Tora

La Tora was an Indigenous river port on the middle Magdalena, near the site of later Barrancabermeja. Paths descending from the eastern Andes met the river here, making it a place of exchange between the highlands and riverine peoples. The Yariguí inhabited the surrounding country between the Magdalena and the mountain slopes, living by fishing, hunting, gathering and the cultivation of maize.

Spanish expeditions travelling up the Magdalena encountered La Tora in the sixteenth century. The river became the principal route between the Caribbean coast and the interior of New Granada, but the forests and mountains of the middle valley remained difficult for colonists to control. Indigenous resistance and the challenging terrain shaped movement along this frontier for generations. The old port marked a meeting place of river navigation and routes into the Andes.