La historia de Santander y su lucha junto a Bolívar explicada fácil

Descubre la **historia** de Francisco de Paula Santander, figura clave en la **independencia** de Colombia. Conoce su colaboración con Simón Bolívar y su impacto en la **emancipacion de america**. Este **documental** te lleva a conocer su legado y su rol como uno de los **libertadores**. #दस्तावेजी #history #historia #histoire #historyfacts #historical #documentaries #document #documental #documentary #culture #documents #documentário #cultura #culturalheritage #culturalheritage #culturageneral #colombia #colombiano #santander @historiasdelmundo-cy8oe ​

Francisco José de Paula Santander, Omaña Villa del Rosario, April 2, 1792, Bogotá, May 6, 1840, was a Colombian military officer and politician, recognized as one of the founders of the Republic of Colombia for his celebrated participation in the process of Colombia’s independence from the Spanish Empire, as well as in the War of Independence and as a ruler, fighting alongside several patriots alongside the liberator Simón Bolívar. The son of a family of Creole nobles, Santander was born in Villa del Rosario. At the young age of 13, he went to study in the biregal capital of Santa Fe de Bogotá. After the cry for independence broke out, Santander enlisted in the Patriotic Army. He participated in the war fought against the centralist forces in 1813. Later, he was one of the main organizers of the resistance campaign against the Reconquista that gave definitive emancipation to New Granada. He also participated in the decisive battles of the Vargas Swamp and Boyacá in 1819. Known as the man of the law and the organizer of victory, Santander served as vice president of the Republic of Colombia from 1819 to 1827. In charge of executive power and the first president of the Republic of New Granada (present-day Colombia), between 1832 and 1837 he built Colombia’s first public education system by promoting the creation of schools and universities. Biography: Francisco José de Paula Santander Maña was born on April 2, 1792, in Villa del Rosario, in the province of Pamplona, ​​in the viceroyalty of New Granada. Today, this municipality is located in the current department of Norte de Santander. He was baptized 11 days later, on April 13, in the chapel of Santa Ana in the same town. His parents were Juan Agustín Santander Colmenares, who had been governor of the province of San Faustino de los Ríos and a cacao grower on his rural estates, and Manuel Antonia de Omaña Rodríguez, both from Creole families descended from colonial officials who had arrived in the then- new kingdom of Granada. His childhood was spent on the coffee, sugarcane, and cacao plantations owned by his father, who came from an old family of military officers and civil servants. His education began in the small private school in the town, with Bárbara Josefa Chávez as his first teacher. From the moment he learned to read, his love for reading was evident, which he was able to do thanks to his father’s library. He also learned to read and write Latin thanks to the efforts of the town’s priests. In 180, when Santander turned 13, his father decided to send him to the viceregal capital of Santa Fe de Bogotá, where he had asked his brother-in-law, the priest Nicolás Mauricio de Omaña y Rodríguez, to try to obtain a scholarship for young Santander to study at the San Bartolomé college and seminary. Thanks to the efforts of his maternal uncle, he was able to obtain the Bartolina scholarship in 180. He studied there for three years and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 1808, almost completing his law studies at the Santo Tomás University in 1810. Military career. Engraving, taken from a miniature of one of the earliest known portraits of Francisco de Paula Santander from 1812. He wears a detainee’s uniform. After witnessing the events of July 20, 1810, on October 26 of that same year, at the age of 18, Santander joined the patriotic ranks as a voluntary recruit as a second lieutenant and standard-bearer of the newly created National Guard infantry battalion. He was part of the general staff attached to Colonel and battalion commander Antonio Baraya, Sergeant Major Joaquín Ricaurte Torrijos, and Adjutant Major Lieutenant Pedro María Moledo. In November of the same year, Captain Manuel del Castillo Irrada, who was appointed military commander of the province of [ __ ], took young Santander as his secretary. Santander spent 7 months in the city of Onda as secretary to Captain Castillo. After returning to Santa Fe, he was part of the military inspection of the War Commission in the Supreme Junta and was appointed secretary to Brigadier Antonio Baraya, who had arrived in the city after his successful campaign in the south against the royalists. In 1812 he took part in the northern campaign and in The War of the Federation, when Antonio Nariño sent an army under Brigadier Baraya to take the city of Tunja, which at the time was the capital of the federalist government. Baraya, along with all his officers and soldiers, would revolt against the centralists and join the Army of the United Provinces of New Granada, the Army of the Union. The Congress of the Union successively promoted him to lieutenant and then to captain in less than a month in 1812. As a captain, he participated in the campaign to take Santa Fe de Bogotá, led by Brigadier Antonio Baraya with the Army of the Union. On January 9, 1813, the Battle of San Victorino was fought. The fierce defense of the city led by Nariño and the poor decisions made by Baraya ended in a major defeat for the federalists. Santander was wounded twice during the battle, so severely that he later declared, “Only a miracle of providence could have saved me.” He was taken prisoner by the centralist forces along with the other captured officers and soldiers. The centralist victory ended the civil war. Subsequently, faced with the imminent royalist threat in the south and north of the country, the centralists and federalists agreed to a truce that allowed for the release of Santander and the other prisoners captured by Nariño after more than a month of captivity. Defense of the valleys of Cúcuta. After being released, Santander headed to Tunja, arriving on February 10, 1813. Upon arriving there, Congress promoted him to sergeant major and he was appointed second-in-command to Colonel Manuel del Castillo Rada, commander of the fifth battalion of the Union Army of the North. At the time, he was conducting operations in support of then-Colonel Simón Bolívar in the defense of the valleys of Cúcuta. After arriving in Cúcuta, Santander initially participated in the admirable campaign in which Bolívar initiated his actions in Venezuelan territory. On April 12, 1813, Santander participated in the action of La Grita (the Grit), commanding the first and third companies of the Fifth Battalion of the Union. With the mission of attacking the enemy’s left flank, Santander successfully accomplished his mission. The action ended with a victory for the patriots and the capture of the towns of Angostura, La Grita, and Bailadores. For his actions, he was praised by Colonel Bolívar, who, in a letter addressed to President Camilo Torres from his headquarters in the town of San Cristóbal at 5:00 p.m. on April 16, 1813, declared that the officers and troops have proven themselves worthy of freedom, and that Major Santander and Captain Andrade, who climbed the mountain overlooking the estate and evicted them, are worthy of distinction, as are Major Ricaurte and Captain Ramírez, who cooperated on the left and center. In the end, to avoid further disagreements, Santander, on Bolívar’s orders, entrusted him with the defense of the Cúcuta valleys. He achieved several victories against the royalists despite being outnumbered , defending the Cúcuta valleys between June and October 1813 until the Battle of Llano de Carrillo on October 18. The valley was invaded by Bartolomelison’s forces, who had about 13 men. Santander attempted to withdraw his