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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