 Motilon warriors harassed the troops of Simón Bolívar in the 19th century as he led them over the Orinoco plains and the Andes Mountains.In the 20th century, oil was discovered in Motilon territory, and as oil companies moved in, their land has been subjected to oil drilling from 1913–1926 and from 1996–2001.The first peaceful contact that was made with the Bari was by Roberto Lizarralde in 1960.