Conquest
Modern
day Colombia is nothing like it was back then. Actually it wasn’t even called
Colombia, the natives who were the true first residents of the island actually
never gave it a name, they just called it home. Well that didn’t last long
because in the year 1499 the Crew of Alonso de Ojeda slowly made their way
towards the colombia. Ojeda’s sole purpose of his expedition was to explore the
Colombian coast and find people to trade gold and pearls with and did not have
the intentions to colonize or conquer. Ojeda found what he was looking for with
the natives traded with them and after time delvolped a want for the land and
ignored his sole purposes and in 1510 became governor of the Colombian coast as
far as Uraba in the west and in 1525 established the capital at Santa Marta
which “would later serve as a base for conquest of the Muiscas.”[1]
After the capital was established Spanish rule spread like wild fire through
Colombia. As more people came to Colombia, more Spanish settlements were being
built. Because of Colombians rich land filed with precious gems like emeralds,
platinum, and some gold, Spanish colonists forced natives of the island to work
in mines. The Spaniards even imported African slaves to work along side the
natives on ranches and plantations.[2] The Spaniards had many important
expeditions to colonize and conquest lands in Colombia. One that was an
important building point for Spanish rule was Gonzalo Jimenez and his
conquering of the Muisca. Gonazalo
Jimenez was a lawyer turned commander, and had a craving to explore. So in 1536
he and his crew headed “inland up the Magdalena toward the land of the
Muiscas.”[3]
After completing the journey in 1537 but losing half his crew on the journey
from disease and shipwreck he was faced resistance from the natives. But after
a short time eventually controlled all of the Muisca territory. And on August
6, 1538 found the city of Santafe, which is now, present day Bogota, the
capital of Colombia. Life under Spanish rule was no walk in the park and included
chores like mining and farming.
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