3 “Sale el tren de Santa Marta Ciénaga se ve dormida de Rio Frío hasta Aracataca donde mi abuelo cultiva Fundación ya está de fiesta viene el tren pidiendo vía las canciones vallenatas se oyen en la lejanía. … … … … … … … … … … … … Pá mi abuelo fue el progreso y eso lo tenía contento viviendo las malas horas lo llamó los buenos tiempos”. Carlos Vives, Los buenos tiempos In 1994, the seven departments of the Colombian Caribbean had a population of about 7.2 million, representing 21% of the country´s total. The region is at present the poorest in Colombia, with a per-capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of only 63.5% of the national average. The relative backwardness of the Colombian Caribbean is a twentieth century phenomenon. At the beginning of this century that was not the case. However, since then its economy has performed poorly. Unfortunately, we only have GDP statistics at the departmental level for the period 1950 to 1995. Thus, for the first fifty years of the century we do not have an adequate understanding of the evolution of Colombian regional incomes.