On December 17, 1819, the Congress of Angostura passed the Fundamental Law of the Republic of Colombia—creating, with a stroke of legislative will, the largest nation in South American history. Gran Colombia was born.
The Congress of Angostura
The setting was unlikely: Angostura (now Ciudad Bolívar), a small town on the Orinoco River in Venezuela's interior. The war against Spain was still raging. Much of Venezuela remained under royalist control. Yet here, in this remote outpost, Bolívar convened a congress to create something new.
The congress had met since February 1819. Bolívar delivered his famous Angostura Address, laying out his vision for a unified republic. Over the following months, delegates debated, drafted, and refined the constitutional framework.
The Fundamental Law
The Fundamental Law declared the union of Venezuela, New Granada (Colombia), and Quito (Ecuador) into a single Republic of Colombia. Key provisions included:
- A centralized republican government
- A president with significant executive power
- Three departments: Venezuela, Cundinamarca (New Granada), and Quito
- Plans for a constitutional convention to draft a permanent charter
A Nation at War
Gran Colombia was born fighting. The Battle of Boyacá had been won just four months earlier, liberating much of New Granada. But Venezuela remained contested, and Ecuador was still under Spanish control.
The creation of the republic was partly military strategy: unifying command and resources to complete the liberation. But it was also ideological: Bolívar believed that only a united Spanish America could resist European reconquest and American interference.
The 2019 Bicentennial
On December 17, 2019, Venezuela commemorated the 200th anniversary. President Nicolás Maduro declared:
"Los hijos de Bolívar y Miranda conmemoramos el bicentenario del mayor sueño integracionista: ¡La Gran Colombia!"
A Date with Double Meaning
December 17 carries a tragic duality: it's both the day Gran Colombia was created (1819) and the day Bolívar died (1830). The dream and its death share a date—a coincidence that seems almost literary in its symbolism.
Perhaps appropriately, any revival of Gran Colombia would honor both meanings: celebrating the original creation while acknowledging what was lost, and what might be regained.
Sources
- • Historical documentation of Congress of Angostura
- • Venezuelan government bicentennial commemoration records
- • Constitutional history of Gran Colombia