Santa Marta, Colombia's oldest city, is in a week-long celebration of the 500th anniversary of its founding which kicked off on July 29.

The city is hosting over 120 events including parades, academic panels, tasting tours and open-air concerts in the span of a week to celebrate the grand occasion.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro attended an event on the opening day of the celebrations, formally recognizing the seven tribes inhabiting the nearby Sierra Nevada Mountains such as the Kankuamo as indigenous peoples of the land.

The tribes were driven to the mountain range during colonization. Over half a millennium, the indigenous peoples, along with African, Spanish and Arab migrants that arrived later on, have shaped Santa Marta's unique history and culture.

"As a member of the Kankuamo people, we have been reviving this territory. We are rebuilding our traditional music, our dances and our own language," said Dalmer Romero, an indigenous leader of the Kankuamo.

At grand concerts, more than 100 artists showcased the charm of Santa Marta's culture with music and dance.

During the celebration period, Colombia declared the Caribbean traditional art of cumbia a national intangible cultural heritage.

Cumbia is a dance that blends local indigenous, African and Spanish cultures. It is usually accompanied by the play of instruments such as drums and flutes. Cumbia dances often feature female dancers wearing colorful skirts and doing spins, and male dancers holding their hats while dancing.