Country history · South America

History of Colombia

21 recorded states lay in what is now Colombia, from Zenú (200 BCE) to the Republic of Colombia. 3 of them have a full profile, and 2 outside powers ruled here.

ProfileState (capital or seat)6 without a known seat not shownOpen in the atlas →

Profiles

Empires that ruled here

Timeline

3rd century BCE

  1. Zenú200 BCE – 1535 CE · chiefdom

3rd century

  1. Tairona200 CE – 1600 CE · chiefdom

9th century

  1. Muisca Confederation800 CE – 1540 CE · tribal confederation

14th century

  1. Iraca1300 CE – 1537 CE · theocracy
  2. Tundama1300 CE – 1539 CE · chiefdom
  3. Zacazgo of Hunza1300 CE – 1537 CE · chiefdom

15th century

  1. Inca Empire1438 CE – 1533 CE · profile
  2. Zipazgo of Bacatá1450 CE – 1538 CE · chiefdom

16th century

  1. Castilla de Oro1513 CE – 1538 CE · colony
  2. Klein-Venedig1528 CE – 1546 CE · colony
  3. New Kingdom of Granada1538 CE – 1717 CE · colony
  4. Viceroyalty of Peru1542 CE – 1824 CE · profile

17th century

  1. Providence Island colony1630 CE – 1641 CE · colony

18th century

  1. Viceroyalty of New Granada1717 CE – 1819 CE · colony

19th century

  1. Free and Independent State of Cundinamarca1810 CE – 1815 CE · republic
  2. United Provinces of New Granada1811 CE – 1816 CE · republic
  3. Gran Colombia1819 CE – 1831 CE · profile
  4. Republic of New Granada1831 CE – 1858 CE · republic
  5. Granadine Confederation1858 CE – 1863 CE · republic
  6. United States of Colombia1863 CE – 1886 CE · republic
  7. Republic of Colombia1886 CE – present · republic

In the encyclopedia

Shared histories

States that also lay in other present-day countries:

States of South America → States of Mesoamerica and the Caribbean → All country histories →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). History of Colombia. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/colombia
MLA
“History of Colombia.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/colombia. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “History of Colombia.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/colombia.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘History of Colombia’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/colombia (Accessed: ).