Arhuaco boys are taught the traditional ways of working the land from a very early age. There are around 24.000 Arhuacos in the Sierra Nevada, distributed in 35 communities. Their productive and economic system is based in subsistance agriculture. They sell coffee produced with organic methods to contribute to the domestic economy of the community. Since 1980 the lands of the Arhuaco have become the battleground between growers of illicit crops and the Colombian government.