Bogota – History

The area that is today Bogotá was originally populated by indigenous people and included the southernmost population of Chibcha-speaking tribes referred to as the Muisca. The area was first discovered by Europeans in the 1500s by the Spanish conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada during his quest to find the legendary El Dorado. Stumbling upon the area, the conquistadors would begin a battle that would last several months, first taking half of the Musica kingdom before finally defeating the Muisca chief Bogotá, whose namesake would one day be the country’s capital city.

Located in a region referred to by the Spanish as New Granada, Bogotá rose to become a key city during the Colonial era. In 1550, the city would become “Real Audiencia” meaning that it was an official outpost of the Spanish Empire. It was later named a Viceroyalty in 1717 which meant the city was an official authority of the Spanish King and put it on par with Mexico and Peru.

Bogotá patriots would declare their independence in 1810 with a protest against the Viceroy. The date (July 20th) would become Colombia’s Independence Day. Fighting would continue for nearly five years before the Spanish were able to retake Bogotá and a new Viceroy was named. This period saw the execution of many suspected patriots through to the Battle of Boyacá in 1819 which saw the liberation of the city. Following this liberation, the “Republic of Colombia” was launched. This saw the movement of the capital city several times, ultimately awarding that honor to Bogotá. The Republic of Colombia soon ended, whereby Bogotá was named the capital of the Republic of New Granada.

From 1899 to 1902, Colombia entered its “Thousand Days’ War”. Although the city of Bogotá remained largely unscathed, Colombia as a whole suffered greatly. In 1948, one of Colombia’s presidential candidates was murdered. This event would set off major riots which saw many of the city’s buildings, schools and churches burned down or destroyed. The riots left 3,000 people dead and opened the door to “La Violencia” – a ten-year period of extreme political violence The 1970s and 1980s saw the rise of violence by both revolutionaries and drug traffickers, which led to the country’s reputation as a dangerous destination into the 1990s.

Visitors to Colombia will notice that although the country has had a tumultuous history, modern-day Bogotá is much safer and tourist friendly. While much of the violence has ended, the city still bares many of the scars from its past periods of conflict. The Bogotá of today is a thriving city and the third largest in South America. The city caters to tourists of all types, with luxury  shopping, fine dining, cultural tourism and more the center Bogotá’s offerings.

 

 

Historical Locations

La Candelaria

Address: Candelaria, Bogota, Colombia
Phone: N/A
Operating Hours:
– Open 24 hours
Admission Cost:
– FREE
Website

 

 

La Casa del Florero

Address: Carrera 7 #11-28 – Bogotá D.C., Colombia
Phone: +57(1) 3424100
Operating Hours:
Monday closed
Tuesday 9:00am – 5:00pm
Wednesday 9:00am – 5:00pm
Thursday 9:00am – 5:00pm
Friday 9:00am – 5:00pm
Saturday 9:00am – 5:00pmSunday 9:00am – 5:00pm
Holiday closed
Admission Cost:
Adult COP $3.000
Student COP $2.000
Website

 

 

Plaza de Bolivar

Address: Cra. 7 # 11-10, Bogotá, Colombia
Phone: N/A
Operating Hours:
24 hours Every day
Admission Cost:
FREE
Website