August 6: The Spanish conqueror Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada founded Bogotá, in 1538, Capital of Colombia today.

Spanish conqueror Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada

Today is the anniversary of the founding of Bogotá by Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada, in 1538. The metropolitan area of Bogota today includes the municipalities of Cajica, Chia, Cota, La Calera, and Soacha, with a population of more than 8 million inhabitants that have never been told precisely by the innumerable tenements.

Santa Fe de Bogota (now days Bogota) was founded in August 6 of 1538, by a Spanish conqueror called Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada. 

Quesada founded Bogotá with a church, where the first Catholic mass was celebrated on August 6, 1538 in what he named Santa Fe de Bogota. Quesada and his men remained in the region until the arrival in 1539 of the expeditions of Sebastian de Belalcazar coming from Ecuador, and Nicolas de Federman coming from Venezuela.

Bogota. Founded by Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada, 1538. Engraving, 1850

The three leaders agreed to send expeditionary its territorial claims to the arbitration of the crown. Jimenez de Quesada conquered the land called New Kingdom of Granada, in honor of the city of Granada in Spain.

Map of the Republic of Colombia, nowadays

From Cartagena they sailed to Spain, where Quesada presented its requirement to be governor. Quesada returned in 1549 with the honorary title of governor of El Dorado.