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In 1514, the Spanish first permanently settled in the area. With Santa Marta (1525) and Cartagena (1533), Spanish control of the coast was established, and the extension of colonial control into the interior could begin. The conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada colonised a large area in the region, by following the Magdalena River into the Andean cordillera, defeating the powerful Chibcha people and founding the city of Santa Fé de Bogotá (c.1538) (currently Bogotá) and naming the region El nuevo reino de Granada, the new kingdom of Granada, after the kingdom of Granada which had existed until 1492 in southernmost Spain.

To establish civil government in New Granada, an Audiencia (a "court of hearing") was established at Santa Fé de Bogotá in 1548-1549, a body that combined executive and judicial authority, until a presidencia or governor was established in 1564, assuming executive powers. The jurisdiction of the Audiencia court over the surrounding provinces determined the territory corresponding to New Granada, as new provinces were created in the following years.

The governor was loosely dependent upon the Viceroy of Peru at Lima, but the slowness of communications between the two capitals led to the establishment of an independent Viceroyalty of New Granada in 1717Events January 4 — The Netherlands, Britain & France sign Triple Alliance March 2 — Dancer John Weaver performs in the first ballet in Britain shown in Drury Lane The Loves of Mars and Venus March 31 Bishop Benjamin Hoadly, acting on the advice of King Ge; other provinces corresponding to modern EcuadorThe Republic of Ecuador is a country of South America. Republica del Ecuador ( In Detail) National motto: Libertad y Orden ( Spanish; "The peace and wellbeing, the glory and triumph" Official language Spanish Capital Quito Largest City Guayaquil President and VenezuelaThe Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish: Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela "Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela") is a country in northern South America. 1 It borders the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean to the north, Guyana to the east, Brazil to, and eventually PanamaPanama ( Spanish: Panam is the southernmost country of Central America. It constitutes the last part of a natural land bridge between the North American and South American continents. History Main article: History of Panama Panama was part of Spain's colo, until then under other jurisdictions, came together in a political unit under the jurisdiction of Bogota, confirming that city as one of the principal administrative centers of the Spanish possessions in the New World, along with Lima and Mexico CityMexico City ( Spanish: Ciudad de Mexico known in Pre-Columbian times as Tenochtitlan is the capital of Mexico; it geographically spans both the Mexican Federal District and part of the state of Mexico, to the north of the Federal District. Mexico City is. Sporadic attempts at reform were directed at increased efficiency and centralized authority, but control from Spain was never very effective. The establishment of a captain-general in Caracas and a presidency at Quito established local traditions that all the efforts of Simón BolívarSimon Jose Antonio de la Santisima Trinidad Bolivar y Palacios ( July 24, 1783 December 17, 1830) was a Venezuelan revolutionary leader. He is credited with leading the fight for independence for what are now Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivi could not overcome.

After Ecuador and Venezuela had established their independence,"the Republic of New Granada" lasted from 1831 to 1856, and "New Granada" was a usage that survived in conservative circles, such as among ecclesiastics. Today, some people in Colombia's neighbor countries still refer to Colombians sometimes as 'neogranadinos'.

Further details are at History of ColombiaThis is the history of Colombia . See also history of South America and the history of present-day nations and states. Pre-Colombian period During the pre-Colombian period, the area now known as Colombia was inhabited by many different indigenous peoples.