Valledupar, Colombia

Valledupar is a city located in northeastern Colombia, and is the capital of the department of Cesar. The city was founded on January 6, 1550 by Hernando de Santana. It is an important agricultural center; however, it owes its high profile to being the cradle of vallenato music, played with accordion, a small drum (caja) and a scraping instrument (guacharaca), similar in role to the cajun washboard. Every year, at the end of April, the city celebrates a four-day festival to select the best accordion players and elect the accordion "king".