Chivas are adapted to rural public transport, especially considering the mountainous geography of the Andean region of these countries.

In the book 'Memories of my land' (Memorias de mi tierra), Colombian writer Alirio Diaz tells about the first vehicles ever to arrive in Antioquia through the Las Palmas Road.

The most reliable account is found in the book 'Notes for the History of San Vicente' (Apuntes para la Historia de San Vicente) where Colombian author Ricardo Zuluaga Gil narrates the arrival of the first chiva: There was an event that altered the heyday of Saint Vicentians:The arrival to the town in 1922 of the first engine powered automobile.

However, the aesthetic interpretation given through the years to this buses became the most cultural trademark of rural Colombia in the early 20th century.

This aesthetic approach to a tool that became of utmost importance to the peasants developed naturally and some of them have as of today evolved into actual pieces of art.

[2] Chivas are recognized nationally and internationally as a symbol of Colombian culture, in particular of rural Colombia.

Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, and Cameron Diaz arrived in a Chiva for the New York premiere of Charlie's Angels.