[ APH ] Colombia OC

Prior to the Spanish conquest, Colombia was inhabited by Chibcha(Tairona and Muisca), sub-Andean,Caribbean peoples, and Quimbaya  all of whom lived in organized, agriculturally based communities. Barely any of the Incan Empire stretched to Colombia and Colombia is mainly known for El Dorado, a Muisca tribal chief who covered himself in gold dust for a ritual held in Lake Guatavita near present-day Bogota, Colombia. The rumors of this man and his vast empire spread to Spain and was what began the Spanish Conquest in Colombia.

Representation Muisca, often called Dorado, was a man of great wealth who enjoyed metalworking and agriculture. He was located only in present day Colombia and had very few contact with other empire of his time although he had heard of them. He and his sister( Tairona) traveled down from Central America and eventually settled in Colombia. The Muiscan people were organized in a confederation that was a loose union of states that each retained sovereignty so it was not a kingdom nor empire and was one of the biggest and best organized confederation tribes in South America. Dorado was a very happy man whom enjoyed structure and wrestling as well as a game called tejo . He was constantly at war with his neighbors the Sutagos, the Fusagasugaes and, especially, the Panches. He slowly disappeared when the Spanish killed off his people. Colombia knew Muisca for the first beginnings of her life and knew as well Tairona, Muisca's sister. He taught her all he knew and most of the things he had taught her she remembered till independence ( Like tejo, for example). She considers him her father figure. He encountered the Spanish Empire 1537.

 RepresentationTairona fished and produced salt, which they traded for cotton cloth and blankets with their counterparts in the highlands. They lived in numerous, well-organized towns connected by stone roads.Ethnographic sources highlight freedom to divorce and acceptance of homosexuality, that differed significantly from their Catholica conquerors. The Tairona religion, and to some extent modern Kogui religion, separate much of the domestic life between genders. The descriptions of Tairona homosexuality are probably an attempt by the Catholic establishment to abolish the Tairona male meeting house. She was a very open minded woman whom enjoyed arts and crafts that had to do with gold. However, she was very agressive and bellicose as was her people's society. Colombia often saw her and considered her her mother figure although she was the sister of Muisca.. She reached her height in 200BC

Representation The Quimbaya was a social Indian culture that lived in Colombia. The Quimbaya were famous by their pieces of gold that were found in all the territory near at the pacific ocean. The most recognized masterpiece of the Quimbaya is the Poporo. Actually, it represents this great culture.They lived in a temperate climax that helped to them to cultivate corn, yucca, avocado, guava and other exotic fruits. Also they were good fishing and they were good like beekeepers; they could survive with only honey. Some myths said that they practiced the anthropophagy in which consist in the Quimbaya killed their enemies in parties and celebrations; also said that they put the heads in spears to intimidate their enemies and the Spanish men. Quimbaya was a fairly level headed man whom was not afraid of blood; in fact, he was quite ruthless. Colombia knew him, met him and calls him uncle. It's not clear when he was born/became and it's not clear how or when he dissolved. He was conquered in 1539.

Conquistadors explored and began to settle the coastal areas in Colombia.

Alonso de Ojeda rounded the coast of the Guajira Peninsula in 1499 and Rodrigo de Bastidas in 1500. Ojeda founded Santa Maria la Antigua (Present day Acandi) and Bastidas establish Santa Marta in 1525. Pedro de Heredia in 1533 organized Cartagena. These were all just coastal cities established. In 1536 Jimenes de Quesada set out to find a path to Peru. He encountered the Muisca in his journey and in 1538 founded the city of Santa Fe de Bogota. Federmann explored the eastern plains and arrived in Bogota in 1539. Belalcazar established the cities of Popayan and Santiago de Cali (Present day Cali) and in 1539 Belalcazar arrived in Bogota as well where the three conquistadors negotiated the division of the newly explored territory.

  Colonial Colombia was split between classes. Those of spanish descent were at the top and , in decreasing order, it went Criollos (People of Spanish descent born in the colony), mestizos ( Mixed Spanish and Indian descent) and Zambos (Mixed African and Indian descent). Spain monopolized trade with the colonies and only allowed trade between Veracruz (A city in Present Day Mexico), Nombre de Dios (A city in Present Day Panama) and Cartagena (A city in Present Day Colombia) which were Spain's three richest ports and colonies. However, direct trade between these colonies was prohibited and thus no colony was economically independent. Because Slavery was allowed, many indigenous people was enslaved. Because of diseases and poor working conditions many perished and Spain shipped African Slaves to the Americas. In 1700, which the ascension of the Bourbons to the Spanish throne, a more direct control of the Spanish colonies, reducing the power of the Supreme Council of the Indies and abolishing the House of Trade. In 1717 Phillip V established the viceroyalty of Nueva Granada (Present Day Venezuela, Colombia, Panama and Ecuador) and in 1739 Bogota became its capital. Later, Charles III allowed the colonies to trade between Peru, Nueva Granada, New Spain and Guatemala. When Charles III was at war with Britain, he raised the taxes to fund the war and this stimulated a revolt among rebels.

