Google celebrates Colombian Independence Day with a doodle on July 20

Google today dedicates a beautiful doodle for honoring Colombia’s Independence Day. On this day, July 20 in 1810, Columbia’s independence movement was sparked by a rather unassuming culprit: a broken flower vase—and culminated with Colombians marching on the Bogota town square to demand liberty.

The Colombian Declaration of Independence refers to the events of July 20, 1810, in Santa Fe de Bogota, in the Spanish colonial Viceroyalty of New Granada. They resulted in the establishment of a Junta de Santa Fe that day.

Here’s the history of Colombian Independence Day: The Spanish first arrived in Colombia in 1499, founding the first permanent settlement in 1510. Under the reign of King Charles III (reigned 1759-1788), resentment in the colonies was growing as the Spanish insisted that the colonies could only trade with Spain, limiting their growth and also as the Spanish support for the Americans in the US war of independence increased taxation. This had led to small, ineffective rebellions. Following the Napoleonic Wars and the turmoil in Europe, Criollos (natives born from Spanish descent) who wanted independence seized their chance.

On July 20, 1810, an uprising in Bogota was seen as the catalyst for independence and it is that uprising that is celebrated by the Declaration of Independence holiday. In the months leading up to July 20, there had been insurrection and declarations of juntas (Military governments) in the region and it was expected that it was only a matter of time before similar events happened in Bogota.

From urban centers in the valleys of Antioquia to the villages harbored along the Amazon River, Colombians come together today to celebrate freedom and their cultural heritage. It’s common to prepare the national dish of bandeja paisa, which typically consists of minced meat, white rice, red beans, fried egg, plantains, pork, and avocado and is served in such generous portions it has to be brought out on a tray! Other traditions include gathering to play tejo, a game believed to have originated with central Colombian Indigenous cultures, in which opponents throw metal disks at explosive targets.

Google honors Colombian Independence Day on July 20 by dedicating an astonishing doodle to all the citizens.

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