History of Leticia

By Lorraine Caputo

The history of Leticia embraces many legends. One legend goes back to the Spanish and Portuguese exploration of the Río Amazonas. When Begnino Bustamante established San Antonio in 1867 on orders of the Peruvian government (to prevent Colombia from staking a claim on the river), he called it San Antonio, after a cross inscribed with this name found at the site where a Portuguese explorer and his expedition had starved to death. Peru and Colombia had a number of confrontations in the region, intensifying in 1911 until the Salomón-Lozano Treaty of 1922, giving Colombia access to the Amazon River and at which time the town’s name was changed to Leticia. Why Leticia? Perhaps not for Santa Leticia, as one would think. Another tale says for the indigenous woman a Colombian soldier had fallen in love with. In 1933, 300 armed Peruvians invaded Leticia, proclaiming it part of that nation once more. Another bilateral agreement was signed in 1934, creating a demilitarized zone around Leticia, unhindered navigation on the Amazon and Putumayo Rivers and a pledge of non-aggression on the part of both countries. To ensure Leticia would remain loyal to Colombia, the federal government populated the town with Bogotanos. In the 1960s and '70s, Leticia’s economy boomed thanks to the drug trade. Once the drug cartel was arrested, Leticia fell into onto hard times, relying heavily on tourism.