History of Barranquilla

It was at this time that the city became important for its booming business and its strategic geographic location, becoming the first port on a river of Colombia.

On January 6, 1885, revolutionary forces under General Ricardo Gaitán Obeso occupied the city. On February 11, the head of government, General Vicente Carlos Urueta, attacked an area defended by General Nicolás Jimeno Collante. Urueta triumphed over Obeso, but additional troops overtook Urueta. The modern Republic of Colombia was established the following year. Barranquilla became one of the 34 new departments, comprising the provinces of Barranquilla and Sabanalarga. During this time, the city was established as the principal port of Colombia helped along by the commissioning of the steam tramway in 1890 and the construction of the port of Puerto Colombia in 1893, which served as the Barranquilla port into the 20th century.