Viceroyalty of New Granada Virreinato de la Nueva Granada Virreinato del Nuevo Reino de Granada | |
|---|---|
| 1717–1723 1739–1810 1816–1822 | |
| Motto: Utraque Unum "Out of two (worlds) one" | |
| Anthem: Marcha Real "Royal March" (1775–1810, 1816–1822) | |
.svg) Viceroyalty of New Granada at its largest extent, 1739–1777 | |
| Status | Viceroyalty of theSpanish Empire |
| Capital | Santa Fe de Bogotá |
| Common languages | Spanish (official, administrative) Indigenous languages (Arawakan languages,Barbacoan languages,Chibchan languages,Guajiboan languages,Páez,Ticuna) |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Government | Monarchy |
| Kings | |
• 1717–1724 (first) | Philip V |
• 1813–1822 (last) | Ferdinand VII |
| Viceroy | |
• 1718–1719 (first) | Antonio Ignacio de la Pedrosa y Guerrero |
• 1819–1822 (last) | Juan de la Cruz Mourgeón |
| Historical era | Spanish colonization of the Americas |
• Established | 27 May 1717–1723 1739–1810 1816 |
• Suppressed | 5 November 1723 |
• Reestablished | 20 August 1739 |
| 8 September 1777 | |
| 20 July 1810 | |
| 3 September 1816 | |
| 24 May 1822 | |
| Population | |
• 1778[4] | 1,280,000 |
• 1810[5] | 2,150,000 |
| Currency | Spanish real |
TheViceroyalty of the New Kingdom of Granada (Spanish:Virreinato del Nuevo Reino de Granada[birejˈnatoðelˈnweβoˈrejnoðeɣɾaˈnaða]), also calledViceroyalty of New Granada (Virreinato de la Nueva Granada) orViceroyalty of Santa Fe, was the name given on 27 May 1717[6] to the jurisdiction of theSpanish Empire in northernSouth America, corresponding to modernColombia,Ecuador,Panama andVenezuela.
Created in 1717 by KingFelipe V, as part of a new territorial control policy, it was suspended in 1723 for financial problems. It was restored in 1739 until the independence movement suspended it again in 1810. The territory corresponding toPanama was incorporated in 1739. The provinces of Venezuela were separated from the Viceroyalty and assigned to theCaptaincy General of Venezuela in 1777.
In addition to those core areas, the territory of the Viceroyalty of New Granada includedGuyana,Trinidad and Tobago, southwesternSuriname, parts of northwesternBrazil, and northernPeru. A strip along the Atlantic Ocean inMosquito Coast was added by the Royal Decree of 20 November 1803, but the British battled for administrative control.[citation needed]
Two centuries after the establishment of theNew Kingdom of Granada in the 16th century, whose governor was dependent upon theViceroy of Peru atLima, and anaudiencia atSanta Fe de Bogotá, today capital of the republic of Colombia, in 1717 the slowness of communications between the two capitals led to the creation of an independent Viceroyalty of New Granada. It was reestablished in 1739 after a short interruption.
Other provinces corresponding to modern Ecuador, the eastern and southern parts of today's Venezuela,[7] and Panama came together in a political unit under the jurisdiction of Bogotá, confirming that city as one of the principal administrative centers of the Spanish possessions in theNew World, along with Lima and Mexico City. Sporadic attempts at reform were directed at increasing efficiency and centralizing authority, but control from Spain was never very effective.[8]
The rough and diverse geography of northern South America and the limited range of proper roads made travel and communications within the viceroyalty difficult. The establishment of an autonomousCaptaincy General in Caracas in 1777 and the preservation of the olderAudiencia of Quito, nominally subject to the Viceroy but for most purposes independent, was a response to the necessities of effectively governing the peripheral regions. Some analysts also consider that these measures reflected a degree of local traditions that eventually contributed to the differing political and national differences among these territories once they became independent in the nineteenth century and which the unifying efforts ofSimón Bolívar could not overcome.
