Muelas was born on July 9, 1938, in Silvia, Cauca, Colombia.[3] His sister is translator and academic Bárbara Muelas.[4] Muelas was elected to the Constituent Assembly of Colombia in 1991 and was a co-founder of the Consejo Regional Indígena del Cauca organization. He also co-founded the Indigenous Authorities of Colombia (AICO) political party.[5] According to a report by The New York Times, Muelas "escaped three assassination attempts since he left a local landowner's debt peonage system 35 years ago".[6]
In 1994, Muelas was elected to the Senate of Colombia with 270,000 votes in his favor, and served in the body until 1998.[7] In 2006, Muelas was elected Governor of Guambia, the highest position in his community.[8] Muelas is the author of La fuerza de la gente: juntado recuerdos sobre la terrajería en Guambía, Colombia, which chronicled his experience as an indigenous activist.[9] In a 2007 interview with Indian Country Today, Muelas criticized the United States over the Plan Colombia doctrine.[10]
