Pamplona History

History

By Lorraine Caputo

Pamplona was established in 1549 by Pedro de Urgúa and Ortún Velasco, who promptly enslaved the indigenous Chitarero nation. A few years later, this new town developed into a gold and silver mining center, one of the richest in the Spanish colonies. Pamplona also became the base for the founding of many cities in both Colombia and Venezuela (Mérida, San Cristóbal and La Grita), thus earning it the monicker 'Ciudad Fundadora de Ciudades,' or 'Founding City of Cities.' With the rise of the comunero movement against Spanish rule in the late 18th century, Pamplona turned into an important center of rebellion. In 1810 it declared its independence. Between 1817 and 1819, a Reign of Terror gripped it, meriting another alias, this from Simón Bolívar: 'Pamplona, Ciudad Patriótica.' Once the Colombia Republic was formed, Pamplona was designated the first capital of Santander Department, in 1857.