PERIODS IN THE HISTORY OF COLOMBIA (INDIGENOUS PERIOD - HISTORY - 2025

There are five periods in the history of Colombia: the indigenous period, the conquest, the colonial period, the independence and the republican period. These five stages comprise the entire history of the country, from the arrival of the first settlers around 20,000 years ago to the present.

The division made by the experts allows us to study all of Colombian history in a more methodical way. Each stage ends with some important event that marks a turning point, but without which it would not be possible to understand subsequent events. An example is the arrival of the Spaniards, which closes the indigenous period and begins that of the conquest.

After the years of conquest, the Spanish ruled the current Colombian lands for several centuries. The Napoleonic invasion of the Iberian Peninsula and the discontent of the Creoles caused the wars of independence, the success of which marked the beginning of a new stage.

Finally, the failure of the attempts to create a great nation in that area of ​​Latin America caused the last period, the Republican, to begin. This, which continues to the present, was marked in its beginnings by confrontations between liberals and conservatives, with bloody civil wars.

Indigenous period

The arrival of the first human beings to Colombian territory occurred about 20,000 years ago. One of the most accepted theories affirms that they came from North America and entered Colombia through the Caribbean coast and from the east. From those areas they began to move inland until they reached the Andes.

Evolution of the first peoples

The first human groups, nomadic in character, set foot in Colombia during the Paleoindian period. Evidence of its presence has been found in the Colombian Amazon, more specifically in the Sierra de Chiribiquete.

Likewise, human traces have also been found in the Bogotá savanna in the center of the country. Medellín and Cundinamarca are other regions where there is evidence of the presence of these first settlers.

Already in the Archaic period, these peoples began to adopt a sedentary lifestyle, although it was not yet widespread. Some groups began agricultural practices and the shores of rivers, lakes and seas were populated.

The sedentary lifestyle allowed some peoples to evolve socially and culturally. Among these, the Muiscas and the Taironas stood out, both from the Chibcha culture.

Muisca territory at the arrival of the Spanish (15th century) - Source: Milenioscuro under the Creative Commons Generic Attribution / Share-Equal 3.0 license

This first period in the history of Colombia lasted until 1500 AD. C., when the Spanish arrived in the area.

Conquest period

In 1492, Christopher Columbus reached American lands on behalf of the kings Isabel de Castilla and Fernando de Aragón. His first destination was the Caribbean islands. It would still be some time until the Spanish began their campaigns to conquer the continent.

Arrival of the Spanish in Colombia

The first Spanish ships arrived in Colombia in 1499. Somewhat later, in 1501, another expedition under the command of Rodrigo de Bastidas traveled the entire coast that separates La Guajira from Cartagena de Indias. However, the first settlement on the mainland was not founded until 1509: San Sebastián de Urabá.

Illustration by Rodrigo de Bastidas

That first settlement was abandoned shortly after. The population moved to the Gulf of Urabá, where the Spanish founded Santa María la Antigua del Darían, which would become the capital of the first Spanish government.

The Spanish conquest, which lasted for 50 years, meant that the indigenous people were dispossessed of their lands, in addition to a huge loss of life. Thus, Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada defeated the Chibchas and took control of their territory. This explorer founded Santa Fe de Bogotá and baptized the region as the New Kingdom of Granada.

However, in 1548, the Spanish crown created the Real Audiencia de Santafé de Bogotá as part of the territory of the Viceroyalty of Peru.

Colonial period

At the beginning of this period, the territory of what would later become Colombia was made up of the governments of Cartagena and Santa Marta, within the Royal Audience of Santo Domingo, and that of Popayán, under the control of the Viceroyalty of Peru.

That year, the Real Audiencia de Santafé de Bogotá assumed the jurisdiction of those governorates and began to expand its territory with the annexation of other provinces.

Meanwhile, the sale of land by the Spanish crown to the rulers and conquerors led to the creation of huge estates. The mines also passed into private hands and to alleviate the lack of labor, slaves began to arrive from Africa. In addition, the number of settlers arriving from Spain also increased.

Viceroyalty of New Granada

Source: jluisrs, from Wikimedia Commons

The difficulty of governing a territory as large as that of the Viceroyalty of Peru was one of the causes that led Felipe V to create, in 1717, the Viceroyalty of New Granada. This included the Audiences of Santafé, Panama and Quito, as well as the provinces of Venezuela.

This viceroyalty was dissolved and re-formed on several occasions. Its capital was the city of Santa Fe, although important decisions were still being made in Spain.

Period of independence

The ideas of the Enlightenment reached American soil in the late 18th century. In 1793 Antonio Nariño translated The Rights of Man and the Citizen, in the midst of the growing discontent of the Creoles.

The Napoleonic invasion of Spain and the forced abdication of King Ferdinand VII led to the emergence of independence movements throughout Latin America. In Bogotá there was a revolt in 1810.

This insurrection would end up being the seed of a short-lived period of independence, called the Patria Boba, which lasted until 1816. However, numerous internal conflicts broke out between supporters of federalism and those of centralism, a constant in Colombian history.

The war between centralists and federalists ended in December 1814, when Simón Bolívar's army took control of Santafé de Bogotá and Cundinamarca.

Despite the creation of a federation, the reaction of the Spaniards ended the first independent experience of the Colombian territory.

The independence

Act of Independence of Colombia (1810)

Bolívar continued fighting to achieve the independence of the colonial territories. After defeating the Spanish in the Battle of Boyacá in 1819, he had a free way to conquer Santa Fe.

The Liberator entered the capital on August 10, 1819. Nine days later, he proclaimed independence. With this, the territory that had been part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada became the Republic of Gran Colombia, federal in nature.