force of 260 men toward Pamplona. But he was defeated in a joint action by Lisón’s forces and a group of royalist guerrillas who cut off their path. In the battle, he lost most of his troops, with only himself miraculously surviving, along with his cousin and his subordinate Pedro Fortul, along with 20 other men. After the defeat, Lisón ordered the beheadings of the patriotic prisoners along with several patriotic sympathizers from Pamplona and Cúcuta, including Santander’s relatives. After the loss of Cúcuta, Santander accepted responsibility for the defeat and asked Congress for a military trial, which was denied. He also requested his complete retirement from the army, but this was also denied. Instead, the Congress of the Union appointed Brigadier Gregor McGregor as commander of the Army of the North and Santander as his subordinate to launch a counteroffensive to recapture Cúcuta. This army would return to the valley with more men, recovering these lands on February 4, 1814. For his participation in this campaign, he was Promoted to the rank of colonel on May 31, 1814. Shortly thereafter, McGregor resigned his command and was replaced by Custodio García Rovira, governor of Socorro. Rovira was replaced by General Rafael Urdaneta, and Santander continued to serve as second-in-command. This was short-lived, as the Union government recalled General Urdaneta to defend the province of Casanare, leaving Santander as border guard. Reconquest of New Granada. In 1815, the reconquest of New Granada began by the Tierra Firme Expeditionary Army under the command of General Pablo Morillo. After the loss of Cartagena de Indias in December 1815, the following month Murillo began his march into the interior of the country, following the course of the Magdalena River, capturing the important city of Monpx. The Union government ordered Santander to march toward Ocaña to recruit a force capable of liberating Monpx. At that same time, the valleys of Cúcuta were invaded by Spanish Colonel Sebastián de la Calzada, who quickly occupied the city of Pamplona. A miniature of Francisco de Paula Santander as a lieutenant colonel by José María Espinosa. His identity has not been confirmed, but the cut of his uniform is much more consistent with royalist than pro-independence forces. With Morillo to the north and the Calzada to the south, Santander and his column of 500 men suddenly found themselves between two fires. With Santander at the head of his column, he successfully retreated south, reaching the foot of the slope, where his column joined the troops commanded by Custodio García Rovira, forming the Army of the North. These troops moved against Calzada, positioning themselves on the Cachiri plain. The Battle of Cachiri was fought between February 21 and 22, with Santander commanding the vanguard and the reconnaissance units. The Union troops were completely dispersed, and the Spanish obtained a crushing victory. Despite his defeat, Santander organized an orderly retreat of his troops to the province of Casanare with General Manuel Roberga Serviés. During the retreat, they were constantly pursued by the forces of Colonel Miguel de la Torre. After reaching Casanare, they were assisted by the forces of General Urdaneta. Thanks to this retreat, he managed to save many officers from the New Granadan army, many of whom would later join the Liberation Army during the liberation campaign of 1819. From that moment on, Santander became involved in the war in Venezuela. During this period, known as the warlike resistance, he commanded an army of llaneros. Although he initially held the command for a short time, he held the position for a short time due to the llanero soldiers’ resistance to being led by a soldier from outside the region, whom he had previously rejected, considering himself incompetent to lead the rebel llaneros in military discipline. But then, in accordance with the appointment of José Antonio Páez, he buried his sword in the ground. He declared that he preferred to die with her buried rather than allow the appointment to be improperly made , and he earned a certain respect that he would also earn fighting alongside Páez. He was commander of the Second Cavalry Brigade, winning the Battle of Yahual, where he was crucial. He charged violently and would also fight with lance in hand in the Plains Campaign. In 1817, Santander joined Simón Bolívar’s forces. Bolívar made him part of his staff, conducting the entire central campaign toward Caracas in 1818, in addition to the Barinas Campaign, the Guayana Campaign, and the Apure Campaign, with tents such as Fuerte Brión, Ato del Yahual, Achaguas, Banco Largo, Guayabal, Calabozo, El Sombrero, La Puerta, Barbacoas, Achuren, Ortiz, and El Rincón. Liberation Campaign of 1819. Commemorative statue of Francisco de Paula Santander on the Boyacá Bridge. On July 16, 1818, Bolívar decorated him with the Star of the Order of Liberators. On August 12, he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General. On August 25, 1818, Bolívar appointed him commander of the vanguard of the Liberation Army of New Granada and entrusted him with reorganizing the forces in Casanare for a possible operation to liberate New Granada with 100 muskets. Santander left Angostura on August 27 with With four officers, Major Joaquín París, Colonel Jacinto Lara, Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Bando, and Lieutenant Colonel Vicente González, he arrived in Casanare on November 29, although he was temporarily detained by the PA because he was not informed by Bolívar of this commission. It was during his time in Casanare that Santander’s administrative and organizational skills shone. Upon arriving in that province, he found disorganized patriot forces with few resources and fighting among themselves, as in the case between Nonato Pérez and Antonio Arredondo. Santander’s first task was to have the local caudillos recognize his command. About this, in his memoirs he wrote: “My presence calmed the agitation because I was fortunate enough to inspire confidence in them and persuade them that our health depended on unity. They all listened to my voice, obeyed me, and worked actively with me in the formation of a beautiful division to which the people of Granada owe so much for their freedom in the campaign of 1819. Shortly thereafter, he received a letter from Francisco Antonio Sea informing him of the opening of the Congress of Angostura. He sent three delegates representing Casanare. He also established a provisional government in the name of the disappeared United Provinces of New Granada under the authority of the Constitution of 1815, establishing Casanare as its only free province and as its provisional capital. At the same time, he managed to get his troops to recognize Bolívar as president of Venezuela and captain general of the armies of New Granada in order to prepare them for the eventual union of the two forces. In the military sphere, Santander began with the creation of a new military force. He was in charge of establishing a logistics chain for his forces. He ordered 1,000 straw caps and established a military warehouse in Santa Rosalía. He created bases for troop feeding and also imposed strict military discipline through a permanent war council. He also established a policy of granting permission to peasant soldiers to attend to the needs of their activities, which kept production channels open. By February 1819, together with his officers, he had raised two infantry battalions, the Cazadores de la Nueva Granada Battalion and the First Line Battalion of La Nueva Granada, along with a cavalry squadron for a total force of around 100 men. The efforts expended to organize this army caught the attention of spies from the intelligence service established by the Spanish, who had received reports since November 1818 of Bolívar’s appointment of Santander as commander. At the beginning of the year, General Morillo from Venezuela ordered the commander of the third division of the royalist army, Colonel José María