Episodes
The Siege of Cartagena: Vernon's Fleet vs. Blas de Lezo
In 1741, the British Empire launched its largest naval expedition of the century against the Spanish port of Cartagena de Indias. Admiral Edward Vernon's 186 ships and 27,000 men faced a Spanish defense led by the one-eyed, one-armed, one-legged Basque admiral Blas de Lezo. This episode unpacks the siege that became a turning point in the War of Jenkins' Ear, from the strategic thinking of de Lezo and Governor Sebastián de Eslava to the epidemic that decimated the British forces. We look at the…
The 1948 Bogotazo: Rage That Split Colombia
In this episode, Lucas and Luna unpack the Bogotazo — the explosive riot that tore through Bogotá on April 9, 1948, after the assassination of Liberal leader Jorge Eliécer Gaitán. They trace Gaitán's rise as a populist voice for the poor, the political tensions of the era, and the chaotic hours that followed his murder: mobs burning downtown buildings, streetcars overturned, and a city in flames. They explore the role of the Cold War and the Pan-American Conference happening in the city, the…
Episode 200: The Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá
For episode 200, Lucas and Luna descend into the shimmering salt mines of Zipaquirá, sixty kilometers from Bogotá. They trace the sacred role of salt for the Muisca people, who traded it as a luxury across the high Andes. Then they follow the Spanish conquest, when salt became a crown monopoly and indigenous miners labored in brutal conditions. The heart of the episode is the astonishing twentieth-century transformation: miners carving a cathedral out of an active salt mountain, a miracle of…
The Black Christ of Buga: A Colombian Devotion
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the history of the Basilica of the Lord of Miracles in Buga, Colombia, and the mysterious Black Christ that has drawn pilgrims for over four centuries. They trace the legend of the anonymous sculptor in the 16th century, the image's dark skin and its possible African or indigenous roots, and the church's role in colonial religious life. The conversation moves through the destruction of the original Basilica by an earthquake in 1766, the construction of…
Cacao and Conflict: Colombia's Chocolate Origins
In this episode of The History of Colombia, Lucas and Luna trace the journey of cacao from ancient Amazonian forests to the heart of Colombian identity. They explore how indigenous cultures like the Kogi and Tairona used cacao in rituals and as an early form of currency, long before European contact. The conversation follows cacao's rise as a colonial export, the rise of the haciendas and the brutal labor systems of enslaved Africans and indigenous people that powered the trade, and the…
Cartagena's Inquisition: Fear, Faith, and the Holy Office
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the shadowy history of the Cartagena Inquisition, the only tribunal of its kind in South America. They trace its origins in the Spanish Inquisition, its establishment in 1610 in the walled city, and its role in policing not just heresy but also the diverse population of Cartagena de Indias — from Jewish converts (conversos) to African slaves accused of witchcraft. The conversation covers famous cases, including that of the Portuguese crypto-Jew Francisco…
The Man Who Named Colombia: Alexander von Humboldt's Hidden Map
Before Simón Bolívar's armies marched, another European profoundly shaped how the world saw Colombia — and how Colombians saw themselves. On this episode, we follow the Prussian naturalist Alexander von Humboldt and his French companion Aimé Bonpland on their 1801 expedition through the heart of New Granada. From the salt mines of Zipaquirá to the Magdalena River, from the muddy streets of Bogotá to the slopes of Chimborazo, Humboldt didn't just collect plants and rocks — he mapped the land…
The Black Legends: How Cartagena's Walls Rose from African Labor
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the untold story behind Cartagena de Indias' iconic fortifications. While the walls are celebrated as a marvel of Spanish military engineering, their construction rested on the forced labor of enslaved Africans. We follow the arrival of Juan Bautista Antonelli in the 1580s, the devastating 1586 raid by Francis Drake, and the decades of work that shaped the Castillo San Felipe de Barajas. We meet the names like Pedro Fernández de Busto, the governor who…
Cartagena's Walls: Built by the Crown, Saved by Pirates
