I wanted to write this down before I forgot any names or details....So, its really for me, not necessarily for anyone else, but if you read it, I hope you enjoy/learn something from it! Learned all of this in 4 hours biking through Bogota, mostly La Candelaria. BOGOTABIKETOURS.COM <----HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BY ME!!!
Before the Spanish came here, the area was a swamp region inhabited by a people called the Muiscas. They built their homes out of wood and leaves, so there aren´t really any ruins to see. The highest Chief lived in the area of Bogota now called La Candelaria. His home had the best view of the swampy plains that spread out to the west, and was protected by the high hills to the east. His home was, of course, chosen as the site for the first Spanish town square. It is called El Chorro de Quevedo after the Spanish priest Quevedo who worked in the church there. Chorro means a strong stream and this is where many rivers came down from the hills (these "hills" would be mountains in Kansas) and was a well for the early colonial people.
The Muiscas worshipped the hills because the sun would rise every morning behind them and also the water came from the hills. So the Spanish, in their attempt to place their ideas right on top of the indigenous ones, placed a large church on top of one of the mountains, and a statue of the Virgin Mary on the other. The hill with the church is called Montserrat and you can take a cable car ride to the top, which I plan on doing tomorrow. The alcohol of the Muiscas is chicha, made from fermented corn. It was outlawed by the Spanish colonists because they couldnt tax it since the Muiscas could make it at home. Even after it was outlawed many people would still drink it so the Spanish also created a campaign saying that it made you stupid, crazy, etc... Clearly the campaign failed as you can still drink chicha in Bogota today. Also, have not tried that yet, but will probably do so tonight. There are still Muiscas people alive today, but they live in the cities and maintain very few of their original traditions.
I learned all of that at the first stop on the bike tour....which was at El Chorro de Quevedo.
The second stop was the second, and what ended up being the main, square of the city. As with most Southamerican towns and cities, the square is the political and religious center of the town. It is created first and the town is built out from there. This square has a HUGE church that takes up one side of the square. It is not the original church that was there, actually I understand that none of the building are the originals. The next building looking around clockwise is the Congress. Apparently this building began construction in the 1800s and took over 80 years to complete because a liberal had started its construction but everytime there was a political change to conservativism the construction stopped. The going back and forth delayed its completion. Today the building was decorated by some artist, who my tour guide did not give me the name. It was covered in giant ant sculptures...Im not sure what it meant, but it made me feel like there was a plague, or that I was in a science fiction film...cool, but kinda creepy.
The next building is the mayor´s offices, which was huge also and had a very large Frech influence in its architecture. There wasn´t much to tell about that building, but the judicial building has a very interesting and recent history to tell.
The judicial building is the newest construction on the square. In 1985 some guerrillas took the old judicial building hostage with hostages in tow, and began making demands. The president at the time, Betancourt would not negotiate with them because it was terrorism. The guerrillas did let a few hostages go, but eventually the government bombed the whole building, hostages, guerrillas, and all. The hostages that were let go were assumed to actually be guerrillas themselves, and tortured for information. The most interesting part to me was that Betancourt, a few years later, got two of the biggest guerrilla groups to lay down their weapons through peace talks, and promising not to prosecute them for the crimes they committed. It may seem extreme to not prosecute murderers, but to have thousands of citizens put down the weapons they were using to terrorize their country is a pretty big deal. I asked my tour guide if he thought that a president could do that with the FARC and he said no, because the FARC is just a drug-dealing business with a political statement as a mask.
Caddy-corner to the square is a house that carries a very interesting history as well. During colonial times some young men who were sons of the Spanish men with indigenous mothers. They felt like they should be treated as well as a Spanish man, but were discriminated against. So one Saturday when the square was crowded with people they went to the house of a high ranking Spanish man to ask if they could borrow a flower pot. (I dont know if lending flower pots was a common practice at the time, but I have to assume it was.) The man said no and said something to the affect of, "And I will poop on you all" So the young men started a riot which eventually led (after 9 years of fighting) to the Colombians independence from Spain in 1810. That means this will be the 200 yr anniversary of Colombians independence, July 20th.