Barreiro, to carry out an operation to invade the province of Casanare and clear the area of ​​insurgent presence. Barreiro deployed a force of 100 infantry and 450 cavalry and invaded the province in March of that year, where they captured the capital of Pore on April 9. Santander intelligently avoided combat by retreating into the immense interior of the plains, knowing that Barreiro could not continue his operations with such a small force in such a hostile and extensive area. The operation produced few results, and with the onset of winter at the end of April, Barreiro had to withdraw to the other side of the mountain range again. During the retreat, the patriots frequently assaulted the royalists, causing casualties and demoralizing their troops. The successful defense of the province raised the morale of the patriots. Santander communicated this victory to Bolívar on April 21, 1819. The desertion suffered by the Spanish was numerous. Our infantry battalions received a notable increase with it. Their horses were left useless with the marches, countermarches and constant alarms. The hunger that his troops have suffered is incredible, since the largest ration a soldier received was 2 ounces of meat. They have not been masters of any other land that Barreiro, general commander of this expedition, has seen with his own eyes that Casanare is not conquered with three or four thousand men, and it is not terror that erases the feelings of patriotism that his own troops have for the freedom of their homeland. On April 23, Santander sent Colonel Jacinto Toolara to Venezuela to present to Bolívar his favorability for beginning the campaign and also to inform him that the New Granadan population welcomed and would support this operation. On May 23, in Mantecal, Bolívar gathered all his officers and outlined his plan for the invasion of New Granada. On the 27th, the Venezuelan army set out toward New Granada. After a difficult march through the flooded plains, Bolívar finally met up with Santander’s forces on June 12 in Tame. There, the liberator began to organize the liberation army of New Granada, and Venezuela. Santander retained his position as commander of the vanguard division, while Brigadier General José Antonio Anzuategui commanded the rearguard division. In that town , the route the army was to take was also defined. Bolívar initially wanted to cross the mountain range via the Chita salt mine pass, but Santander suggested taking the road through the Pisba moor. The Pisba pass was the fastest and least guarded route, but also the most difficult and arduous. Bolívar agreed to this recommendation, and on the 17th, the army departed from Tame, the vanguard division at the head of the army, marching a day ahead of the rest of the corps. Bolívar and Santander during the march through Llanos in June 1819. Oil painting by the Colombian painter Jesús María Zamora in 1915. Santander and his division arrived at Cordero on the 18th, at Carrastol on the 20th, at Pore on the 21st, at Nunchía on the 25th, and by the 26th they were already at Morcote, where they began to ascend the mountain range. On the 27th, they continued their march to take Paya. It was there that his troops spotted the presence of two royalist companies composed of 300 soldiers under the command of Sergeant Major Juan Figueroa y Ladrón. It was here that the first action of the campaign, called the Battle of Paya, took place. During this action, Santander ordered Colonel Antonio Arredondo, commander of the Cazadores Battalion, to carry out a secret encirclement maneuver to attack the enemy by surprise. Meanwhile, Santander, with the rest of the Cazadores and a group of guides commanded by Captain Reyes Patria, continued the march along the main road with the first line battalion acting as reinforcements. The vanguard managed to defeat the king’s 300 men, forcing them to retreat toward the large pasture. This small victory boosted troop morale, and news of the battle was reported to Bolívar, who had arrived in Morcote that day, the 27th. Although they were supposed to continue their march that same day, on the 27th, Bolívar sent a letter to Santander ordering him to halt his march. The Venezuelan plainsmen, already tired of their long march from Venezuela, viewed the prospect of crossing the Andes as madness and impossible due to their lack of adequate clothing . Bolívar summoned Santander to meet with him at Llano de Miguel with other army officers such as Ansuáeg, Sublet, and Salom to discuss continuing the campaign. At that moment, Santander gathered all his principal officers: Colonels Fortul, Ovando, Arredondo, José María Cancino, and Majors París and Ramón Guerra. They all agreed to continue the campaign. The next day, Santander met with Bolívar, also supported by Colonel Lara. Santander told Bolívar that if the Venezuelan troops abandoned the campaign, he would take his division and continue the fight. General Anzuategiui also supported Santander, stating that he could do what the others were doing. With these arguments, Bolívar decided to continue the campaign. In early July, the patriotic army began the arduous and extremely difficult crossing of the Andes through the Pisba páramo. During the journey through the Andes, the army crossed in units. The first to cross were members of the Cazadores Battalion under Colonel Arredondo, who arrived at Sochá on July 4. Santander followed at the head of the rest of his division, reaching Sochá on July 5. The rearguard of Ansuáegui, where Bolívar was marching the following day, although some units such as the British Legion and General Sublet would not manage to cross until mid-July, the crossing of the páramo was devastating for the army. Many soldiers died or became sick upon reaching the other side of the mountain range. Almost all of the horses were lost, along with a large amount of ammunition. Santander referred to the army as a dying force when it arrived at Socha. During the following days, elements of the patriotic army engaged in combat with royalist troops near the towns of Corrales and Gamesa. On July 10, the patriotic troops were evicted from the Gamesa corrals. Santander and his vanguard came to assist these troops, managing to force the royalists to retreat to the other side of the Gamesa River. On July 11, the Battle of Gamesa took place. The main objective for the patriots was to capture the Gamesa bridge in order to continue their march to capture Sogamoso. The royalists positioned themselves on the other side of the river to block their passage. Bolívar ordered Santander to deploy his advance units to seize the bridge. The patriots charged the bridge, managing to cross several times, but were repeatedly repulsed by Spanish musket fire. During this exchange of fire, General Santander was slightly wounded. After five hours of fighting, Bolívar ordered a retreat to Tasco, and the royalists withdrew to their camp at the Topaga mills. The action ended inconclusively for both sides, but the Cazadores battalion had suffered greatly during the battle, where several officers died. Santander would write about that day: “My division suffered greatly on this day, losing, among others, Officers Arredondo, Lobo Guerrero, and Gómez.” Colonel Arredondo, commander of the Cazadores battalion, was buried a few days later in Tasco. His second-in-command, Sergeant Major Joaquín París, was promoted to lieutenant colonel and took command of the battalion. In honor of Redondo, Santander decreed that all officers in his division wear a black ribbon on the hilt of their sabers to honor this gallant officer who had died heroically for his country. He should serve as a model for all those with honor and heroic sentiments. During the following days, Bolívar discarded his initial plan to take Sogamoso and opted for a movement to the left through the Cerinza Valley, reaching Bonza on July 20. On July 25, they engaged in combat again with the royalist forces, in what is now known as the Battle of Pantano de Vargas. During the battle, Santander