Situated in the North-West of South America, Columbia provides a home for a great variety of ecosystems inhabited by several unique animal and plant species. The wealth of raw materials to be found in this land attracted a great many European settlers at the time of colonization. Driven by their desire for precious materials, the Conquistadores ravaged Colombian land and massacred the natives. The inhabitants of the Llanos grasslands, called Llaneros, are the heirs of a secular pastoral tradition. They are of extraordinarily mixed blood, born from a fusion of pre-Columbian ethnic groups, Spanish settlers and African slaves; the men of Llano manage to survive, amidst numerous difficulties, on breeding livestock and agriculture, and maintaining their strong bond with nature.