The Spanish had never subjugated theWayuu. The two groups were in a more or less permanent state of war. There had been rebellions in 1701 (when they destroyed aCapuchin mission), 1727 (when more than 2,000 Wayuus attacked the Spanish), 1741, 1757, 1761 and 1768. In 1718, GovernorSoto de Herrera called them "barbarians, horse thieves, worthy of death, without God, without law, and without a king." Of all the Indians in the territory of Colombia, the Wayuu were unique in having learned the use of firearms and horses.[9]
In 1769 the Spanish took 22 Wayuus captive, in order to put them to work building the fortifications ofCartagena. The reaction of the Wayuus was unexpected. On 2 May 1769, at El Rincón, nearRiohacha, they set their village afire, burning the church and two Spaniards who had taken refuge in it. They also captured the priest. The Spanish immediately dispatched an expedition from El Rincón to capture the Wayuus. At the head of this force was José Antonio de Sierra, amestizo who had also headed the party that had taken the 22 Guajiro captives. The Guajiros recognized him and forced his party to take refuge in the house of the curate, which they then set afire. Sierra and eight of his men were killed.[9]
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This success was soon known in other Guajiro areas, and more men joined the revolt. According toMessía, at the peak, there were 20,000 Wayuusunder arms. Many had firearms acquired from English and Dutch smugglers, sometimes even from the Spanish. This enabled the rebels to take nearly all the settlements of the region, which they burned. According to the authorities, more than 100 Spaniards were killed and many others were taken prisoner. Many cattle were also taken by the rebels.[9]
The Spaniards took refuge inRiohacha and sent urgent messages toMaracaibo,Valledupar,Santa Marta and Cartagena, the latter responding by sending 100 troops. The rebels themselves were not unified. Sierra's relatives among the Indians took up arms against the rebels to avenge his death. A battle between the two groups of Wayuus was fought at La Soledad. That and the arrival of the Spanish reinforcements caused the rebellion to fade away, but not before the Guajiro had regained much territory.[9]
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TheReal Audiencia of Santa Fe de Bogotá was established in 1549, but became part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada in 1717. It was re-incorporated into theViceroyalty of Peru from 1723 to 1739. It met in the city ofSanta Fe de Bogotá until it was disestablished in 1810. It was briefly re-established between 1816 and 1819. It had the following provinces under its authority:
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The retribution stoked renewed rebellion, which, combined with a weakened Spain, made possible a successful independence struggle led mainly bySimón Bolívar andFrancisco de Paula Santander in neighboring Venezuela. Bolívar returned to New Granada only in 1819 after establishing himself as leader of the pro-independence forces in the Venezuelanllanos. From there Bolivar led an army over the Andes and captured New Granada after a quick campaign that ended at theBattle of Boyacá, on 7 August 1819, finally proclaimed independence in 1821. The pro-Spanish resistance was defeated in 1822 in the present territory of Colombia and in 1823 in Venezuela.
The territories of the viceroyalty gained fullde facto independence from Spain between 1819 and 1822 after a series of military and political struggles, uniting in arepublic now known asGran Colombia.
With the dissolution of Gran Colombia, the states ofEcuador,Venezuela, and theRepublic of New Granada were created. The Republic of New Granada, with its capital at Bogotá, lasted from 1831 to 1856. The name "Colombia" reappeared in the "United States of Colombia"; the new name for the country having been introduced by a liberal government after acivil war. The use of the term "New Granada" survived in conservative circles, such as among ecclesiastics.
In the 1778 census, New Granada had a population of around 1,280,000. Around 40% of the population were Indians, with around 500,000 people. The next largest group were free Mestizos and Africans, at around 400,000. Whites had close to 300,000. The smallest group, at around 70,000 people, were slaves.[4] In the current territory of Colombia, it was estimated that the population was 826,550.[10]In 1810, New Granada was estimated to have 2,150,000 inhabitants.[5]
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