The area of modern Bogotá was first populated by groups of indigenous people who migrated south based on the relation with the other
Chibcha languages; the Bogotá savanna was the southernmost Chibcha-speaking group that exists from Nicaragua to the Andes in Colombia. The civilization built by the
Muisca, who settled in the valleys and fertile highlands of and surrounding the
Altiplano Cundiboyacense (modern-day
departments of
Cundinamarca and
Boyacá and small parts of
Santander), was one of the great civilizations in the Americas. The name
Muisca Confederation has been given to a loose egalitarian society of various chiefs (
caciques) who lived in small settlements of maximum 100
bohíos. The
agriculture and
salt-based society of the people was rich in goldworking,
trade and
mummification. The
religion of the Muisca consisted of various gods, mostly related to natural phenomena as the Sun (
Sué) and his wife, the Moon;
Chía, rain
Chibchacum, rainbow
Cuchavira and with building and feasting (
Nencatacoa) and wisdom (
Bochica). Their complex
luni-solar calendar, deciphered by
Manuel Izquierdo based on work by
Duquesne, followed three different sets of years, where the
sidereal and
synodic months were represented. Their
astronomical knowledge is represented in one of the few extant landmarks of the
architecture of the Muisca in
El Infiernito outside
Villa de Leyva to the north of Bogotá.
Pre-Columbian era The first populations inhabiting the present-day
Metropolitan Area of Bogotá were
hunter-gatherers in the late
Pleistocene. Dating to around 12,500
BP, the oldest evidence of human activity was discovered in
El Abra, north of
Zipaquirá. Other excavations in a rock shelter southwest of the city in
Soacha provided ages of ~11,000 BP;
Tequendama. Since roughly 0 AD, the local Muisca people domesticated
guinea pigs as a source of dietary meat. The people inhabiting the
Bogotá savanna in the late 15th century were the
Muisca, speaking
Muysccubun, a member of the
Chibcha language family. Muisca means "people" or "person", making "Muisca people", how they are called, a
tautology. At the arrival of the
Spanish conquistadores, the Muisca population was estimated to be half a million indigenous people on the Bogotá savanna, and up to two million in the
Muisca Confederation. They occupied the highland and mild climate flanks between the
Sumapaz Mountains to the southwest and
Cocuy's snowy peak to the northeast, covering an approximate area of , comprising Bogotá's high plain, a large portion of the modern-day department of
Boyacá department portion and a small area in the
Santander region. Trade was the most important activity of the Muisca with other Chibcha-speaking neighbours, such as the
Guane,
Lache and
U'wa and with
Cariban-speaking groups such as the
Muzo or "Emerald People". Their knowledge of salt production from brines, a task devoted exclusively to
Muisca women, gave them the name of "Salt People". Tropical fruits that did not grow on the cool highlands, as well as
coca,
cotton and
gold were all traded at markets that took place every Muisca week; every four days. At these frequent markets, the Muisca obtained various luxury goods that appear worthless in a modern sense, as well as precious metals and gemstones that seem valuable to us and which became abundant and were used for various purposes. The
Muisca warrior elite were allowed to wear feathered crowns, from parrots and macaws whose habitat was to the east of the Andes; the
Arawakan-speaking
Guayupe,
Tegua and
Achagua. The
Muisca cuisine consisted of a stable and varied diet of
tubers,
potatoes and fruits.
Maize was the main ingredient of the Muisca, cultivated on
elevated and irrigated terraces. Many words exist in Muysccubun for
maize,
corn and
the various types and forms of it.
Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada expedition and Spanish conquest From 1533, a belief persisted that the Río Grande de la
Magdalena was the trail to the
South Sea, to
Peru, legendary
El Dorado. Such was the target of
Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, the Granadanian
conquistador who left
Santa Marta on 6 April 1536 with 800 soldiers, heading towards the interior of current
Colombia. The expedition divided into two groups, one under Quesada's command to move on land, and the other commanded by Diego de Urbino would go upriver in four brigantine ships to eventually meet Quesada's troops at the site named Tora de las Barrancas Bermejas. When they arrived, they heard news about Indians inhabiting the south and making large salt cakes used to trade for wild cotton and fish. Jiménez de Quesada decided to abandon the route to
Peru and cross the mountain in search of salt villages. They saw crops, trails, white salt cakes and then huts where they found corn, yucca and beans. From Tora, the expedition went up the Opón River and found indigenous people wearing very finely painted cotton mantles. When they arrived in Muisca territories in the Andean Plateau, on 9 March 1537, of the expedition leaving Santa Marta, only 162 men were left. The
zipa at the moment of
Spanish conquest was
Tisquesusa. His main
bohío was in a small village called
Bacatá with others in
Funza and
Cajicá, giving name to the present day capital of Colombia.
Bacatá was actually located near to the modern location of the city of
Funza. A prophecy in his life came true;
he would be dying, bathing in his own blood. Defending Funza with a reduced army of
guecha warriors against the heavily exhausted but heavily armed strangers, his reign fell in the hands of Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada and his younger brother
Hernán Pérez on 20 April 1537. Upon his death, his brother
Sagipa became the last
zipa, against the
inheritance tradition of the Muisca. Sagipa used to be a main captain for Tisquesusa but quickly submitted to the Spanish rulers. The first
encomenderos asked high prices in valuable products and agricultural production from the indigenous people. On top of that epidemics of European viruses razed through the population, of which in current
Boyacá 65–85 % of the Muisca were killed within 100 years. Jiménez de Quesada decided to establish a military campament in the area in 1538, in the site today known as the
Chorro de Quevedo square. The foundation was performed by the construction of 12 houses of reed, referring to the
Twelve Apostles, and the construction of a preliminary church, also of reed. With the celebration of the first
mass in the campament, celebrated by
Dominican friar the city was founded with the name of Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza (Our Lady of Hope) on 6 August 1538. Spanish authorities suppressed the riot, and
José Antonio Galán, the leader, was executed. He left an imprint, though. One of the soldiers witnessing his execution was an intellectually curious, noble teenager named
Antonio Nariño, who was deeply impressed by both the insurrection and the execution. Nariño went on to become a politician in Santafé, and he became acquainted with the liberal ideas in vogue in Europe. He started organizing clandestine meetings with other intellectuals and politicians to discuss and promote the independence of the American colonies from the Spanish crown. In 1794, Nariño clandestinely translated and published in Santa Fe the
Declaration of the Rights of Men and of the Citizen, and copies of his translation were distributed all over the continent and started creating a stirring in the political mentalities of the time. The Spanish government had banned the distribution of the pamphlet and soon discovered the material and burned any copy that they could find. Nariño was arrested on 29 August 1794, and sentenced to ten years of imprisonment and to have all of his properties confiscated, and was sent to exile the year after. Those suspected of being part of Nariño's intellectual circle were also persecuted, but his ideas had become widespread. In 1807, following the
French invasion of Spain and the subsequent
abdication of the
House of Bourbon in Spain, pressed by
Napoleon to give the crown to his brother
Joseph, resulting in the destruction of the Spanish administration, many in Spain and in the American colonies created local resistance governments called
Juntas. The dissolution of the
Supreme Central Junta, following a series of military defeats in the Spanish troops, promoted the
creation of local juntas all throughout Latin America, which very soon consolidated the independentist ideas already in vogue. After the establishment of a junta in
Cartagena de Indias on 22 May 1810, and in many other cities throughout the Viceroyalty, the
Junta de Santa Fe was established on 20 July 1810, in what is often called the
Colombian Declaration of Independence. The Junta adopted the name of "Supreme Junta of the New Kingdom of Granada", and first swore allegiance to Viceroy
Antonio José Amar y Borbón, and appointed him as president, but then he was deposed and arrested five days later. After declaring independence from Spain the different juntas attempted to establish a congress of provinces, but they were unable to do so and military conflicts soon emerged. The period between 1810 and 1816 was marked by intense conflict between federalist and centralist factions over the nature of the new government of the recently emancipated juntas, a period that has become known as
