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Obverse of 1897 Colombian 20 Centavos
Obverse of 1897 Colombian 20 Centavos

Reverse of 1897 Colombian 20 Centavos
Reverse of 1897 Colombian 20 Centavos
A Brief History of Colombia

Colonial History
Before the arrival of the Spaniards, Colombia was populated by various different Amerindian tribes, including the Muisca and the Incas, who were frequently in conflict with each other. The Spanish arrived in the early 1500s, and the first permanent settlement, Santa Maria, was established in 1525.
Most of what is now Colombia was established as the New Kingdom of Grenada, run from Bogota, in 1568. It later became part of the Viceroyalty of Peru, before becoming part of the Viceroyalty of New Grenada in 1717.

Independence
In 1810, the news that Spain had been overrun by Napoleon's army reached New Grenada, and the Colonists rose up against the Spanish Crown. The independence movement was divided however, between centralists and federalists, and many of the provinces and cities declared themselves to be sovereign and independent in their own right. Bogota and the surrounding area was made into part of the state of Cundinamerica, initially a loyalist state that declared itself to be loyal to the Spanish Crown. However, it declared independence in 1813. The various independent provinces fought amongst themselves as well as the Spanish Royalists, but by 1819, Simon Bolivar's rebel army took all of modern Colombia.

Post-Independence
Following achievement of Independence, Colombia became a constituent part of the Federation of Gran Colombia, along with what is now modern-day Panama, Venezuela, Ecuador and parts of Northern Peru and Northwest Brazil. This federation was dissolved in 1831, and Colombia became the Republic of New Grenada. In 1863, the name was officially changed to the United States of Colombia, and in 1886, its name changed again to the Republic of Colombia.

Liberals vs Conservatives
Since the late 1840s, Colombian politics has been dominated by the Liberal and Conservative parties. The Liberals have historically supported decentralisation and secularisation whereas the Conservatives supported centralisation of power and a strong political role for the Catholic Church. This rivalry between the two parties has often erupted into violence, but a 10 year period of conflict, known as 'La Violencia' (The Violence) erupted in 1948 following the assassination of populist politician Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Ayala. During this conflict, supporters of both parties (as well as communists) formed guerrilla and paramilitary units and committed unspeakable acts of barbarity against each other's supporters, until in 1958, the moderate factions within the Liberal and Conservative parties agreed to set aside their differences in order to form a 'National Front' government, to try and resolve the chaos engulfing Colombia. An amnesty was declared, and many of those who refused (the so called bandoleros [bandits]), fought on until their leaders were killed or captured by 1965.

Cocaine-Fuelled Violence
The end of 'La Violencia' did not see an end to the violence however, as many communists and former liberals melted into the jungles and mountains, where they formed extreme left wing guerilla groups. The most important of these groups to emerge was the FARC-EP and the PCC. The violence escalated in the 1980s, fuelled by cocaine cultivation, which the guerilla groups encouraged or coerced peasants in areas under their control to cultivate the drug in order to sell overseas to fund their activities. In response, right-wing paramilitary militia groups formed to fight the Communist insurgents, often with the connivance of the Colombian Government. Both sides resorted to kidnappings, assassinations and massacres against their opponents.
The fighting between the FARC, Government and its paramilitary auxiliaries has died down somewhat in recent years, but still exists, and cocaine production remains a serious problem.

Colombian Coins
During Spanish Colonial times, Spanish coins, usually struck in South America, were used as currency in what is now Colombia. In 1837, the Colombian Peso was first introduced. Replacing the 8 Reale (or Dollar Piece) at par. In 1847, the currency was decimalised and the 10 New Reale was worth one Peso. Each new Reale was worth 10 Decimos. The Centavo, or 1/100 of a Peso, was introduced in 1872.
Colombia was on the gold standard between 1871 to 1886, and was pegged to the French Franc at 1 Peso = 5 French Francs. Interestingly, the paper peso and the coinage peso diverged, similarly to the Danish Mark of the 18th Century. At one point, the 100 peso moneda corriente equalled 1 coinage peso.
In 1913, the Peso was pegged to the Pound Sterling, and coins of 2.5 and 5 Peso coins of the same size, weight and composition of the ½ sovereign and sovereign were issued. The Sterling Peg was abandoned in 1931 when Britain left the gold standard, and the Peso was then pegged to the dollar at 1.05 Peso per US Dollar.
As the 20th Century progressed, inflation and turmoil ruined the value of the Peso. The Centavo only exists in theory, in fact, the lowest value coin struck and used in circulation is the 20 Peso, along with the 50, 100, 200 and 500 Peso.
Long term plans exist to introduce a new Peso to replace the old Peso, although at the time of writing (January 2012), these plans have yet to be implemented.

For Sale and Wanted
If you are interested in coins from Colombia please see our product index:-
Colombian Coins

Gold Coins
We also have gold coins from Colombia on our taxfreegold website:-
Colombian Gold Coins



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