HISTORY OF THE PACIFIC REGION OF COLOMBIA - HISTORY - 2025

The history of the Pacific region begins when the Spanish conquerors first arrived in this area at the beginning of the 16th century.

The Pacific region of Colombia is one of the six that make up the country. There are four political departments in Colombia with a presence in the region: Chocó, Valle del Cauca, Cauca and Nariño.

The main cities are Buenaventura, San Andrés de Tumaco and Quibdó. Only one million of the forty-nine that live in Colombia live in this region bathed by the Pacific Ocean.

It is a largely unpopulated area, with a density of only five inhabitants per square kilometer, well below the 43 of the national average.

This is due to different factors: climatic conditions, demographic characteristics - 90% of the population is Afro-American-, scarcity of resources, unsanitary conditions in rural areas, etc.

The origins of the Pacific region

The Spanish conquerors first arrived in the Pacific region of Colombia in the early 16th century. Before even discovering the Pacific Ocean, they had already built the first European city on the continent.

In addition, in those first years of exploration they were aware of the importance of mining resources. Especially, they noticed the huge amounts of gold that could be extracted from the earth for later transformation through goldsmithing.

Goldsmithing had been one of the main activities of the natives. Once the region was converted into a Spanish colony, most of the other was exported to the metropolis.

September 25, 1513 is the date the Spaniards reached the coast and discovered the Pacific Ocean. At that moment, they decide to give it the name of Mar del Sur.

Slavery: the African-American roots of the region

The vast majority of the population - more than 90% - in the Pacific zone of Colombia is of African American descent. This is because the Spanish introduced slavery to this area.

Around the year 1520, the Spanish, together with the British, began the trade in African slaves from Congo, Angola, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Senegal or Mali.

These were introduced into Colombia for two purposes: to provide labor and to replace the dwindling indigenous population.

The growing presence of African Americans in the area meant the importation of customs and traditions from their places of origin.

Thus, food, music, religion and many other cultural manifestations moved from Africa to Colombia. This, despite the fact that the colonizers tried to separate members of the same families, tribes or populations.

When the War of Independence led by Simón Bolívar took place, African American slaves joined his army.

The liberator had promised them an end to slavery if they helped him drive out the colonizers.

Although the abolition of slavery was not complete and the white minority continued to have privileges, their general living conditions did improve.

The region today

The Pacific region of Colombia is today one of the poorest and most underdeveloped in the country.

Subject to severe climatic conditions - the level of rainfall is extremely high - and with most of the territory occupied by jungle and humid forests, the economy is weak.

The geographical proximity of Medellín and, above all, Cali, makes many locals migrate to the city in search of work.

For this reason, Cali is the large Colombian city with the highest proportion of African-American inhabitants.

Those who live in the region practice fishing, logging, gold and platinum mining, and agriculture and livestock.

References

1. The Colombian Pacific in Perspective. Journal of Latin American Anthropology (2002), at personalpages.manchester.ac.uk
2. Colombia on Encyclopaedia Britannica, at www.britannica.com
3. Miners & Maroons: Freedom on the Pacific Coast of Colombia and Ecuador on Cultural Survival, at www.culturalsurvival.org
4. A History of Violence and Exclusion: Afro-Colombians from Slavery to Displacement. Sascha Carolina Herrera. Georgetown University. (2012), at epository.library.georgetown.edu
5. Afro-Colombians: History and cultural relations on World Culture Encyclopedia, at www.everyculture.com