la Patria Boba. The Province of Santafé became the
Free and Independent State of Cundinamarca, which soon became embroiled in a civil war against other local juntas which banded together to form the
United Provinces of New Granada and advocated for a federalist government system. Following a failed military campaign against Quito, General
Simón Bolívar of the United Provinces led a campaign that led to the surrender of the Cundinamarca province in December 1814. In Spain, the war had ended and the
Spanish monarchy was restored on 11 December 1813. King
Ferdinand VII declared the uprisings in the colonies illegal and sent a large army to quell the rebellions and reconquer the lost colonies, for which he appointed General
Pablo Morillo. Morillo led a
successful military campaign that culminated in the capture of Santafé on 6 May 1816. In 1819,
Bolívar initiated his
campaign to liberate New Granada. Following a series of battles, the last of which was the
Battle of Boyacá, the republican army led by Bolívar cleared its way to Santafé, where he arrived victorious on 10 August 1819. It was
Simón Bolívar who rebaptized the city with the name of Bogotá, to honor the Muisca people and to emphasize the emancipation from Spain. Bogotá then became the capital of the
Gran Colombia. Between 1819 and 1849, there were no fundamental structural changes from the colonial period. By the mid-19th century, a series of fundamental reforms were enacted, some of the most important being slavery abolition and religious, teaching, print and speech industry and trade freedom, among others. During the decade of the 70s, radicalism accelerated reforms and state and social institutions were substantially modified. However, during the second half of the century, the country faced permanent pronouncements, declarations of rebellions between states, and factions which resulted in civil wars: the last and bloodiest was the
Thousand Days' War from 1899 to 1902. In 1823, a few years after the formation of Gran Colombia, the Public Library, now the National Library, was enlarged and modernized with new volumes and better facilities. The National Museum was founded. Those institutions were of great importance to the new republic's cultural development. The Central University was the first State school, precursor of the current
National University, founded in 1867 and domiciled in Bogotá.
Regeneration President Rafael Núñez declared the end of Federalism, and in 1886 the country became a centralist republic ruled by the constitution in force – save some amendments – up to 1991. In the middle of political and administration avatars, Bogotá continued as the capital and principal political center of the country. From a base of only 20,000 people in 1793, the city grew to approximately 117,000 people in 1912. Population growth was rapid after 1870, largely because of emigration from the eastern highlands.
Twentieth century Early in the 20th century, Colombia had to face devastating consequences from the
Thousand Days' War, which lasted from 1899 to 1902, and the loss of
Panama. Between 1904 and 1909, the lawfulness of the liberal party was re-established and President Rafael Reyes endeavored to implement a national government. Peace and state reorganization generated the increase of economic activities. Bogotá started deep architectural and urban transformation with significant industrial and artisan production increases. In 1910, the Industrial Exposition of the Century took place at Park of Independence. Stands built evidenced industrial, artisan work, beaux arts, electricity and machinery progress achieved. The period from 1910 to 1930 is designated conservative hegemony. Between 1924 and 1928, hard union struggles began, with oil fields and banana zone workers' strikes, leaving numerous people dead. Bogotá had practically no industry. Production was basically artisan work grouped in specific places, similar to commercial sectors.
Plaza de Bolívar and surroundings lodged hat stores, at Calle del Comercio –current Carrera Seventh– and Calle Florián –now Carrera Eight– luxurious stores selling imported products opened their doors; at Pasaje Hernández, tailor's shops provided their services, and between 1870 and 1883, four main banks opened their doors: Bogotá, Colombia, Popular and Mortgage Credit banks. in 1948 Following the 1928
Banana Massacre of fruit pickers and
conservative party division,
Enrique Olaya Herrera took office in 1930. The
liberal party reformed during 16 years of the so-called Liberal Republic, agricultural, social, political, labor, educational, economic and administrative sectors. Unionism strengthened and education coverage expanded. The celebration produced a large number of infrastructure works, new construction and work sources. In 1948 liberal leader
Jorge Eliécer Gaitán was assassinated, and subsequent riots in an event called
El Bogotazo resulted in Bogotá's downtown being virtually destroyed. From then, Bogotá's urban, architectural and population sectors were substantially reorganized. The violence sparked civil conflict,
La Violencia, that lasted ten years.
