Bogotá: History

Pre-20th-Century History

Long before the Spanish conquest, the Sabana de Bogotá, a fertile highland basin which today has been almost entirely overtaken by the city, was inhabited by one of the most advanced pre-Columbian Indian groups, the Muisca. The Spanish era began when Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada and his expedition arrived at the Sabana, founding the town on August 6, 1538 near the Muisca capital, Bacatá.

The town was named Santa Fe de Bogotá, a combination of the traditional name and Quesada's hometown in Spain, Santa Fe. Nonetheless, the town was simply referred to as Santa Fe throughout the colonial period.

At the time of its foundation, Santa Fe consisted of 12 huts and a chapel where a mass was held to celebrate the town's birth. The Muisca religious sites were destroyed and replaced by churches.

During the early years, Santa Fe was governed from Santo Domingo (on the island of Hispaniola, the present-day Dominican Republic). In 1550, however, it fell under the rule of Lima, the capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru and the seat of Spain's power for the conquered territories of South America. In 1717, Santa Fe was made the capital of the Virreynato de la Nueva Granada, the newly created viceroyalty comprising the territories of present-day Colombia, Panama, Venezuela and Ecuador.

Despite its political importance, development was hindered by earthquakes, and the smallpox and typhoid epidemics that plagued the region throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. After independence, the Congress of Cúcuta shortened the town's name to Bogotá and decreed it the capital of Gran Colombia. The town developed steadily and by the middle of the 19th century it had 30,000 inhabitants and 30 churches. In 1884, the first tramway opened and, soon after, railway lines were constructed to La Dorada and Girardot, giving Bogotá access to the ports on the Magdalena River.

Modern History

Rapid progress came in the 1940s with industrialization and subsequent peasant migration from the countryside. On 9 April 1948, the popular leader Jorge Eliécer Gaitán was assassinated, sparking the uprising known as El Bogotazo. The city was partially destroyed; 136 buildings were burnt to the ground and 2500 people died. Peace in Bogotá was again disturbed on November 6, 1985 when guerrillas of the M-19 Revolutionary Movement invaded the Palace of Justice - more than 300 civilians were taken hostage in the building. By the next day, 115 people were dead, including 11 supreme court justices.

The '80s and '90s were volatile for Bogotá. Although the big drug cartels were based in Medellín and Cali, many of the kidnappings and assassinations that marked their reign happened in the capital.

In recent decades, the city has continued to expand as the industrial, commercial and business center of the country.

Recent History

On top of repelling anti-government insurgents and negotiating drug wars and trade, Bogotá is making significant progress in managing its massive population. Despite its troubles, steps have been made to keep the city green. Citizens have embraced an annual 'Car-Free Day Thursday' each year since 2000 - the whole urban area is restricted to cyclists, pedestrians, rollerbladers and users of public transport. Improved security, infrastructure projects (such as the TransMilenio mass transit system) and a citywide clean-up campaign have all helped to bring a new face to the once-beleaguered metropolis.

What's more, Bogotá is developing a reputation in Latin America as a city of culture. It hosts the region's most prestigious celebration of theater, the biennial Iberoamerican Theater Festival, and, in 2007, was named Unesco's Book Capital of the World.

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