III. Population

The racial makeup of the Colombian population is diverse. About 58 percent of the people are mestizo (of mixed Spanish and Native American ancestry), about 20 percent are of unmixed European ancestry, and about 14 percent are mulatto (of mixed black and white ancestry). The remaining 8 percent are blacks, Native Americans, and people of mixed race.

The Native American population at the time of the Spanish conquest is believed to have numbered between 1.5 million and 2 million. Many of the indigenous people were nomadic. The Chibchas, living on the Cordillera Oriental in the east, practiced agriculture. Intermarriage between the Spanish and the indigenous people began soon after the arrival of the Spanish, leading to the appearance of the mestizos. Early in the colonial period the Spanish brought African slaves from the areas that are now Angola, Nigeria, and Zaire. African ancestry is most evident today among the population of the Caribbean shores and inland among the people living along the Magdalena and Cauca rivers.

The Colombian upper class largely consists of a wealthy white elite, some of whom trace their lineage to the aristocracy of the colonial era. The wealth of this elite is based largely on the ownership of land and property. The upper class also includes a group of people whose wealth is more recent; these people have accumulated wealth through commercial and entrepreneurial activities.

The middle class has grown as a result of industrialization and economic diversification in the 20th century. Historically the middle class was largely made up of those who had fallen from the aristocracy through loss of wealth and property. It was small in number and politically passive. During the 20th century, the middle class grew to include people who rose from the lower class by succeeding in business. Groups that are regarded as middle class include small-business people, merchants, professionals, bureaucrats and government workers, professors and teachers, and white-collar workers.

The greatest portion of the population belongs to the politically powerless lower class. Its members are poorly educated and do not have adequate housing, health care, or sanitation. Those who are employed are low-paid manual laborers. Few of the benefits of economic growth have reached the poor. Rural areas have an agricultural system in which estates are owned by the wealthy elite. This system keeps members of the lower class in a kind of bondage as field workers. In the cities the creation and expansion of a labor movement has resulted in some improvements for workers, but working conditions remain substandard, and wages and living standards are low.

Family roles in Colombia are sharply delineated, and women generally play a subordinate role in Colombia society. Although women are active in the lives and care of their children, society at all levels is essentially dominated by men. Since the 1970s a few women have become active in public affairs, but this is an exception to the roles of most Colombian women.

A. Population Characteristics, Religion, and Language

The population of Colombia (1998 estimate) is 38,580,949, giving the country an overall population density of 34 persons per sq km (88 per sq mi). Some 74 percent of the population is classified as urban. The principal centers of population are in the Magdalena and Cauca river valleys and in the Caribbean coastal region. The concordat of 1973 preserves a privileged status for Roman Catholicism; about 95 percent of the people are Roman Catholic. Small Protestant and Jewish minorities exist. The official language of Colombia is Spanish, although a new constitution adopted in 1991 recognizes the languages of ethnic groups in their territories and provides for bilingual education.

B. Political Divisions and Principal Cities

Colombia is divided into 32 departments and one capital district. The capital and largest city is Santafé de Bogotá, an industrial center with a population (1997 estimate) of 6,004,782. Other important commercial cities include the trading and textile centers of Medellín (1,970,691) and Cali (1,985,906); Barranquilla (1,157,826), which provides both a seaport and a major international airport; and Cartagena (812,595), a seaport and oil pipeline terminal.

Bogotá, located on a mountain plateau in the Cordillera Oriental, is the heart of cultural and political life in Colombia. Medellín, situated in a highland valley of the Cordillera Central, is the most important economic area. Originally settled by migrants from Cartagena, Medellín grew into a gold-mining town, a general commercial settlement, and finally an important manufacturing center. Cali is located in the Cauca Valley. The city began as a center of coffee production, but it later developed as the commercial heart of the entire southern region.


C. Education



Elementary education is free and compulsory for five years. Much effort has been devoted to eliminating illiteracy, and 91 percent of all Colombians over age 15 could read and write by 1995. Courses in Roman Catholicism are compulsory in all public schools, most of which are controlled by the Roman Catholic Church. Protestant churches maintain a number of schools, chiefly in Bogotá. The national government finances secondary- and university-level schools and maintains primary schools in municipalities and departments that cannot afford to do so. In 1996 some 4.9 million pupils annually attended primary schools; 3.3 million students attended secondary schools, including vocational and teacher-training institutions. In the late 1980s Colombia had about 235 institutions of higher education; total enrollment in 1996 was 644,200. Among the largest universities are the National University of Colombia (1867) in Bogotá (parts of which date from the 16th century), the University of Cartagena (1827) in Cartagena, the University of Antioquia (1822) in Medellín, and the University of Nariño (1827) in Pasto.

D. Culture


Colombia's Native American cultural tradition, although less spectacular than that of Mexico and Peru, was rich and varied prior to the arrival of Spanish settlers in the 16th century. Several groups developed agriculture and crafts, producing fine works in stone and precious metals such as gold. Their temples, statues, and pottery attest to the richness of their cultures, and Native American designs continue to influence folk arts such as sculpture, textiles, music, and dance. During the colonial period, Native American civilization was rapidly assimilated into that of the Spanish settlers.

The Spanish colonial government devoted less energy to developing New Granada, as Colombia was called, than it did to other parts of Latin America. Noble families generally did not settle in the area, so great palaces were not built. Since the Roman Catholic Church was the main source of wealth, churches, cathedrals, and religious paintings and statuary make up most of the colonial artistic legacy.

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries romanticism took root in Latin America and became linked to the struggle for independence. Romanticism is characterized by a highly imaginative and subjective approach, emotional intensity, and a dreamlike or visionary quality. As the 19th century progressed, a national style of art began to flourish. Colombian literature flowered, and Bogotá became known as the Athens of America.

Although the majority of Colombians have neither the means nor the time to cultivate the fine arts, there is a great deal of national pride in the country's artistic and literary achievements. Distinguished Colombian writers include 19th-century novelist Jorge Isaacs and 20th-century poet Germán Pardó García. Also writing in the 20th century was novelist Gabriel García Márquez, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1982.

Colombia has a rich tradition of folk music and dance, most of which reveals African or Native American influences. The bambuco is the national dance. In the area around Popayán, a city in southwestern Colombia along the Cauca river, a type of music called the murga is played by groups of wandering street musicians using stringed instruments. The word chirimía refers both to a kind of flute and to musical groups that use this instrument to perform pieces with a strong Native American influence. Colombia has a National Symphony Orchestra and a National Conservatory in Bogotá.

The National Library in Bogotá (1777) contains about 800,000 volumes; it also administers town and village libraries throughout the country. The leading museums are located in Bogotá. The National Museum contains collections relating to the Spanish conquest and the colonial period. The National Archaeological Museum exhibits utensils, stone carvings, textiles, gold works, and other materials found at sites throughout the country. The famous Gold Museum features a noted collection of pre-Columbian gold objects.

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