FEW CLUES ABOUT THE HISTORY OF BOGOTÁ

Bogotá and the surrounding areas were populated by the Muiskas before the contact with European men.

Muisca peoples spoke Muysccubun, a language of the Chibchan language family, also called Muysca and Mosca.

The different Muisca groups in the territory were identified by their loyalty to one of the three great rulers: the zaque, centered in Hunza, ruling a territory roughly covering modern southern and northeastern Boyacá and southern Santander; the zipa, centered in Bacatá and encompassing most of modern Cundinamarca, the western Llanos; or the iraca, religious ruler of Suamox and modern northeastern Boyacá and southwestern Santander.

MUISCAS AND THE MYTH OF “EL DORADO”

At the time of the Spanish colonization, there was an unfortunate misunderstanding that generated the myth of “El Dorado”. The Spanish colonizers wrongly understood that there was a special place where gold abounded. This was actually not a place but a misunderstanding of the Muisca ceremony of new kings coronations, where Muisca peoples would go to lake in their territory (for example the Guatavita reservoir, see our post on this here ) and had the new king covered in a mix of gold and copper, that created the effect of a golden king.

BOGOTÁ’S HER-STORY: POLICARPA SALABARRIETA

This impressive revolutionary Colombian woman, also known as “La Pola,” was a Neogranadine seamstress who spied for the Revolutionary Forces during the Spanish Reconquista of the Viceroyalty of New Granada. She was captured by Spanish Royalists and ultimately executed for high treason.

The Day of the Colombian Woman is commemorated on the anniversary of her death. She is now considered a heroine of the independence of Colombia. One of the first popular beers in Bogotá was named “La Pola” to commemorate her memory, nowadays this term is an umbrella term to refer colloquially to a beer, a “pola”. ( Source and more info in Wikipedia)

CURRENT BOGOTÁ HER-STORY: CLAUDIA LÓPEZ

A few days before we got to Bogotá, there were local elections in the whole Colombian territory, and we were specially excited about the results in Bogotá, the capital of Colombia.

Claudia López, a progressive, environmentally friendly, openly lesbian, feminist and open-minded politician was elected by the Bogotá citizenship.

This is a major step towards a more sustainable and socially progressive political landscape in a country where the conservative parties have continuously held the power within a few families. We hope this is the start of a trend, one where we can start seeing bottom-up politics being elected, and a really serious questioning of the system from within, that directly address corruption.

Claudia López, as her political fellow majors in Barcelona, Ada Colau, and former Madrid’s Major, Manuela Carmena, are clear examples of this necessary trend. Smart cities need smart and fresh governments.

WHERE TO FIND CHICHA IN BOGOTÁ

The most popular area for chicha (fermented corn beverage) is around the Chorro de Quevedo. Drinking chicha is also a gesture of solidarity with local cultures, sustainability and anti-corporations.

Back in the 1948, chicha was widely consumed as the main alcoholic drink in Bogotá, but the beer companies (Bavaria that produces Club Colombia among them) didn’t like that their market share was so reduced. They started a racist campaign to discrediting chicha, this extended to indigenous people, since they were the main suppliers and users of this drink. This was done through a strong advertising campaign in newspapers and media that spread fake news about chicha, such as chicha will makes you dumb (showing a man with a donkey head); chicha leads to savage behavior (a very racist statement itself).

In 1948, the Colombian government banned the production of non-pasteurized or glass bottled corn chicha. At the same time, chicha was being wrongly blamed for stupefying users, even though the government itself was promoting beer through subsidies to the beer companies. (Law 34, 1948). This was a strong setback to the indigenous muisca culture and traditions that shrank the earnings of many indigenous families, and added up to the expropriation of their lands. This prohibition lasted, unbelievably, till 1991.