and the vanguard were positioned on the left flank of the Patriot Army with the objective of taking the heights of Cerro de la Guerra, also known as Pikachu Hill. Santander led his troops in the assault on this hill, but they were repulsed three times by the King’s First Battalion toward the end of the battle. With the support of the British Legion and other infantry units, Santander and the Patriot infantry were finally able to dislodge the royalists from their positions. After the victory at Vargas, the Patriot Army continued its march toward Santa Fe to gain an advantage and deceive the royalists. They carried out the Paipa countermarch, making the royalists believe that the army had retreated toward Venezuela. At night, they marched along the Toca road, taking Tunja on August 5. In the Battle of Boyacá on August 7, Santander and his division played a key role in the development of the battle. Upon reaching the post house around 2 p.m., the patriotic vanguard saw the royalist vanguard of Colonel Francisco Jiménez immediately attack the Cazadores battalion under Colonel París, followed from behind by the first line battalion of New Granada under Colonel Antonio Bando. This forced the royalist vanguard to retreat towards the Boyacá bridge and shortly afterward cross it to take up defensive positions. Meanwhile, General Anzoegui, who was marching behind the Santander vanguard, attacked the royalist rearguard, cutting the royalist army in two and leaving them cut off. The patriot and royalist vanguards were on opposite sides of the river. Santander ordered Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Béjar to execute an encircling movement with his men along the right bank of the Teatinos River, thus attacking the royalist vanguard from behind. When Béjar crossed the river and reached the royalists’ rear, Santander ordered a bayonet charge on the bridge, which, along with the defeat of the rearguard by Ansoategui’s troops, ended the battle. Ultimately, Spanish Colonel José María Barreiro surrendered to the patriot army. Santander and Anzuágiui were promoted to major general in recognition of their actions that day. On August 10, the patriot army entered Santa Fe de Bogotá, having won the victory at Boyacá, and most of the territory of New Granada was liberated from Spanish control. Santander was considered a hero of Boyacá. His political career included serving as vice president of New Granada and Cundinamarca from 1819 to 1821. Following the victory at Boyacá on August 10, 1819, Bolívar appointed Santander governor and military commander of the province of Santa Fe. On September 11, he was named vice president of New Granada. He was granted broad powers in all branches of government. Bolívar had also tasked him with liberating the country. With these instructions, Bolívar headed to Angostura to propose to Congress the union of the liberated areas of New Granada and Venezuela. In October 1819, Santander ordered the execution of Colonel José María Barreiro and the other 37 officers captured in the Battle of Boyacá in the Plaza Mayor. In a report to Bolívar, he reviewed his decision and its effect in detail, as well as Santander’s political writings. Compiled by Jorge Orlando Melo, it mentions that Major General Francisco de Paula Santander, Vice President of Cundinamarca, presents to the government of the Republic and the peoples of the civilized world the motives and reasons that forced him to order the execution of 38 Spanish officers captured in the 1819 campaign, which took place in the city of Bogotá on October 11 of the same year. This was apparently done without the consent of President Simón Bolívar, who was out of the country and did not want to govern by shooting the enemy unnecessarily, which caused friction with Vice President Santander. Likewise, a peninsular civilian named Juan Francisco Malpica, who had expressed satisfaction with the executions carried out by Europeans during the Age of Terror and had taken refuge in the cathedral, believing himself protected from where he predicted the return of the Spanish army general, Pablo Morillo. Thanks to the confession of a priest, Santander ordered his execution. With the creation of the Republic of Colombia, Gran Colombia, in December 1819, the territories of New Granada and Venezuela became the departments of Cundinamarca and Venezuela. Santander became vice president of the department of Cundinamarca. Ministerial cabinet 1819 and 1821. Position Secretary of the Interior and Justice Name: Islao Vergara Sans de Santa María. Start 1819. End 1821. Position Secretary of Finance and War. Name: Alejandro Osorio Uribe. Start 1819. End 1821. Position General Advisor of Revenue. Name: Vicente Azuero. Plata Start 1819. End 18. Of the Mint . Name: José Miguel Pey. Start 1819. End 1821. Position Ministerial cabinet. Start 1821. End 1827. Name: Pedro Wal. Position Secretary of Foreign Affairs. From 1821 to 1825. Name: José Rafael Revenga, extraordinary envoy to the Court of London and Secretary of Foreign Affairs from 1825 to 1827. José Manuel Restrepo, Secretary of the Interior. Dr. José María del Castillo Irrada, Secretary of the Treasury. Pedro Briseño Méndez, Secretary of War and Navy, from 1821 to 1825. Carlos Slet, Secretary of War and Navy, from 1825 to 1827. Lino de Clemente, Secretary of the Navy from September to November 1826. José Félix de Restrepo, representative of the High Court of Justice in the Government Council. Bolívar and Santander during the Congress of 1821, vice president of Gran Colombia 1821 and 1827. In 1821, Santander was elected vice president of Colombia in the Congress of 1821, a position he held until 1826, before being reelected until 1828. This position had been held unsuccessfully for two years by Francisco Antonio Sea, Antonio Nariño, José María del Castillo Rada, and Juan Germán Roso. The difficulty lay in the fact that it entailed leadership of the state and government of the country due to the absence of the incumbent president, Simón Bolívar, due to the wars of independence in Ecuador, Peru, and the future Bolivia. While President Simón Bolívar campaigned in the south, his vice president, Santander, exercised executive power until 1827. Bolívar’s requests for the funds and soldiers he needed for the Peruvian campaign were not met by Santander. Since it involved aiding in a foreign war, this lack of diligence in fulfilling the noble liberation feat meant that the patriotic armies achieved victory with austerity. Santander was hamstrung in legally justifying such aid, as Article 128 of the 1821 Constitution only applied to cases of internal unrest, which is why priority was given to organizing the Republic’s forces against possible reconquests from the north. Nevertheless, Santander unsuccessfully took action before Congress to obtain the necessary law to provide Bolívar’s request. Amid the pressure, Santander authorized the minting of coins with less silver peso to cover the funds needed for the liberation campaign. Bolívar’s agents quickly realized this and rejected the request. Santander had to tap other state funds to carry out the campaign. Santander, Sketch by Helen Bedout, 1819. The majority of the country’s budget was allocated to war and the maintenance of the armies. Given this situation, it was necessary for Santander, with authorization from Congress, to commission Manuel Antonio Arrubla and Francisco Montoya as agents of the Colombian government to secure resources abroad. Thus, in 1824, a poorly negotiated loan was contracted with Bea Goldsmith & Co., with exorbitant interest rates that were practically unaffordable at the time. These funds were used to partially cover government needs, pay debts, and revive agricultural and mining activities. Ultimately, the economic and military support Bolívar requested for the Peruvian liberation campaign ended up arriving in austere fashion, despite the country’s needs, the economy, and the threat of the Holy Alliance between Spain and France. It obtained legislative approval, without