Congress of Cúcuta establishes Gran Colombia with Bolívar as president
- When
- 1821
- Where
- Villa del Rosario de Cúcuta; Congress of Cúcuta; City of Cúcuta
- Episodes
- 3
The Congress of Cúcuta established the Republic of Gran Colombia in 1821, formalizing the union of New Granada and Venezuela. Simón Bolívar and Francisco de Paula Santander were elected as president and vice president, respectively, following the promulgation of the Constitution of Cúcuta.
Episodes
- Promulgation of the Constitution of Cúcuta
The Congress of Cúcuta drafted and approved the Constitution of Cúcuta, establishing the republic's capital in Bogotá.
- Culminating Event of the Congress
The culminating event of the Congress of Cúcuta took place on August 30, 1821, in the city of Cúcuta.
- Election of Vice President Santander
Francisco de Paula Santander was elected Vice President of Gran Colombia in a heated vote against Antonio Nariño.
Background and detail
Background. Gran Colombia was proclaimed through the Fundamental Law of the Republic of Colombia issued during the Congress of Angostura in 1819. However, the state did not come into being until the Congress of Cúcuta promulgated the Constitution of Cúcuta in 1821, establishing the republic's capital in Bogotá.
Congress of Cúcuta. The Congress of Cúcuta, formally the General Congress of Colombia, was a constituent assembly held at Villa del Rosario de Cúcuta. It confirmed the political union of New Granada and Venezuela, first proclaimed at the Congress of Angostura, and created the Constitutional organization of the Republic of Colombia.
Election of Leaders. The Congress elected Simón Bolívar and Francisco de Paula Santander as president and vice president, respectively. Santander was elected in a heated vote, overcoming General Antonio Nariño by a margin of 38 to 19 votes after the Constitution of Cúcuta was proclaimed.
People involved
- Simón Bolívar · President
- Francisco de Paula Santander · Vice President
- Antonio Nariño · Candidate
Sources
- Congress of Cúcuta Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-02
- Gran Colombia Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-15
- Francisco de Paula Santander Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-03
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.