By the 1520s–1530s Spain had established key Caribbean ports on the northern coast of today’s Colombia. Santa Marta (1525) and Cartagena de Indias (1533) became launch points for expeditions up river routes into the Andes. These footholds made the later conquest and colonization of New Granada’s interior possible.
In 1536, Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada led a large expedition from Santa Marta into the interior, traveling up the Magdalena River and then into the Andes. The journey cost many lives from disease, hunger, and conflict, but it opened a route into the highland societies Spain had not yet controlled. This expedition set the stage for the takeover of the Muisca heartland and the creation of the “New Kingdom of Granada.”
By March 1537, Quesada’s reduced force reached the highlands and began moving through Muisca-controlled areas. The Muisca were organized as a confederation of rulers, with major centers on the Altiplano Cundiboyacense. The Spanish advance marked the start of a sustained campaign (1537–1540) that dismantled Muisca political power.
In August 1537 the Spanish compelled the submission of Hunza (the northern Muisca seat, later Tunja). Taking Hunza helped the conquistadors control key populations and tribute networks across the high plateau. It also weakened the ability of Muisca leaders to coordinate resistance across the confederation.
On 6 August 1538, Jiménez de Quesada founded Santafé de Bogotá in the Bogotá savanna, creating a permanent Spanish center in the highlands. The new town became the core administrative and settlement hub for the interior. Its location supported Spanish control over surrounding Muisca communities and trade routes.
In August 1538, Spanish forces allied with Muisca fighters under the ruler Sagipa to defeat the Panche at Tocarema. The battle reduced a serious military threat on the western edge of the plateau. It also showed how the conquest could depend on temporary alliances between Spaniards and indigenous rivals.
In April 1539, rival conquistadors Sebastián de Belalcázar and Nikolaus Federmann reached the Bogotá area and, with Quesada, carried out steps associated with a more “legal” founding process. The three leaders then agreed to take their competing claims to Spain. This dispute influenced how the Crown later organized authority in New Granada.
In July 1539, the Spanish founded Vélez in the interior north of the plateau. New towns like Vélez served as military and settlement nodes, tightening Spanish presence in contested regions. They also connected inland areas to supply routes leading back toward the Caribbean ports.
On 6 August 1539, the Spanish founded Tunja on the site of Hunza. Along with Bogotá, Tunja became a major colonial center for settling Spaniards and organizing labor and tribute from surrounding communities. The new city helped expand Spanish control across the northern highlands.
In 1540, Aquiminzaque, the last major ruler (hoa) of Hunza, was executed by Spanish authorities in Tunja. His death symbolized the collapse of traditional Muisca leadership structures in the northern highlands. This helped the Spanish impose colonial institutions such as encomiendas, which assigned indigenous labor and tribute to Spanish settlers.
On 17 July 1549, the Spanish Crown created the Royal Audiencia of Santa Fe de Bogotá, a high court that also carried executive authority. This was a key step from conquest leadership toward more formal royal administration. The Audiencia’s district covered major provinces including Cartagena, Santa Marta, and Popayán, linking coast and interior under a single governing framework.
On 1 November 1549, Pedro de Ursúa and Ortún Velázquez de Velasco founded Pamplona in the northeastern interior. The town became a strategic base for further expeditions and for organizing colonial control in a frontier zone. Its creation illustrates how conquest shifted into colonization through town-building, land distribution, and the spread of encomiendas.
On 7 April 1550, the Royal Audiencia of Santa Fe de Bogotá held its first session, putting royal governance into day-to-day operation. The institution strengthened Spanish legal control, supported settlement policies, and helped coordinate provincial administration. Over time, it became central to governing New Granada until later viceroyal reforms.
In 1564, Andrés Díaz Venero de Leiva was appointed the first president of the Royal Audiencia in the New Kingdom of Granada. The presidency strengthened executive government alongside the court’s judicial role. This marked a shift from early, conquest-era control toward a more stable colonial bureaucracy centered in Bogotá.
Conquest and colonization of New Granada (1537–1600)