In 1586, Sir Francis Drake burned Cartagena to the ground. The Spanish crown's response was not revenge but stone — a massive ring of fortifications that would make the city the most heavily defended port in the Americas. This episode follows the decades-long construction of the walls and castles of Cartagena de Indias, from the first emergency palisades to the engineering genius of Juan Bautista Antonelli and the legendary Castillo San Felipe de Barajas. We meet the African slaves who hauled…
The Cochineal Road: How a Tiny Bug Built Cartagena
Before coffee, before emeralds, there was cochineal—a tiny insect that produced a red dye so coveted it shaped empires. In this episode, Lucas and Luna trace the cochineal trade from the highlands of Oaxaca to the fortified walls of Cartagena de Indias, where Spanish galleons loaded the crimson treasure for Europe. They follow the crimson wave through the hands of indigenous artisans, colonial merchants, and corsairs, and into the dresses of European royalty. Along the way, they uncover how the…
The Quina Kings: How a Colombian Bark Cured the World
Before aspirin and quinolone antibiotics, a bitter bark from the slopes of the Andes was the only thing standing between a patient and death from malaria. Cinchona — known locally as quina — became one of the most valuable commodities in the world, and Colombia held a near-monopoly on it for over a century. This episode traces the journey of that bark from the forests of the Cauca Valley to the apothecary shops of London and Paris, and back again. We meet the cascarilleros, the mestizo and…
The 1985 Armero Tragedy: Voicing a Preventable Disaster
In 1985, the Nevado del Ruiz volcano erupted, sending lahars down the Lagunilla River and burying the town of Armero in minutes. Over 20,000 people died, and the world watched Omayra Sánchez die on live television. This episode unpacks the science, the warnings, and the human failures behind the disaster. We explore the pre-eruption seismic activity, the controversial hazard maps, the legendary omayra Sánchez's final hours, and the lawsuit that changed how Colombia and the world prepare for…
The Sugar Temple: Colombia's Colonial Sweetness
In episode 190 of The History of Colombia, Lucas and Luna explore the hidden history of sugar in colonial Colombia, a story that goes far beyond the sweetener in your coffee. From the first cane plantations in the Cauca Valley to the rise of the trapiche mills and the brutal enslaved labor that powered them, this episode uncovers how sugar shaped the economy, the landscape, and the social fabric of the Nueva Granada. Discover the surprising role of convents in producing panela, the elite…
The Quinine Boom: How Cinchona Bark Shaped Colombia
Before synthetic drugs, malaria's only cure came from the bark of a tree that grew almost exclusively in the Andes. This episode traces the nineteenth-century quinine boom in Colombia—from the cinchona forests of the Cauca Valley to the European laboratories that turned its bark into gold. We follow the rise of the business, the brutal labor of the cascarilleros who stripped the trees, and the reckless harvesting that nearly wiped the species out. We also meet the local botanists and foreign…
The Paleontologist Who Named Colombia's Giant Sloth
In 1887, a Colombian engineer named Joaquín Acosta sent a mysterious fossil to Paris, where paleontologist Paul Gervais recognized it as a giant ground sloth — Eremotherium acostae. This episode follows the discovery from a muddy Colombian riverbank to the halls of European science, exploring how one bone reshaped South American paleontology and why Acosta's name still sits in museum catalogs. We also look at the ancient ecosystems of the Sabana de Bogotá, where megafauna like mastodons and…
The Muisca Gold That Sparked the El Dorado Myth
Long before the Spanish set foot in the Andes, the Muisca people built a complex federation in the high plateaus of what is now Colombia. Their ritual of covering a new chief in gold dust and offering treasures into the icy waters of Lake Guatavita became the seed of the El Dorado legend that drove conquistadors mad with greed. In this episode, Lucas and Luna trace the rise of the Muisca confederation, their sophisticated use of gold, salt, and emeralds in trade and ceremony, and the brutal…
The Day Colombia Lost Panama
In 1903, Colombia was still reeling from the devastating Thousand Days' War when the United States set its sights on the Panama Canal. The Hay-Herrán Treaty seemed like a fair deal, but the Colombian Congress rejected it, hoping for more money. That gave Philippe Bunau-Varilla, a French engineer, the opening he needed. With tacit U.S. support, Panamanian separatists declared independence on November 3, 1903. U.S. warships blocked Colombian troops from landing, and within days, the new Panama…