Republican period

The last period in the history of Colombia spans from 1819 to the present. Its beginning corresponds to the proclamation of the country as a Republic.

This period, however, has several stages with very different characteristics, many of them marked by civil wars.

Republic of Greater Colombia

The bases for the creation of Gran Colombia were promulgated in the Congress of Angostura, held on February 15, 1519. However, its real foundation did not arrive until December of that year.

The initial territory of Gran Colombia included the departments of Quito, Venezuela and the old New Granada. At that time, its creation was the first step in Bolívar's project to create a single country made up of the former colonial territories.

The first president of Gran Colombia was Bolívar himself. However, he soon launched a new military campaign and left Francisco de Paula Santander in his place.

Simon Bolivar

The internal clashes forced Bolívar to return. To try to solve the problems, he established a dictatorship, which even worsened the situation. Finally, Greater Colombia was divided into three nations: Venezuela, Ecuador, and New Granada.

Republic of New Granada

After the separation of Venezuela and Ecuador, on November 17, 1831 a new constitution was promulgated by which the Republic of Granada was created. At that time, its territory was the same as that of the old viceroyalty in 1810.

During this period, the two parties that would mark the rest of the country's history appeared: the liberal and the conservative.

United States of Colombia

From then on, Colombia suffered frequent clashes between supporters of its two main political parties.

After ending one of these civil wars, in 1863, the country changed its name again. The victory of the federalist liberals led to a constitutional change and the adoption of the name United States of Colombia. The Constitution of Río Negro also included freedom of business, education and worship.

The federal organization did not work too well either, as the states increasingly sought more powers. In addition, the economy went into crisis. This provoked the reaction of the Conservatives, who, in 1886, eliminated federalism and returned the Catholic religion to its official character.

Republic of Colombia

The new centralized state returned to the territorial organization based on departments. Political and administrative centralization was almost total and the provinces were subject to Bogotá.

Letter IX of the Geographical and Historical Atlas of the Republic of Colombia, 1890 - Source: Agustín Codazzi

As on other occasions, this change did not bring stability to the country. A new war, that of the Thousand Days, began at the beginning of the 20th century. The Liberals took victory, but the country was devastated by the years of conflict. In addition, Panama, until then a Colombian department, took the opportunity to declare its independence with US support.

Shortly after, General Rafael Reyes (conservative) assumed the presidency. At first, his measures were progressive in nature and included liberals in his government, but later he began to fall into authoritarianism.

After the forced abandonment of Reyes, the conservatives enjoyed a stage of political hegemony that lasted until 1930 and was characterized by a great repression against liberal supporters.

The return of the Liberals to government in 1930 was not easy. Apart from having to face a war with Peru, the party suffered numerous internal confrontations. Some of its members were committed to carrying out profound reforms in the country, while others were more moderate.

The violence

The most popular figure among liberals was Jorge Eliécer Gaitán. However, other sectors of the party preferred to present their own candidates to the elections, which caused the victory to go to the conservative Ospina Pérez.

Jorge eliecer gaitan. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Despite that, Gaitán's popular leadership was unquestionable and no one doubted that he would become president. Only his murder, committed on April 9, 1948, cut short his political career. The people took to the streets to protest violently, in a revolt known as the Bogotazo.

The political instability that followed this revolt reached the whole country and caused the beginning of the period known as the Violence. The bipartisan struggle once again plagued the country. Not even the attempt of a coalition government could stop the fighting. Finally, a coup led by Rojas Pinilla in 1953 put an end to this stage.

Rojas Pinilla's government was characterized by strong repression of any opponent. Likewise, it eliminated freedom of the press and expression.

The two main parties united to end his regime. The support of the army was essential for their success.

National Front

After the previous experience, conservatives and liberals reached an unprecedented agreement in Colombian history. Through the so-called National Front, the two parties agreed to alternate in power every four years, as well as to distribute the most important positions.

The National Front functioned normally until 1970, when Rojas Pinillas, who had returned to politics, lost the elections to the conservative Misael Pastrana amid allegations of fraud. One of the consequences was the appearance of armed groups such as the FARC or the April 19 Movement.

Conservative Party flag - Source: Carlos Arturo Acosta under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.

Late 20th and 21st centuries

The following decades were marked by the government's confrontations with these armed groups, which were joined by the Army of National Liberation.

The violence worsened with the appearance of paramilitary groups that fought the guerrillas, not forgetting the growing power of the drug cartels. Attacks, human rights violations and kidnappings were common for more than 30 years.

In the 90s, the M-19 gave up its arms and decided to participate in political life. The following year, President César Gaviria pushed for the promulgation of a new constitution.

Despite the incorporation of the M-19 into the party system, the FARC continued to operate in much of the country. The government response ranged from President Andrés Pastrana's attempted dialogue to President Álvaro Uribe Vélez's military response.

Finally, in 2017, the government of Juan Manuel Santos and the FARC signed an agreement that put an end to the group's armed activity.

References

1. Geographical Society of Colombia. Historical process of the Colombian state. Obtained from sogeocol.edu.co
2. Moreno Montalvo, Gustavo. Brief history of Colombia. Obtained from larepublica.co
3. Coyne, Shannon. Colombian Colonial Period. Retrieved from libguides.cng.edu
4. Clemente Garavito, Harvey F. Kline, James J. Parsons, William Paul McGreevey, Robert Louis Gilmore. Colombia. Retrieved from britannica.com
5. Ideal Education Group. Colonization of Colombia. Obtained from donquijote.org
6. Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress. The period of reconciliation. Recovered from motherearthtravel.com
7. World Peace Foundation. Colombia: The Violence. Retrieved from sites.tufts.edu