 In the late 1700s, the enlightenment, French Revolution and the American revolution served as an influence for the struggled of independence and, after the Comunero Revolt, the upper and middle Nueva Granada class criollos wanted to control their own destiny. A third major event of the late colonial period that may have led to the struggle for independence was the Napoleonic invasion of the early 1800s. In 1807 Napoleon Bonaparte made his brother Joseph the king of Spain, forcing Charles IV to abdicate and his son Ferdinand VII to renounce the throne. In exile, Ferdinand VII organized royalist supporters under the Central Council Junta Central) of Seville, later called the Council of the Regency (Consejo de Regencia). This council constituted a provisional government for Spain and the colonies.

Gran Colombia (1819 - 1831)

Bolívar attempted to united Ecuador with Colombia and Venezuela to create Gran Colombia. This was the territory of the Spanish Vice Royalty of Nueva Granada. His vision was a united South America similar to the United States governed as a constitutional republic. Greater Colombia declared independence (1819). Fighting was still going on in the south where Royalists were stronger (Peru). Gran Colombia after a decade dissolved (1830). Parochial interests proved too powerful and Ecuador seceded from Gran Colombia (1830). Venezuela soon seceded as well. Ecuador managed to obtain control over the Galapagos Islands (1832).The Thousand Day War (1899-1902) (Spanish: Guerra de los Mil Di­as), was a civil armed conflict in the newly created Republic of Colombia, including Panama, between the Conservative Party, the Liberal Party and its radical factions. In 1899 the ruling conservatives were accused of maintaining power through fraudulent elections. The situation was worsened by an economic crisis caused by falling coffee prices in the international market. This mainly affected the opposition  Liberal Party which had lost power.

Nueva Granada / Panama and Colombia (1832-1903)

With the dissolution of Gran Colombia, Colombia and Panama became the Republic of New Granada. Even within the much-reduced borders,  Gran Colombia was wracked with severe political and economic rivalries. The result was prolonged domestic instability  which flared up into intermittent civil wars and authoritarian dictatorships. Colombians attempted to resolve the deep-seated regional  differences  and conflicts. A new Constitution was approved (1863). It turned the country into a federation of nine states and renamed the country the United States of Colombia. Regional conflicts continued. A new approach was taken in another Constitution (1886). It abolished the Federation and divided Colombia into departments with a degree of local autonomy. The dynamic of regional and social conflict continued into the 20th century. Panama, backed by the United States, withdrew from Colombia and declared its independence (1903).


WW1 (1914-1918)

When the Colombian Senate dithered on a Canal Treaty with the United States, President Roosevelt used the U.S. Navy to prevent Colombia from suppressing a revolt in Panama (1903). The new Panamanian Government signed the treaty President Roosevelt wanted and America proceeded to build the Canal. The whole affair soured Colombian relations with the United States, generating a great deal of anti-American feeling. Colombia was strictly neutral throughout WW1. The American declaration of War on Germany only confirmed Colombian neutrality. Colombian diplomacy continued to be largely determined by the anti-American orientation resulting from the Canal 
affair.

WW2 (1939-1945)

At the outbreak of World War II, Colombia's Scadta Airline was controlled by the Germans. All of its pilots were Germans. It flew routes that were uncomfortably close to the Panama Canal. And it had modern photographic survey facilities. The American Panair airlines had a small interest. The State Department pressed Panair and the Colombian Government on this. As a result Panair took control. Also, during WW2, Colombia offered navy transportation of British troops to the Islands of San Andres.

Cold War: Korean War (1950-1953)

Colombia was the only Latin American country participating with the United Nations Forces in Korea. A frigate, the ARC Almirante Padilla and an infantry battalion with 1080 men was sent to join the UN Forces in August 1951. The presence of the Colombian ground forces had been awarded for their exemplary performance in previous fighting and combat, Operations Nomad, Thunderbolt, Climber (Hill 400) and Barbula (Hill 180) with Presidential United Citations from the United States and South Korea. They sent combat troops and was most famously known for the Battle of Old Baldy. 

La Violencia (1948-1958)

Colombia since the end of World War II has been racked by "La Violencia" (The Violence). It has been a prolonged era of civil conflict which began as struggle between Colombia's two main political parties--the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party. The conflict began in 1948 with the assassination of Jorge Elicer Gait ¡n. Large scale riots broke out in the capital, Bogota, and lesser disturbances in other cities. The resulting partisan conflict caused the deaths of 0.2-0.3 million Colombians over the following decade. Elements of the Liberal Party and the Communist Party organized "self-defense" militia groups. Elements in the Conservative party did the same. Hit squads targeted leaders and their supporters. Conservative groups in particular targeted labor leaders. The different militias fought with the Colombian army and with each other with civilians often caught in between. General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla became president and declared an amnesty (1953). Many of the guerillas and militias accepted the amnesty. Some did not and the violence continued at a lower level. Rojas fell from power (1958). Civilian rule was finally restored (1958). Moderate Conservatives and Liberals, with the support of part of the military supported a bipartisan coalition--the National Front. The compromise reached was a system of where presidents alternated and the two parties shared cabinet posts and important public offices.Â