How Coffee Reshaped Colombia's History and Identity
Explore the captivating history of Colombia's coffee industry, from its introduction by Jesuit missionaries in the 18th century to its explosion in the late 1800s during the Antioquian colonization. This episode follows the arrieros (muleteers) who transported coffee through treacherous terrain, the formation of the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros in 1927, and the creation of the beloved Juan Valdez campaign. Discover how smallholder coffee farms in the Eje Cafetero built a unique social…
The Thousand Days' War: Colombia's Bloodiest Civil War
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore Colombia's Thousand Days' War (1899-1902), a devastating civil war that pitted Conservatives against Liberals, cost over 100,000 lives, and led directly to the loss of Panama. They delve into the causes: the exclusionary 1886 Constitution under Rafael Núñez's Regeneration, the growing Liberal discontent, and the economic crisis from falling coffee prices. Key figures like President José Manuel Marroquín, Liberal General Rafael Uribe Uribe, and…
The Cali Cartel: The Quiet Empire That Outlasted Pablo Escobar
We've talked a lot about Pablo Escobar and the Medellín Cartel — the bombings, the assassinations, the war on the state. But while Escobar grabbed headlines, another cartel was quietly building a billion-dollar empire in the south of Colombia. The Cali Cartel, led by the Rodríguez Orejuela brothers — Gilberto and Miguel — operated like a corporation. They avoided violence when possible, infiltrated the government, laundered money through legitimate businesses, and eventually helped the…
Marquetalia: The Birth of the FARC
In 1964, the Colombian government launched Operation Marquetalia, a military offensive against a peasant stronghold in the southern department of Tolima. The assault was meant to crush what officials called 'independent republics' — autonomous communities that had emerged during La Violencia. Instead, it gave birth to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the longest-running guerrilla insurgency in the Western Hemisphere. This episode traces the months before the attack, the…
Rafael Núñez and the 1886 Constitution That Remade Colombia
In episode 181 of The History of Colombia, we sit down with Lucas and Luna to explore the Regeneration movement—the political upheaval led by Rafael Núñez that replaced Colombia's federalist system with a centralized, conservative state. We trace Núñez's journey from a radical liberal journalist in Cartagena to a president who, with Miguel Antonio Caro, drafted the 1886 Constitution. That document abolished states, restored Church power, and laid the groundwork for the Thousand Days War. Along…
The 1928 Banana Massacre: Colombia's Bloody Labor Uprising
In December 1928, Colombian troops opened fire on striking banana workers in the small town of Ciénaga, near Santa Marta. The massacre, carried out on the orders of a government allied with the United Fruit Company, left hundreds dead and became a defining moment in the country's labor history. This episode unpacks the strike's demands, the political pressure from an American corporation, and the role of then-congressman Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, who investigated the atrocity and launched his…
The Bogotazo: The Day That Broke Colombia
April 9, 1948: Bogotá explodes. The assassination of populist leader Jorge Eliécer Gaitán ignites a riot that kills thousands and reshapes Colombia's future. Lucas and Luna delve into Gaitán's rise as a voice for the poor, the mysterious circumstances of his murder, the chaos of the Bogotazo, and how this single event triggered La Violencia — a decades-long conflict that still echoes today. They explore the role of the Pan-American Conference, the political rivalries between Liberals and…
The 1985 Palace of Justice Siege: Colombia's Day of Infamy
In November 1985, the M-19 guerrilla group stormed Colombia's Supreme Court in Bogotá, taking hundreds hostage. The resulting military siege left nearly 100 dead, including justices, and sparked decades of controversy over state violence and the disappearance of evidence. This episode explores the events of November 6-7, 1985, the role of Pablo Escobar, the missing archives, and the enduring scars on Colombia's democracy. Lucas and Luna walk through the timeline, the decision to storm the…
Luis Carlos Galán and the Assassination That Changed Colombia
