Why is July 20, 1810, celebrated as Colombia’s Independence Day?

July 20, 1810, is commemorated as Colombia’s Independence Day because it marks the date of a significant uprising in Bogotá against Spanish officials.123

It is important to clarify that while this date is celebrated as Independence Day, it did not immediately result in full independence. At the time of the 1810 uprising, the new local governments actually swore allegiance to the Spanish king, Ferdinand VII, who was then in captivity following the French invasion of Spain. Formal declarations of independence did not begin until 1811, and the nation's independence was not definitively secured until the victory of Simón Bolívar at the Battle of Boyacá on August 7, 1819.231

The 1810 event was part of a broader movement across New Granada where subordinated jurisdictions removed their Spanish officials, reflecting the growing political unrest and desire for autonomy among Creole leaders during the Napoleonic Wars.23