In this article we highlight the leading role that a "costeño" intellectual had between 1940 and 1950 in the formation of a regional identity based on folklorization of local artistic expressions (music and dance), and his attempt to articulate a national identity in Colombia. Based on the few writings of this intellectual we intend to show that the construction of a regional identity experienced tensions and negotiations, given the cultural affinities of the author and, above all, the need of the liberal governments and the Colombian state to construct a broader idea of nation.