which the independence of America would always be at risk, as he himself declared to Congress. After accepting the role of dictator in Peru, Bolívar, finding no one to turn to for resources in Peru, began requesting them from Gran Colombia. He even tried to encourage Santander with some of his letters. Please send those 4,000 men Ibarra has gone to look for. And the day you learn they’ve arrived in Peru, make a Udeta and exclaim, “Colombians, there are no more Spaniards in America.” However, after a while, Santander, in one of his replies, reminded him that he couldn’t give him everything he asked for under the current conditions. If Congress gives me financial aid or I get it from Europe, you’ll have the aid, and if not, I also specify that for all the help I was asking for, I would ask Congress for a law to be able to assist, because up to now I haven’t had any. But when Bolívar insisted, he answered bluntly, “I am the ruler of Colombia, not of Peru. The laws they’ve given me to govern myself and the Republic have nothing to do with Peru, and their nature hasn’t changed because the president of Colombia is commanding an army in foreign territory. It’s too much to send some troops south.” I had no law that prevented me from doing so, nor a law that placed me at your command, nor a law that prescribed that I send to Peru whatever you needed and requested. Under this situation, Santander also resorted to consulting Congress on whether the ranks and positions granted by Bolívar in the army of Colombia would be valid, considering that Bolívar had accepted a position as governor in a foreign country, the House of Representatives concluded that he had ceased to be president of Colombia for admitting a dictatorship in Peru without permission from Congress. Given this situation, the same alleged incompatibility of functions arose. This institution opted to remove Bolívar from command of the Colombian army fighting in Peru. In 1826, after returning from Peru, the election of Bolívar as president and Santander as vice president was reconfirmed. On October 28 of the following year, upon receiving the civic crown of Peru, Bolívar being president, took it in his hands. He declared that the Colombian people were the only worthy of it. He went to Santander, placed the crown on his shoulders, and declared that the vice president, as the first of the people, deserves this crown. Crisis with Bolívar, see also September Conspiracy. In addition to the tensions caused by the continuation of the southern campaigns, ideology also divided both leaders. On the one hand, Santander advocated a federalist government in which the power of the president and the military would be limited. On the other hand, Bolívar defended the idea of ​​a unitary state where power would be vested in a president for life until his death, with the power to appoint whomever he chose to public and hereditary positions . Bolívar’s vision was continental, but others demanded compliance with the foundations and promises established since the formation of Gran Colombia, namely, allowing greater participation in government and regional autonomy. Simón Bolívar’s absolutism and abuses by the military who supported him, with the possibility of remaining president for life until his death, alongside those he chose with hereditary benefits. The confrontation with regional autonomy, federalism, and the right to participate in government increasingly distanced the two leaders. The Bolivarians supported the implementation of the Bolivarian Constitution in Greater Colombia, a Constitution that implied the presidency was for life and the absence of elections. Santander and his followers preferred to maintain the Constitution signed in Villa del Rosario with reforms that would limit absolutism and abuses in government. Tensions intensified in 1826 when Páez came into conflict with Santander’s authorities and sought to separate Venezuela from Colombia during the movement known as the Coiata. Santander asked Bolívar to mediate the situation in Caracas, and Bolívar agreed with Pez, which was not well received by the Santeristas. Furthermore, after the uprising of Colonel José Bustamante y del Villar in Lima became known in Bogotá, the Council of State in Peru, which Bolívar had left to represent him after arguing with Peruvian representatives, removed Bolívar’s office as president for life and annulled the Constitution imposed by Bolívar. Days later, General Agustín Gamarra militarily took Bolivia and, with the support of the Bolivians themselves, Gamarra appointed Bolivian representatives to discuss the experience in Lima and the discoveries in the documentation of the Lifelong Constitution. A day later, he expelled all foreign followers of Bolívar. Marshal Sucre was given public safe-conduct passes, in which Santander participated. Furthermore, the agitator Vicente Asuero had constructed a defamatory document against Simón Bolívar and the Bolivarian Constitution, but several uprisings arose, and in an attempt to calm the situation, a meeting was convened in 1827 to discuss terms. It was agreed that this would be held in the city of Ocaña on April 9, 1828. In September 1827, Bolívar assumed the presidency, displacing Santander. After leaving office, Santander was elected deputy for the province of Bogotá to attend the Ocaña Convention in 1828, where he defended republican principles based on federalism. At that convention, two proposals were discussed. First, reforms to limit absolutism and abuses in government. The second proposal was the Constitution. lifelong. However, the representatives who supported Bolívar abandoned the convention on the day the dictator dissolved Congress. The 1821 Constitution was annulled. All representatives in public office who did not accept the proposal for a lifelong Constitution were removed from public office. This included the vice president, Santander. At that time, opponents were persecuted. On September 25, 1828, the event known as the September Conspiracy occurred. Emissaries of Bolívar’s opponents broke into the San Carlos Palace with the aim of killing Bolívar, who managed to escape through a window thanks to Manuelita Saín. Due to what happened after a trial, the day after the incident, an eight-person tribunal was created to judge whoever they considered to have participated and bring them to trial. However , a few days later, Bolívar found the accused acquitted. The Santander case had already been dealt with; however, Bolívar collected all the cases where there were accused. However, this meant death without trial for pending cases, even those acquitted. Admiral Padilla was one of those who had already been acquitted and received a death sentence signed by Urdaneta, who summarily acted on all cases assigned to him. Santander was accused of treason and found guilty of the attack. He was demoted, dishonorably discharged, and sentenced to be shot in the back, but Simón Bolívar spared his life and exiled him. The events surrounding the unexpectedly created tribunal and the killings ordered in violation of all principles of impartiality or neutrality increased the growing dislike for Bolívar and the military leaders who followed him. The revolts continued as Bolívar’s health worsened. The Great Colombian-Peruvian War broke out in 1828 and 1829 over territories in northern Peru that Bolívar annexed to Gran Colombia. A dispute over sovereignty and boundaries arose, leading to a dispute between Ecuador and Peru, which ended in 1998. Venezuela declared its independence in January 1830, exiling Bolívar, considering him a risk. On May 4, 1830, Bolívar’s resignation from the presidency of Gran Colombia was accepted by the Admirable Congress, given that the government was under a dictatorship. This newly elected body was tasked with drafting a new Constitution. Joaquín Mosquera was elected interim president. However, military men, also followers of Bolívar, seized power by force under the command of Rafael Urdaneta. These followers demanded Bolívar’s return to