The Wayuu, also known as the Guajiro, Wayu, Uaira, Waiu, Wayuu, the demographic distribution of the Wayuu in the peninsula of La Guajira Colombian depends on seasonal changes. During the dry season many peasants migrate in search of work in the towns, and return to their places of origin when the rains come.

La Guajira language belongs to the Arawak linguistic family. There are some dialectal differences between the Guajiro inhabiting the Guajira and those living in the central part or the Baja Guajira. However, these differences are minimal, and the Guajiro of any part of the peninsula can communicate without problem. A number of Guajiro understand Spanish and speak it naturally (they are bilingual), but the language represents for them an important factor in ethnic and cultural identity.

Wayuu society is not divided into exogamous matrilineal clans. The Guajiro identify themselves as members of groups of uterine relatives associated with a particular territory, and their kinship system, not matrilineal descent, is the main mode of ordering of social life.

Polygamy in indigenous communities is a historical practice that has been declining over time to the extent that indigenous women are better acquainted with their citizens and civil rights.

The Wayuu are not distributed uniformly in their traditional territory but dispersed with distances between houses several kilometers partly motivated by the scarcity of natural resources for grazing manner and in others by their own custom.

The Wayuu is binational, for there are no boundaries, these are things of arijunas, however, has to face the real barriers that establish both the Colombian government and Venezuelan who often forget that the region is one that side and side of the border families live together by blood, where many have chosen to get dual citizenship in order to address the institutional Abarreras that have been imposed on an ancient nation that considers the entire peninsula of La Guajira as their ancestral home.

Since pre-Hispanic period, the "peasants" established trade and cultural ties with the majority society, just as they do today. In the twentieth century have been affected by oil exploitation of Lake Maracaibo and the opening of the Cerrejon coal mine and port in the Upper Guajira, in the mid-eighties.

The social organization is based on clans Wayuú defined by maternal dispersed and corporate line. Members of a clan share the same social status and a common ancestor. There are twenty clans including highlights Epieyu, Uriana or Uliana, Ipuana or Lipuana, Pushaina, Epinayu, Jusayu, Arpushana, Jarariyu, Wouriyu, Urariyu, Sapuana, Jinnu, Sijona, Pausayu, Uchayaru, Uriyu, Warpushana, Worworiyu, Pipishana and Toctouyu. The highest percentage of population is in the Epieyu clans with 20.8%, with 17.1% Uriana, and Ipuana with 16.2%, however, these figures should be thoroughly checked.

In each settlement there is an older man who exercises authority, manages the collective assets and directs the daily work. Likewise, at the level of the lineage, there is a man who represents and leads, however it should be noted the increasing growth of women's leadership among these communities. In the legal system of the Wayuu, when a tort occurs against a person is the family who was offended. When this occurs, the affected resort to "babbler" -pütchipü-, mediator and expert in domestic laws, to try to find a fair agreement between the parties. Several types of palabreros

Low rainfall and groundwater wells are determining ecological conditions their subsistence and settlement. Is primarily engaged in raising goats, which links the more people grazing. Also engaged in fishing in the entire coastal area, exploit and produce handicrafts Manaure out. The home garden is about an acre and is owned by a man, who assigns parts of the land to each child for maize, beans, cassava, squash, cucumber, melon and pin. Wage labor and smuggling make important part of their business.

Another source of livelihood has been the exploitation of salt in Manaure. This has been done by the Wayuu before the arrival of the Spanish.

A last line that has taken hold is the fishing