In August 1989, Colombian presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán was gunned down at a campaign rally in Soacha, a suburb of Bogotá. The assassination, ordered by Pablo Escobar and the Medellín Cartel, marked a turning point in Colombia's war on drugs. Galán, a charismatic Liberal Party reformer, had promised to extradite drug traffickers to the United States. His murder galvanized the government of Virgilio Barco to launch an unprecedented crackdown, including the creation of the Search Bloc…
1832 War of the Supremos: Colombia's First Civil War
After Gran Colombia dissolved in 1831, the Republic of New Granada struggled to hold together. This episode follows the 1832–1842 War of the Supremos — a series of regional revolts led by local caudillos, or 'supremos,' who defied the central government in Bogotá. We focus on the uprising of José María Obando in Pasto, his alliance with the priest leaders of the southern provinces, and the ruthless response of President José Ignacio de Márquez and his military commander, Tomás Cipriano de…
The 1819 Boyacá Bridge: Bolívar's Daring Gambit
This episode of The History of Colombia: Conflict, Cartels, and Change takes you to the sweltering August day in 1819 when Simón Bolívar's ragtag army crossed the flooded Andes and crushed the Spanish at the Battle of Boyacá. We follow the legendary paso de los Andes, the strategic genius of Francisco de Paula Santander, and the decisive charge by the British Legion and llanero cavalry. Hear how a bridge over the Teatinos River became the birthplace of Gran Colombia, the psychological impact of…
José Antonio Galán: The Peasant Revolt That Shook Colonial Colombia
In 1781, a shoemaker named José Antonio Galán led thousands of peasants, indigenous people, and slaves in the Comunero Revolt against Spanish colonial rule. This episode traces the revolt from its origins in high taxes and Bourbon reforms to the dramatic march on Bogotá, the betrayal of the comuneros' leaders, and Galán's brutal execution. We explore how the revolt exposed the deep fractures in New Granada's society—between creoles and peninsulares, highlands and lowlands—and how it became a…
Francisco de Paula Santander: The Man Who Built Colombia
While Simón Bolívar gets the glory, Colombia's foundations were laid by Francisco de Paula Santander—a meticulous, bookish administrator who organized the new republic, wrote its first laws, and faced down Bolívar's authoritarian turn. This episode traces Santander's rise from a young officer in the revolutionary armies to his exile, his return as president, and his lasting influence on Colombian institutions. We explore the rivalry with Bolívar, the 'Santander vs. Bolívar' ideological divide…
Cartagena's Black Saints: Afro-Colombian Resistance and the Inquisition
This episode dives deep into the city of Cartagena de Indias during the colonial era, focusing on the Afro-Colombian experience of slavery, resistance, and the Inquisition. We explore the story of Benkos Biohó, a former slave who escaped and founded San Basilio de Palenque, one of the first free African settlements in the Americas. Lucas and Luna discuss the cimarrones (runaway slaves) and their palenquero language and culture, which survive to this day. They also examine the case of Paula de…
Colombia's 1993 Blackout: When Darkness Changed a Nation
In 1993, Colombia was plunged into darkness as a severe drought crippled the country's hydroelectric grid, leading to daily rolling blackouts that lasted up to 18 hours. This episode explores how the crisis unfolded under President César Gaviria's administration, the government's drastic 'Apagar para Vivir' (Turn Off to Live) campaign, and the long-term consequences that reshaped energy policy, public behavior, and even the peace process with drug cartels. We delve into the role of El Niño, the…
Cartagena's Black Saints: Afro-Colombian Resistance and the Inquisition
In this episode, we delve into the vibrant yet perilous world of Cartagena de Indias during the colonial era, where Afro-Colombian resistance and spirituality converged. We explore the story of Paula de Eguiluz, a healer and fugitive who faced the Inquisition multiple times, and the formation of palenques like San Basilio, led by Benkos Biohó. The conversation uncovers how enslaved Africans preserved their cultures, practiced cimarronaje (marronage), and blended Catholicism with African…
Cartagena's Inquisition: Faith, Fear, and Afro-Colombian Resistance
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the shadow of the Holy Office in Cartagena de Indias, focusing on a single, remarkable figure: Paula de Eguiluz, an Afro-Caribbean woman who faced the Inquisition three times and survived. Through her story, they uncover how the Inquisition operated in colonial Colombia—not just as an instrument of religious orthodoxy, but as a tool of social control, especially over Africans and their descendants. They discuss the court's location in the former Palace of…
