History of Colombia

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "History of Colombia" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Part of a series on the
Culture of Colombia
Society
Colombians Folklore History Immigration Languages Holidays Religion
Topics
Art Architecture Cinema Cuisine Dance Festivals Handicrafts Literature Media Cinema Newspapers Radio Television Monuments Music Painting Sports Theater Video gaming
Symbols
Flag Coat of arms Anthem Miss Colombia World Heritage Sites
Colombia portal
v t e

The history of Colombia includes its settlement by indigenous peoples and the establishment of agrarian societies, notably the Muisca Confederation, Quimbaya Civilization, and Tairona Chiefdoms. The Spanish arrived in 1499 and initiated a period of annexation and colonization, ultimately creating the Viceroyalty of New Granada, with its capital at Bogotá. Independence from Spain was won in 1819, but by 1830 the resulting "Gran Colombia" Federation was dissolved. What is now Colombia and Panama emerged as the Republic of New Granada. The new nation experimented with federalism as the Granadine Confederation (1858) and then the United States of Colombia (1863) before the Republic of Colombia was finally declared in 1886. A period of constant political violence ensued, and Panama seceded in 1903. Since the 1960s, the country has suffered from an asymmetric low-intensity armed conflict which escalated in the 1990s but decreased from 2005 onward. The legacy of Colombia's history has resulted in a rich cultural heritage, and Colombia's geographic and climatic variations have contributed to the development of strong regional identities.