony. The creolization of these cultures
developed into unique musical styles, such as in the vallenato and cumbia.
Valledupar was established as a Spanish colonial town, where colonists tried to
reimpose what they knew in terms of familiar customs, food, popular religion,
music, dances and Castilian Spanish.
Many descendants from the colonial period
were converted to Catholicism
