The territory of the Guayupe before the Spanish conquest stretched from the rivers Upía and Guayabero to the peaks of the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes.

This nation fights with bow and arrow and spears and shields made of tapir skin, and they throw gins.

As they knew later, it were belongings of an expedition led by Alonso de Herrera, who likely came up the Guaviare river with boats.

"[7] The Guayupe are a tribe of farmers living in the tropical mountain forests of the Eastern Ranges and the Llanos of Meta, Colombia.

In pre-Columbian times they constructed pallisades around their villages consisting of houses around a central square with a ceremonial building in the middle.

[8] Because of the sophisticated defence works including palisades, thorn bushes and well-camouflaged pitfalls, the Spanish soldiers in Hohermuth's army nicknamed one of those well fortified villages "Little Salses",[9] referring to the Catalan Fort de Salses, an innovative type of fortress at this time.

The cacique was regarded as an important person who lived by strict norms in the ceremonial activities; births, marriages and burials.

When a cacique of the Guayupe died, the body was cremated and his successor had to drink his ash mixed with chicha.