Bogota, The Colombian capital is a mosaic of history and culture, with a foundation that dates back to August 6, 1538, a day that marks the beginning of its journey as a city.
Although there is no exact founding document, Tradition establishes this milestone with the celebration of the first mass in a straw church, officiated by the priest Domingo de las Casas in what is now the Plaza de Bolívar. Since then, the town was known as Santa Fe.
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Bogota
El Tiempo School of Multimedia Journalism – Generation 17
This The name lasted almost three centuries, until 1819, when the city adopted the indigenous name of Bogotá, a tribute to the ancient Muisca capital, located in what is now Funza. With the arrival of this new name, Bogotá began to consolidate itself as a political and cultural center in New Granada.
The founding of the city was marked by the creation of four parishes: Santa Bárbara, San Victorino, Las Nieves and La Catedral.
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These parishes not only fulfilled religious functions, but also acted as administrative units, reflecting the social organization of the time. According to the historian Robert Ojeda Pérez, in his work Santafé, Orden y desórdenes seen from the urban reform of 1774, Bogotá was established between the San Francisco and San Agustín rivers, where its growth was guided by the location of wealthy families and government entities.
Bogota
El Tiempo School of Multimedia Journalism – Generation 17
The Viceroy of New Granada, in 1774, implemented a division that led to the creation of eight neighborhoods and four barracks, marking a significant change in the urban structure of the city. This process evidenced the superposition of civil units over religious ones, which would facilitate a more organized and urban development.
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The first neighborhoods of Bogotá
Bogota
El Tiempo School of Multimedia Journalism – Generation 17
Among the oldest neighborhoods in Bogotá, the following stand out:
1. The Cathedral: Today part of La Candelaria, it reflects the religious and cultural importance of the city in its beginnings.
2. La Candelaria: Considered the historic heart, it is home to numerous churches and is a vibrant cultural center.
3. Santa Barbara: Historically a marginal settlement, today it stands out as an area of upper strata in Usaquén.
4. Egypt: One of the first settlements, located in the center of the city, on the hills of La Candelaria.
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Egypt neighborhood
Loren Buitrago/CEET
5. Bethlehem: Recognized for its heritage, it is also part of La Candelaria and protects the history of Bogotá.
6. The Crosses: Cultural heritage and birthplace of emblematic figures such as Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, this neighborhood is a living testimony of Bogota history.
7. Usaquén: With a Muisca origin that means “land of sun”, it has been transformed into a tourist attraction that celebrates gastronomic diversity.
8. Saint Louis: Its design, the work of Austrian architect Karl Brunner, marked a before and after in the urban planning of Bogotá.
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