the presidency. Urdaneta claimed to be Simón Bolívar’s representative while he was still in power. However, the Council of State gave the position of new president to Domingo Caicedo, who had to accept duties from the city of purification when he was unable to achieve this due to Urdaneta’s dictatorship in Bogotá. There was armed conflict until May 2, 1831. The followers who promoted Urdaneta’s cause were sentenced to exile and expropriation of property for treason to the cause of freedom. On May 13, 1830, the separation of Ecuador was announced, given the dissolution of Gran Colombia. In December of that same year, shortly before his death, Bolívar wrote: “The fact that we have not come to an agreement with Santander has harmed us all.” Exile 1829 and 1831 engraving of the biographical sketch of General Francisco de Paula Santander by Carlos Nicolás Reding, made in 1829 and published in Hamburg in 1830. After receiving his sentence, Santander left Bogotá on November 15, 1828, where he was taken as a prisoner to the city of Cartagena de Indias in order to [ __ ] a ship and go into exile. This would change when he reached the outskirts of the city in December 1828, where his escorts were instructed by General Mariano Montilla, superior commander of the Magdalena district, that the prisoner would not enter the city but rather the fortress of San Fernando de Bocachica. Although he was sentenced to exile by the Council of Ministers, Montilla, along with Urdaneta, decided to illegally imprison him in that fortress from December 4 to 19. Santander had left Bogotá He was ill, and the conditions of the cell where he was held in the military fort affected his health. He sent several letters complaining about this to Bolívar and Montilla. On December 19, he was transferred to the castle of San José de Bocachica, where his health worsened, and his access to paper and ink was gradually restricted by order of Montilla. Furthermore, his letters were also censored. His friends tried to help him by sending letters to the Liberator. He remained there for almost a year until General Antonio José de Sucre intervened in the situation and spoke directly with Bolívar about the matter. The result was his transfer from Santander aboard the frigate Cundinamarca to Puerto Cabello. On June 16, 1829, he arrived in Puerto Cabello on August 19. There, Pa granted him a passport to go into exile aboard the merchant vessel María. On August 27, arriving at the port of Hamburg some 48 days later, on October 15, 1829. During his stay in Europe, Santander traveled to several countries, visiting museums, factories, libraries , and meeting with various prominent figures from the Old Continent. During his stay in Hamburg, he was profiled by a local newspaper. After a while, he moved to Brussels, where he met the liberator of the Southern Cone, General José de San Martín. The two spoke for several hours about various American topics. This would not be the only time the two met. Of the meeting between the two, Santander said, “I have met General San Martín. He seems to me to be a good soldier, very lively and shrewd, but a friend of monarchies.” From there, he traveled to France, arriving in Paris on February 17, 1830, during his stay in the French capital. He was introduced to French society by General Joaquín Acosta, who was in the city on a government commission. He was able to meet the Marquis de la Fallet. The two held several conversations, and he also had the opportunity to visit his home. The general commented on this encounter in a letter to Bogotá: “The first time I saw the venerable Lafayet, I was frozen with admiration and respect. This gentleman has given me such a benevolent and distinguished welcome that I am confused.” Notably, Lafayet made several serious efforts to reconcile Bolívar and Santander. He even sent a long and beautiful letter addressed to the Liberator, which did not arrive in time when it was received in Bogotá. After a time, he left France to travel to England. In London, he met the English philosopher and utilitarian Jeremiah Benham, who invited him to a dinner at his residence in the Anglo-Saxon capital. The Englishman gave him some books and pamphlets. Santander was delighted to meet him and visited him again the following year. He then briefly visited the Netherlands on his way to Germany, where he returned to Hamburg to visit some friends before continuing his journey to Prussia, where he visited the capital, Berlin, on July 16, 1830. While in Berlin, he met several members of the Prussian aristocracy, most notably Alexander von Humboldt, where the two discussed Colombia and Bolívar over lunch at the Prussian nobleman’s home. He also toured several German cities, including Dresden and Munich. In September 1830, he crossed the border into Italy and traveled through Verona, arriving in Venice on October 6, 1830. Upon arriving in Florence on October 13, he was received at the palace of Grand Duke Leopold I and Princess Maria Anna Carolina of Saxony. They took a certain interest in the Colombian general , asking him about his life in Colombia and whether he was thinking of returning to the Americas. He also met Camillo Borghese, Prince of Sulmona, who accompanied him during his visit to the various museums and art academies in the city. Santander left the city on Monday, December 6, in a rented carriage. Accompanied by Francisco García, a native of Havana, they traveled to Rome, where he had the opportunity to visit the Vatican, the monuments, and the Roman ruins. Santander left Rome on February 23, 1831, where he arrived in Florence. While there, he learned of the death of the liberator Simón Bolívar, noting it in his diary. Today, I read in the Docommerce journal of February 21, about the death of General Bolívar, which occurred near Santa Marta on December 17. 1830. A loss for independence. When one of his servants, José Delfín Caballero, joyfully told his employer about the news of the liberator’s death, Santander responded intensely. In America, only the miserable can rejoice at Bolívar’s death. Santander returned to Paris once more in April 1831 en route to the French capital. He traveled through Switzerland. In June, he returned to England, where he dined with Bentam once more before leaving for Scotland, where he arrived in Edinburgh. He then went to Ireland before returning to Paris for a third time. In Paris, he met with Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera, whom he introduced to General Santander. He appeared before the court of King Louis Philippe I of France on September 16, 1831, where he had a pleasant conversation with the king and queen. Later, in an attempt to be closer to New Granada, Santander traveled to the United States, arriving in New York on November 10. He then traveled to Philadelphia. During his stay in North America, he maintained a friendship with Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon’s older brother. He also had the opportunity to visit Washington , DC, the White House, where he was received by President Andrew Jackson. Presidency 1832 and 1837. Fragment of Santander’s portrait in the presidential office of the Casa de Nariño, Bogotá. Following the dissolution of Gran Colombia and the establishment of the Republic of New Granada in 1831 , under the control of the Civilista faction, it was decided to recall Santander from his exile, which had taken him on a tour of Europe and the United States. Then, after the signing of the 1832 Constitution, Santander was offered the presidency of the Republic on an interim basis. The general was also reinstated in his honors and military ranks, which he had been stripped of when he was sentenced to exile for treason following the failed assassination attempt on Simón Bolívar. Santander received the news of his presidential election while in the United States, and thus, despite being elected on March 9, he only took office after arriving in Bogotá months later, on October 7, 1832. During that period, the presidency was held by his vice