Colombia History, Language and Culture

Long before the arrival of Europeans, the territory of modern Colombia was home to numerous Indigenous societies, including the Muisca of the Andean highlands and the Tairona of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. The Muisca developed sophisticated agriculture, trade and gold-working traditions, while ceremonies involving offerings of gold at sacred lakes helped inspire the European legend of El Dorado. Spanish explorers reached the Caribbean coast in the early 16th century, establishing Cartagena in 1533 and Bogotá in 1538.

Under Spanish rule, Colombia formed part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada, which eventually encompassed much of present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama. Independence movements gathered strength in the early 19th century, and Simón Bolívar's victory over Spanish forces at the Battle of Boyacá in 1819 proved decisive. Colombia initially became part of Gran Colombia alongside Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama, but the federation broke apart in 1830.

The 19th century was marked by rivalry between Liberal and Conservative factions and repeated civil conflicts, culminating in the devastating War of a Thousand Days from 1899 to 1902. Panama separated from Colombia in 1903 with support from the United States, which subsequently built the Panama Canal. Political tensions continued into the 20th century, and the assassination of Liberal politician Jorge Eliécer Gaitán in Bogotá in 1948 triggered the Bogotazo riots and a decade of partisan violence known as La Violencia.

From the 1960s, Colombia became embroiled in a prolonged armed conflict involving left-wing guerrilla organisations, government forces, right-wing paramilitary groups and, later, powerful drug-trafficking organisations. The Medellín and Cali cartels became internationally notorious during the 1980s and 1990s, while guerrilla groups including the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) controlled significant areas of the countryside. A new constitution adopted in 1991 expanded political and civil rights, and security improved considerably in many parts of the country during the following decades.

In 2016, the Colombian government and FARC signed a historic peace agreement intended to end more than five decades of armed conflict. FARC subsequently disarmed and entered electoral politics, although other armed groups and criminal organisations have continued to operate in some regions. Modern Colombia has become increasingly urbanised and internationally connected, with Bogotá, Medellín, Cartagena and other cities developing into major centres of business, culture and tourism, while the legacy of decades of conflict continues to shape national life.

Did You Know?

• The legend of El Dorado originated partly from Muisca ceremonies in which gold and other offerings were placed in sacred lakes.
• Simón Bolívar's victory at the Battle of Boyacá in 1819 was a decisive moment in Colombia's struggle for independence from Spain.
• Colombia's 2016 peace agreement with FARC brought an end to more than five decades of conflict between the government and the country's largest guerrilla organisation.