“More than 500 years ago, in the Quimbo canyon - located in the center of the Huila department, between the Eastern and Central mountain ranges of Colombia - lived the indigenous people of the 'Michúes'. This community, which was characterized by its short stature, worked for a long time shoulder to shoulder to care for and worship the one they considered their queen, the beautiful and giant Mirthayu.
One day, a giant named Matambo appeared and, in his path, he consumed and destroyed the crops and dwellings that the Michúes had prepared for their queen. Faced with this outrage, Mirthayu, together with his people, went out to fight. However, Matambo, upon seeing the beautiful queen, was stunned by her beauty, so he decided to make a truce, put himself at her disposal and help her repair the damage caused after her arrival.
As time went by, love arose between the giants and, to celebrate, they decided to make an expedition to the source of the Guacacayo River, “the river of the tombs”, better known as the Magdalena River. This expedition was not well received by the Michúes, and, in retaliation, they opposed their migration to the south, fiercely attacking Matambo like a swarm of angry and coordinated bees. Faced with the violent affront against her beloved, Mirthayu tried to defend him, receiving coup de grace and, together with her lover, they were shot down by this small but brave indigenous people. Today their bodies lie on either side of the great Magdalena River, with the silhouette of the face of the giant Matambo and the breasts of Queen Mirthayú visible in the mountains.”
The municipality of Gigante has a wide range of environmental options. This is because its boundaries range from the Cerro páramo Miraflores nature reserve, located in the eastern mountain range, to the Matambo hill and the extinct beaches of the Magdalena River. This ecosystemic diversity allows the municipality to have not only a variety of landscapes but also a production of diverse foods such as coffee, cocoa and other temporary and permanent crops.
In the 1960s, the municipality of Gigante became known as the cocoa capital of Colombia, initially because it was the meeting point of the first General Assembly of cocoa growers, where it was decided to create the National Federation of Cocoa Growers. But, in particular, it was the variety of Trinitario and hybrid cocoa found in its extensive cocoa plantations that gave the municipality such recognition.
However, since the establishment of a hydroelectric energy extraction project, Gigante has become the municipality with the largest area of flooded land, with a total of 3,770 hectares affected. This has resulted in multiple socio-environmental damages: the crops that Matambo once helped to restore were permanently destroyed, centuries-old cocoa plantations disappeared, and different sources of employment that had been established as an ancestral vocation, such as artisanal fishing and agricultural production, were submerged. The life projects of thousands of peasants and the ecological balance were directly affected, destroying multiple ecosystems in the region.
Despite everything, the people of the municipality of Gigante have resisted in different ways the devastation promoted by a vision of development from above. In a resilient manner, they have been able to develop a vital and important fish, coffee, and cocoa production, thanks to the associative work of their producers. There has been a resurgence of families and young people interested in the establishment of regional varieties, based on conservation practices and research into the genetic diversity of the territory.
The people who preside over the associations have been able to effectively lead the operations, aware of the potential of the variety of ancestral hybrid cocoas found in the municipality, and it is thanks to their curiosity and discipline that they have managed to capture the interest of multiple public and private entities with which they have been able to establish cooperation and work networks for the strengthening of the sector.
