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Pre-Columbian Era
During the pre-Columbian period, the area now known as Colombia was inhabited by Indians, mostly primitive hunters or nomadic farmers. The Chibchas, who lived in the Bogota region, attained the highest level of civilization among the various Indian groups.
Spanish colonization
Spaniards sailed along the north coast of Colombia as early as 1500, but the first permanent settlement, at Santa Marta, was not established until 1525. In 1549, the area was established as a Spanish colony with the capital at Bogota. In 1717, Bogota became the capital of the viceroyalty of New Granada, which included the present Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama. The city became one of the principal administrative centers of the Spaniards in the New World, along with Lima and Mexico City. On July 20, 1810, the citizens of Bogota created the first representative council to defy Spanish authority. Total independence was proclaimed in 1813, and in 1819 the Republic of Greater Colombia was formed.
Formation of the Republic of Greater Colombia
The Republic of Greater Colombia, after the defeat of the Spanish Army, included all the territories of the former viceroyalty. Simon Bolivar was elected first president and Francisco de Paula Santander vice president. In 1822, the United States became one of the first countries to recognize the new republic and to establish a resident diplomatic mission. Ecuador and Venezuela withdrew from the republic in 1830 and became independent states. Panama remained part of Colombia until 1903. Since then, two political parties that grew out of conflicts between the followers of Bolivar and Santander-the Conservatives and the Liberals-have dominated Colombian politics. Bolivar's supporters, who later formed the nucleus of the Conservative Party, advocated a strong centralized government, a close alliance between the government and the Roman Catholic Church, and a limited franchise. Santander's followers, forerunners of the Liberals, wanted a decentralized government, state rather than church control over education and other civil matters, and a broadened suffrage.
Violent Conflicts
Colombia, unlike many Latin American countries, established early a solid tradition of civilian government and regular free elections. Notwithstanding the country's commitment to democratic institutions, Colombia's history has been characterized by periods of widespread violent conflict. Two particularly tragic civil wars resulted from bitter rivalry between the Conservative and Liberal Parties. The War of a Thousand Days (1899-1902) cost an estimated 100,000 lives. During La Violencia (the violence) of the 1940s and 1950s, 200,000-300,000 people were killed.