Cartagena's 1741 Battle: Vernon vs. Blas de Lezo
In 1741, the British Empire sent its largest naval expedition of the 18th century to seize Cartagena de Indias, the jewel of Spain's New World empire. This episode tells the story of the Battle of Cartagena, where a one-legged, one-eyed, one-armed Spanish admiral named Blas de Lezo faced off against Admiral Edward Vernon and 27,000 British sailors and soldiers. We explore how yellow fever, mangroves, and the fortress walls of San Felipe de Barajas combined to produce one of history's most…
Cartagena's Black Saints: Afro-Colombian Resistance and the Inquisition
In 1608, a runaway African slave named Benkos Biohó founded San Basilio de Palenque, a fortified settlement deep in the swamps of Cartagena's hinterland. Over the next century, this community of cimarrones—escaped slaves—fought off Spanish expeditions, forged alliances with indigenous groups, and built a culture that survives to this day. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the life of Benkos Biohó, the tactics of palenquero resistance, and the extraordinary story of Paula de Eguiluz, a…
Cartagena's Walls: The Fortress That Shaped Colombia
In this episode of Fexingo History, hosts Lucas and Luna explore the construction and legacy of Cartagena de Indias' massive fortifications, the most extensive in the Americas. Built over two centuries by Spanish engineers like Juan Bautista Antonelli and Antonio de Arévalo, these walls defended the city from pirates like Sir Francis Drake and the 1741 British siege by Admiral Edward Vernon. Lucas explains the engineering marvels—the Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas, the Bóvedas tunnels, and…
Cartagena's 1815 Siege: The Horror That Forged Colombia
In 1815, Spanish general Pablo Morillo laid siege to Cartagena de Indias, a city that had declared independence from Spain. For 105 days, the city endured starvation, disease, and relentless bombardment. Thousands died, and the fall of Cartagena marked a low point in the fight for independence, but it also galvanized Simón Bolívar and others to continue the struggle. This episode explores the siege in vivid detail: the hardships inside the walls, the role of the city's fortifications, the…
Cartagena's Black Saints: Afro-Colombian Resistance and the Inquisition
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Afro-Colombian resistance in colonial Cartagena de Indias, focusing on the palenquero community of San Basilio de Palenque and its founder, Benkos Biohó. They delve into the story of Paula de Eguiluz, a black woman tried by the Inquisition for witchcraft, and the cultural legacy of the palenqueros. The conversation covers the cimarron (runaway slave) movements, the role of the Virgen de la Candelaria, and how these communities preserved African…
Cartagena's Black Saints: Afro-Colombian Resistance and the Inquisition
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the untold story of Cartagena de Indias as a hub of the Spanish Inquisition and a crucible of Afro-Colombian resistance. They discuss San Basilio de Palenque, the first free town in the Americas founded by escaped slaves (cimarrones) under leaders like Benkos Biohó, who outmaneuvered Spanish authorities for decades. Lucas explains how the Inquisition targeted 'witchcraft' and African spiritual practices while the city's walls were built by enslaved labor.…
The Poison That Nearly Killed Santa Fe de Bogotá
In 1816, as Spanish royalists retook New Granada, they didn't just execute rebels—they deployed a far more insidious weapon: a slow-acting poison called opopánax. This episode follows the bizarre and brutal story of Dr. José Celestino Mutis, the Spanish botanist who discovered the plant, and the Viceroy Juan de Sámano who weaponized it against Bogotá's patriot elite. We trace Mutis's early botanical expeditions in the 1760s, his discovery of opopánax in the Magdalena Valley, and how the same…
The Thousand Days War: Colombia's Bloody Civil War
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the devastating Guerra de los Mil Días (1899–1902), Colombia's longest and bloodiest civil war. They dive into the background of the Liberal rebellion against the Conservative Regeneración regime, the key figure of Rafael Uribe Uribe, the brutal battle of Palonegro, and the war's impact on Colombia's economy and society. The conversation covers the Treaty of Neerlandia and the Wisconsin Treaty that ended the conflict, the rise of General Rafael Reyes, and…