Bolivar is the man given much of the credit for freeing Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela from the Spanish. He wanted it to all be one big country, but some people did not agree. I saw his house and where he escaped when he was attacked and they attempted to murder him. He escaped out the window and down the street to his mistress house. Bolivar was apparently a very short man. The main square is named Plaza Bolivar. I think a man who had such a large affect on the world sounds like a biography I should read. The second most popular square is affectionately called the Park of the Unemployed because many unemployed people spend their day on the benches just hanging out. There are a few interesting things about this square. First of all, the founder of the city used to live here. His name was Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada. He founded this city because he had heard that the Muisca people had built an entire city of gold. This was not true, but ironically enough, right next to where his house used to be is the famous Museo de Oro, or Gold Museum.
The other interesting thing that happened near the square is the assasination of Jorge Eliecer Gaitan in 1948. He was a revolutionary politician that was thought to be as good as elected in the coming election. He was for the liberal party and inspirational to the middle and lower classes. He was also of a stronger indigenous bloodline, so one of the few politicians who was as brown as the people he was going to represent. He was shot on a public corner and his death created riots in the streets of Bogota. Much of La Septima had to be rebuilt becuase so much was burned to the ground by the riots. Many people believed he was shot by someone hired by the conservative party who didnt want a liberal candidate, and much less a person of color. The official report was that he was shot by an individual, but most don´t believe that story. His death created a new fire behind the fight between the two parties which continued for decades. He is now the face on the $1000 peso (approx value, $0.50). Another biography Id like to buy.
Other interesting figures:
Salmona - An architect who built three really cool things that I saw. He built the newest building in La Candelaria, which is a historically protected neighborhood and generally wont let any new constructions be built. It was a really cool construction with about three stories and a lot of walkways and open areas. It was inspired by the idea of having places that anyone could go into and not discriminating against anyone. The stores inside still have doors, but there is a lot of public space that is just open. He also constructed a memorial for the river down Jimenez Avenue (named after the founder of Bogota). Jimenez Avenue used to be a river, but once it dried up they built a road on top. Salmona built something, I don´t know how to describe it. Its kinda like a river, or fountain, or waterway that goes all the way down the side of the road. Its the thickness of a sidewalk and filled with water. He also built these beautiful tall apartment buildings that were right behind the bullfighting arena.
Pola - A woman who worked as a house keeper for the rich colonial settlers and was a spy for the freedom fighters. There was a beer brand named Pola and apparently the young people will refer to going to get a beer by saying lets go get a Pola. When I googled her I couldnt find any information, but I only remember her nickname, her real name was something like Polinsida or something I dont even remember. I suppose a biography of her might be hard to find, but I sure would like to.
Last but not least:
Antonio Narino - a freedom fighter for Colombia who also used to live in Bogota. He translated the Bill of Rights of the French Revolution into Spanish. He then made fliers and was passing them out to the people of Bogota. The Spanish made it illegal and arrested him. From jail he wrote many things against the Spanish and when ... When he got out he again fought for independence for the country and its people. He was eventually shot by the government with other freedom fighters in what is now the Park of the Unemployed as an example to other rebels. 
Editors note: Since writing this the day I got back from the tour, I did go to the top of Monserrate. It is an amazing view and a fun ride. If I had more time, I would like to hike it. I did NOT, however, have a chance to drink Chicha. Definitely my only regret of the trip. I went to Salmona's library/bookstore in La Candelaria and could not find a single book on Policarpa Salavarrieta (I found out La Pola's actually name.) They had a few books on Gaitan, but they were all long, dry, historical accounts of his life. Since I was getting it in Spanish, those looked like hard-reads to me. There was a large and diverse selection of Simon Bolivar's books, so I decided to start with him. I found one called "The Bolivar of Marx: Critical studies of Inex Quintero and Vladimir Acosta." It's in Spanish of course, but it's short. What I liked most about it is that Marx didn't like Bolivar, so I think I am getting a very well rounded book. Only about 10 pages in so far, but so far, so good.
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