president, José Ignacio de Márquez, who was in the city. His interim term ended on April 1, 1833, but he was elected president of New Granada for the following term. Congress ruled that Santander’s presidential term would run from that date to April 1, 1837, resulting in a four-year term. Thus, until 1886, the presidential inauguration date was set on April 1, when it was changed to August 7, the current presidential inauguration date in Colombia. During his administration, Santander was supported by leaders such as Vicente Azuero, his principal collaborator, pursuing a liberal policy similar to the one he had pursued as vice president of Gran Colombia. His government was responsible for providing the necessary stability to the new state, and to this end, he heavily intervened in reforms to the treasury and education, and developed and strengthened the new country’s diplomatic relations. Article 112 of the 1832 Constitution divided the single existing office into three. The cabinet thus became the Secretariats of the Interior and Foreign Affairs, Finance, and War and the Navy. The secretaries in Santander’s office were the following: Education Statue of Santander in Medellín. The main concern of his work, family, and Santander’s obsession, was public education, as he believed it had been the reason for the revolution and that a nation in formation primarily needed men capable of carrying it forward. To strengthen it, he created the so-called Santander schools, dedicated not only to secondary education . Basic education was offered in schools, but also to university education with courses in theology, philosophy, medicine, and law. Many of the schools created during that time still exist, some as secondary schools and others as universities. In total, he created 20 large colleges in the capitals of most of the provinces. The colleges were created with a A liberal and secular spirit, including a strong utilitarian bent based on Bentham’s readings, albeit with a critical perspective. He established universities, colleges, and cultural centers in Venezuela, Cundinamarca, Cali, Santa Librada, and Quito, as well as the University of Cauca and the current Central University, the National University. Economy. Regarding the treasury and the national economy, Santander’s government was the first to begin dismantling the colony’s fiscal structure by eliminating the Alcabala taxes and exploitation rights. While the existing monopoly on tobacco cultivation was maintained, its export was promoted, as well as that of coffee and cotton, and, to a lesser extent, that of the country’s other agricultural products. The uniformity of the currency and the first law regulating the retirement of public employees were achieved in 1835. By the end of his term, President Santander had his house in order to the point where there was no deficit, but part of the diplomatic corps never forgave him for cutting spending on components. His representation was republican and simple, although certainly majestic and elegant. Foreign Relations. The main concern of Granada’s diplomacy was to achieve recognition abroad. During Santander’s term, the Merchant Marine continued to be promoted. The first treaty of friendship was signed with the also nascent government of Venezuela in 1833, and recognition from the Holy See was achieved, making New Granada the first nation in Spanish America to achieve such recognition in 1835. Previously , Gran Colombia had already been recognized by Great Britain, the United States, and the Holy See, which it firmly secured. In addition to obtaining patronage in 1826, he threatened the Pope with organizing the Church completely independently of Rome. Controversies. The provision of textbooks by the English utilitarian Jeremiah Bentam to schools and the openly liberal and progressive measures the government began to adopt provoked a reaction from the more moderate sectors of the Civilistas, led by former Vice President José Ignacio de Márquez, who, along with the Bolivarian remnants, became the opposition to the government. The latter were intercepted with the discovery of a conspiracy led by General José Sardá. This political group was later called the Ministerial Group , which would eventually give rise to the Colombian Conservative Party. The more progressive sectors, led by Vicente Azuero and José María Ovando, among others, who had remained to support Santander’s administration, would become the Colombian Liberal Party. At the same time, Santander has also been considered the founder of the Liberal Party, and Bolívar the founder of the Conservative Party. After his post-government term, he refused reelection to the presidency when his term was ending. He managed to unite his followers around a single candidate, José María Ovando. After his party split due to personal problems with his former vice president, José Ignacio de Márquez, who was ultimately elected president in 1837. During this period, Santander complained of severe cramps, and doctors could find no explanation for his pain. Outside of government, Santander became a senator of the Republic and was elected president of the Congress of New Granada, remaining in office until his death in 1840. Santander’s death in Bogotá after a long agony, oil painting by Luis García Evia. He also led the opposition to Márquez, and as he prepared to begin his campaign for reelection, he fell gravely ill on the very day he was to give a speech. Making his will, he expressed, “I wish I had loved God as much as I loved my country.” Francisco de Paula Santander died in Bogotá on May 6, 1840, at the age of 48. His autopsy revealed, in addition to two gunshot wounds and one spear wound, that he died of gallstones, which was the reason for the severe cramps that ultimately killed him. His remains currently rest in Bogotá’s central cemetery, a tomb that was declared a national cultural asset. Private life, temperance, and appearance. According to one of his Biographers and close friends, the historian José Manuel Restrepo Vélez Santander, was a tall, thickset man, perhaps with a tendency toward obesity, with white skin and a manly appearance. He was dedicated to his duties, passionate about his work and fond of money, which is why he tended to be obsessive about everything he did. In addition, he was extremely cultured, despite not completing his university studies. Regarding his character, Restrepo stated that he was a person of rough character, similar to military commanders in their mature years, but that he changed over time until, in his later years, he became a kinder and more open person. House of Santander in Cúcuta. Family Francisco de Paula Santander, like his companion and rival, Simón Bolívar, was the son of wealthy Creole parents, but was orphaned in his childhood. His parents were Juan Agustín Santander y Colmenares and his third wife Manuela Antonia de Omaña y Rodríguez. His siblings were María Teresa, Pedro José, and María Josefa Santander y Omaña. Only María Josefa, his younger sister, survived to adulthood and had children. His father was a soldier and landowner, and a captain of the comuneros in Cúcuta. He died in 1808 at the age of 63, and his paternal uncle, José Salvador Santander, was appointed leader of the insurrection in Táchira. His mother died in 1819 during her son’s liberation campaign. His maternal uncle, the priest Nicolás Mauricio de Omaña y Rodríguez, who played an important role in the beginning of the revolution, sponsored Francisco de Paula when he entered the semi-Partan Colegio de San Bartolomé, where Omaña was vice-rector, appointed by his brother-in-law Juan Agustín, one of his sister’s brothers-in-law, Pedro Briseño. His only surviving sister married Venezuelan Colonel José María Briseño Méndez, a veteran officer wounded in combat, son of Colonel Pedro Briseño del Pumar and brother of Pedro Briseño Méndez, also from Venezuela. The Briseño-Santander couple produced seven children, the godparents of the engagement being Santander himself and his then-partner