Colombia's 1950s Coffee Boom: The Federación and the Miracle of Manizales
In the 1950s, Colombia's coffee sector transformed from a fragmented, crisis-prone industry into a global powerhouse. This episode zooms in on the pivotal role of the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros, created in 1927, and how its innovative policies — like the Coffee Intervention Fund and the creation of the iconic Juan Valdez — stabilized prices, improved quality, and lifted millions of smallholder farmers. We explore the founding of the headquarters in Manizales, the rise of the Colombian…
Colombia's 1886 Constitution: The Conservative Blueprint
Colombia's 1886 Constitution was the legal backbone of the Regeneration era, centralizing power, aligning church and state, and shaping the country's tumultuous politics for over a century. This episode explores the conservative vision behind the document, the debates between Miguel Antonio Caro and Rafael Núñez, and how the constitution dismantled federalism, restricted civil liberties, and entrenched elite control. We also look at the 1910 reform that sought to soften its edges, and the long…
Colombia's 1953 Coup: Rojas Pinilla and the End of La Violencia
In June 1953, General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla seized power in Colombia, ending the Conservative-Liberal violence with a promise of peace. This episode explores the coup that overthrew President Laureano Gómez, the brief amnesty that silenced La Violencia's motley guerrilla armies—from Guadalupe Salcedo's llanero fighters to the communist peasant republics of Sumapaz—and the autocratic rule that followed. We trace Rojas's rise from army engineer to dictator, his populist reforms for women's…
Colombia's 1903 Independence of Panama: A US-Backed Secession
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the 1903 secession of Panama from Colombia, a pivotal event shaped by US interests in building the Panama Canal. They discuss the Hay-Herrán Treaty, the rejection by Colombia's congress, President Theodore Roosevelt's support for Panamanian rebels, the quick US recognition of the new nation, and the long-term consequences for US-Colombia relations. The conversation covers key figures like José Marroquín, Philippe Bunau-Varilla, and Tomás Herrán, as well…
Colombia's Coffee Economy: The Federación and the Boom
This episode dives into the story of coffee in Colombia, focusing on the creation and impact of the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros. Lucas and Luna explore how coffee transformed Colombia's economy and landscape, from the expansion of haciendas in the Eje Cafetero to the role of figures like Mariano Ospina Pérez. They discuss the challenges of monoculture and the cultural significance of coffee, touching on the 1927 Coffee Congress and the Juan Valdez marketing campaign. A nuanced look at how…
The Coffee That Built Colombia's Economy
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, coffee transformed Colombia from a fractured collection of regions into a unified nation with a global identity. This episode traces how the humble coffee bean became the backbone of Colombia's economy, fueling infrastructure projects, shaping labor relations, and even influencing political decisions. We explore the rise of large coffee estates (haciendas) versus smallholder farmers, the role of the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia founded…
The Thousand Days War: Colombia's Bloody Civil War
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Guerra de los Mil Días, Colombia's devastating civil war from 1899 to 1902. They delve into the causes rooted in the Regeneración period under Rafael Núñez, the role of Rafael Uribe Uribe and the Liberal guerrillas, the brutal Battle of Palonegro, and the war's aftermath including the loss of Panama. The conversation also touches on the war's human cost—over 100,000 dead—and its long-term impact on Colombian politics and society. Lucas explains how…
The Rise and Fall of the Cali Cartel
In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into the history of the Cali Cartel, Colombia's most powerful drug trafficking organization before Pablo Escobar's Medellín Cartel. They explore the cartel's origins in the 1970s, led by the Rodríguez Orejuela brothers, and their unique business model that prioritized bribery over violence. The conversation covers the cartel's infiltration of the Colombian state, its role in the drug war, and its eventual downfall in the 1990s, including the role of Los…
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