Twenty-first century . The city began the 21st century with important changes in its urban space and public transport, looking to plan demographic and economic growth, that would position it as a strategic hub for international business in Latin America. Some of the main interventions initiated looked to develop projects contained in the Plan of Territorial Ordering (POT), which aims to guide the development of the city for the next two centuries. One of the most important interventions in the city was in its transportation system. In 1967, there were 2,679 urban buses in Bogotá that transported, on average, 1,630,000 passengers per day. The city had about 1 million inhabitants and 80 km2 of area, the service was relatively reasonable. But as the city grew and reached more than five million and an area greater than 300 km2, not only did the car fleet increase substantially to more than 20,000 vehicles, but traffic complexity increased, as well as pollution and the inefficiency of the only existing transportation system. By the end of the 20th century, the situation was difficult. There was no real urban public transport system that would serve as an alternative to the private vehicle – which further incentivized its use – and the city had low levels of competitiveness in Latin America, as well as an unsatisfactory quality of life for the vast majority of its inhabitants. The administrations of mayors
Andrés Pastrana (1988–90) and Jaime Castro (1992–94), in addition to the first of
Antanas Mockus (1995–97), formulated proposals to solve the problem of public transport, with limited results. It was during the mayoralty of the latter when there was talk about the possibility of establishing a mass transportation system that would help remedy the problem of mobility. Under the second administration of Antanas Mockus, Bogotá opened a 'zone of tolerancia' which legalized prostitution in a large swath of the center of the city in the Santa Fe neighborhood. Mayor
Enrique Peñalosa (whose first term was 1998–2000) included in his program as a priority a solution to public transport. Consequently, in the execution of the development plan "For the Bogotá we Want" in terms of mobility and in a mass transportation system project, the construction of special infrastructure exclusively for its operation was determined. This system would include specialized bus corridors, equipped with single-use lanes, stations, bridges, bike paths and special pedestrian access platforms, designed to facilitate the user's experience in the system. However, Peñalosa became infamous for his campaign against the poor, saying he would rather see robbers on the streets, than people selling candies. Peñalosa served a second term (2016–19). After being elected in 2011, Mayor
Gustavo Petro clashed with the conservative political establishment after remunicipalization of the city's garbage collection system. The inspector general Alejandro Ordoñez deposed Petro for alleged constitutional overreach when he tried to replace the city's private trash collectors. Petro was reinstated weeks later after a Bogotá court ruled that Ordoñez had overstepped his authority. The
TransMilenio system of articulated buses opened its first phase in 2000 and has since grown to 12 lines. As the city's population increased, the buses are often crowded, leading to the development of
Bogotá Metro, construction on which began in 2021. For its part, the cultural equipment plan of Bogotá has yielded significant results, including the construction of three large public libraries in different sectors. These libraries have not only expanded access to existing library resources but also serve as some of the 150 hubs for
BibloRed - Bogotá's Public Libraries Network, including the Bogota Digital Library As for 2019, the city's distribution is composed of nine main business centers (Av. El Dorado Business Corridor, Centro Internacional, Parque de la 93, El Lago, North Point, Calle 100, Santa Barbara Business Center, Zona Industrial Montevideo & Parque Industrial Zona Franca). Grittier sides sit south and southwest, where working-class barrios continue to battle their reputations for drugs and crime. In the ritzier north there are boutique hotels, corporate offices and well-heeled locals piling into chic entertainment districts such as the Zona Rosa and Zona G.
Protests against
police brutality started in Bogotá following the death of Javier Ordóñez while in police custody on 9 September 2020. The National Police killed 13 people and injured over 400 in their response to the protests. == Geography ==