Nicolás Ibáñez, his wife Sixta Pontón Piedraita, Vargas, and Maríaca. His father was married twice before to Justa Rufina Ferreira García; Juan had Bárbara and Cecilia Santander Ferreira, who died as children. Widowed by his second marriage to Paula Petronila de Vargas Machuca y Arellano, daughter of the former mayor of San Cristóbal, Venezuela, Francisco de Vargas Machuca, he gave his children Juan Nepomuseno, Antonio Ignacio, Antonio María, and José Eugenio Santander y Vargas, mayor of Cúcuta, in 1821. Only Juan and José ever had children, marriage, and offspring. For most of his youth, Santander was engaged in various military campaigns in different parts of New Granada and Venezuela, so he remained single for much of his life. However , Santander managed to have five children during his lifetime, four of whom he recognized as legitimate. His first son was Manuel Santander, born in 1811 when Santander was barely 19 years old. His mother was a woman of good standing with whom Santander maintained a relationship during his time in the town, when he was still a second lieutenant in the National Guard volunteer battalion. His second son, born on August 23, 1833, was also conceived out of wedlock, more precisely with María de la Paz Piedraitta Murgeitio y Saens de San Pelayo. His name was Francisco de Paula Jesús Bartolomé Santander Piedraita, as his father and Santander affectionately called him Pachito. Santander married the Cist lady Pontón Piedraita, a native of Soacha, on February 15, 1836, in Soacha . Their wedding was celebrated with great pomp at the San Bernardino Parish, the first Catholic religious building erected in the current municipality, a neighbor of Bogotá, which still stands today. With Sixta Santander, he had his children Juan, Clementina, and Sixta Tulia Santander y Pontón, and one of his grandsons Manuel de Freire y Santander. His eldest son, Pacho Santander, married María Jesús Gaona. Juan, his second son, died in infancy. Clementina married the Peruvian diplomat Manuel Freire Santa Cruz, with whom he had the Peruvian- American diplomat Manuel de Freire y Santander. Freire was in turn a cousin of the military officer Manuel Villavicencio Freire. His youngest daughter, Sixtatulia, married Manuel Suárez Fortul, former mayor of Bogotá, who was the nephew of the military man Pedro Fortul Sánchez. Fortul was Santander’s cousin through the former president’s mother. Despite being a man of letters and leaving a wide variety of writings, including letters and other documents, little is known about his love affairs, which were indeed few but intense compared to those of Simón Bolívar. In fact, there was a popular saying of the time, which evidences the belief that Santander was influenced by his lovers when making important decisions. The phrase reads: “The homeland was born in the Beds of the Cibáñes with Bolívar and Santander as protagonists in the bewitching Ocaña. In the same sense, Bolívar came to affirm, there will be peace in Colombia the day that Nicolasa and Bernardina Ibáñez, Bárbara Leiva and [ __ ] Roche die. Rumors pointed to a rivalry between Santander and José Ignacio de Márquez, his vice president, who frequented Nicolasañez de Caro, his favorite lover. It is known that Santander, on Nicolas’s birthday, arrived at the lady’s house and found Márquez. And knowing that he was of her affections despite their friendship, Santander felt jealous and expressed his discomfort with the presence of the politician. His anger reached the point where he took Márquez and tried to throw him out of the window of Iváñez’s house, but she intervened and avoided the tragedy. However, from that day on, Santander and Márquez distanced themselves from each other. always. The correspondence related to his love affairs, which is still preserved, was between him and his sister Josefa Santander, in addition to fragments described by his beloved Nicolasita Onica. One of Santander’s epistolary testimonies, related to the subject, dated 1838, gives an account of all the loves he had. Regarding the piconcita, as Nicolás Aváñez was affectionately called, it is known that Santander forgave him a debt that her late husband had contracted with him solely because of the love he felt for her. Tributes to the General Santander Birthplace Museum. Santander lived here until 1805. The most important school of the Colombian National Police is called the General Santander Police Cadet School. The department in which he was born is called Norte de Santander, and to the south of it is the department of Santander. In 1827, the municipality of Santander de Quilichao, in the north of the department of Cauca, changed its name from Quilichao to Santander in gratitude for his administration. Santander’s face has appeared in the One-peso bills with Bolívar, 100-peso, 500-peso, and 2,000-peso bills. In his hometown, which borders Venezuela, there is a 9-meter-high bronze statue in La Gran Colombia Park. On the Boyacá Bridge, the site of Colombia’s Battle for Independence, there is a statue of him, among others found there. The Santander House Museum and the Academy of History are located in his birthplace . Santander Park is located in downtown Bogotá, at 7th Avenue and 16th Street. Similarly, there are many parks named after him in many cities across the country. One of Santander’s most famous quotes is found in the Colombian Palace of Justice in Bogotá : “Colombians, weapons have given you independence, laws will give you freedom.” The main square of the National University of Colombia in Bogotá is officially named Plaza Santander. Until 1976, the square housed a sculpture of the national hero by Luis Pinto Maldonado. The national government pays tribute to various entities in the country. awarding the Francisco de Paula Santander decoration. Colombia is connected to the state of Táchira, Venezuela, by the Francisco de Paula Santander International Bridge and the Simón Bolívar International Bridge. In the municipality of Ocaña, site of the convention held in 1828, there is a bust of General Santander on a pedestal and is located in 29 de Mayo Park, Santander Park or Ocaña Main Park. The Colegio General Santander in Seville, Valle del Cauca, founded on May 6, 1940, in commemoration of the first centenary of his death, is located in southern Bogotá. One of the two INEMs (National Institute of Education and Training) in the city is located. called INEM Francisco de Paula Santander, founded on November 20, 1969, by a decree issued by then-President Carlos Yeras Restrepo. Colegio San Simón, an educational institution in Ibagué, founded by Francisco de Paula Santander; Francisco de Paula Santander University, a higher education institution located in Cúcuta. Santander Park, or the Santa Marta Bride and Groom Park, has borne his name since the 1930s. Santander Park, in the El Prado neighborhood of Barranquilla, has a statue of Santander dating from 1922. In the historic center of the city of Sincelejo, in front of the San Francisco de Asís Cathedral, is Santander Park. Built in 1944 under the direction of Spanish architect Leonardo Beltrán de Guevara, it was built on what was the capital’s former central square. A statue of General Santander also stands there as an illustrious tribute to the great New Granadan hero. In Paris , France, a statue of General Santander was installed in what is now Place de Colombia. Located in the 16th arrondissement of the French capital, it was inaugurated in 1990 with the distinguished presence of the then mayor of Paris, Jack Shirac, and the former president of Colombia, Virgilio Barco, thus honoring Francisco de Paula Santander in Europe as one of the true heroes of civil and legal tradition in Latin America, as well as recognizing his direct and heroic work in the independence process of the South American nations. In the presidential office of the Casa de Nariño, headquarters of the Colombian government, there is a painting of Santander in his civilian clothes. Next to it are also portraits of Antonio Nariño and Simón Bolívar.