Colombia History

Picture by Martin St-Amant

The history of the continent goes back beyond its “discovery” claimed by the Italian sailor Christopher Columbus, while living in Spain. Millenarian tribes and very old civilizations spread throughout the American Continent proved the existence of developed groups populating big areas in what is known as Colombia in current times. Its Colombia History as a country starts back from the eighteen century when the Spanish rulers were ousted by the forces of Simon Bolivar, the Caracas born liberator of five nations. Almost two hundred years after these events Colombia has lived one of the oldest democratic political systems in the history of the Continent.

The year 2010 marked the 200th anniversary of the country´s liberation from the Spanish rulers dominating the country since 1492 when Columbus landed first in the small island of La Hispaniola currently known as the Dominican Republic.

Picture by Andrew Bertram

Colombia as a republic was part of a dreamt five nations joined to form La Gran Colombia in the times when Simon Bolivar, a wealthy educated general from Caracas, Venezuela decided that “enough was enough” and after a long period of struggle, failures and victories managed to beat the Spanish Forces in the Battle of Boyaca back in August the 7th 1823. Simon Bolivar´s victory made him the first Colombian President and his dream of governing the five nations he has liberated as one, was not be. In fact the other four Bolivia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru were never part of the Liberator’s project.

Colombia has enjoyed one of the oldest democratic systems in the Latin American Continent only interrupted in three occasions for very short periods of time. It had a Constitution lasting for most of its independent live until the year 1991 when a new chart was written providing a new face to the country´s Human Rights and Freedoms. Colombia History is controversial and full of political changes due mainly to a social instability as a result of the political and economical circumstances lived throughout the short period of independence and considering the vast number of governing groups leading the region since colonial times.

These social problems gave origin to the appearance of several illegal armies fighting the State in what is currently known as a guerrilla threat, adding to one other threat: drugs trafficking. Several regimes have had to deal with these resilient groups, but during the last 8 to 9 years the State´s forces have managed to corner one of the oldest and more powerful guerrilla groups in the continent: the FARC.

Colombia History will describe the country´s new face, if not fully freed from these groups, at least free to invite visitors and investors alike, providing new destinations and safe areas for anyone to walk free from fear.