Two outcrop sections from the Maastrichtian Colón and Mito Juan Formations were analyzed for dinoflagellate cyst biostratigraphy. Samples from the Río Molino section (Cesar-Ranchería Basin, Colombia) represent a subset of samples from the 240 mthick hemipelagic limestones and calcareous mudstones reported in Martínez's (1989) foraminiferal study. The upper Campanian, lower Maastrichtian and uppermost Maastrichtian intervals were identified in this section based on some significant dinocyst biostratigraphic events, which are in agreement with planktonic foraminiferal data. In ascending stratigraphic order these events include the lowest occurrence (LO) of Areoligera spp., LO of Senegalinium spp., highest occurrence (HO) of Trichodinium castanea, HO of Xenascus ceratioides, LO of Cerodinium diebelii, LO of Trithyrodinium evittii, HO of Odontochitina operculata, LO of Phelodinium tricuspe, HO of Palaeohystrichophora infusorioides, LO of Glaphyrocysta perforata, LO of Disphaerogena carposphaeropsis and LO of Manumiella seelandica.