200 years of the Republic - The constitutions of 1821 and 1991

On the 200th anniversary of the promulgation of the Constitution of Villa del Rosario de Cúcuta of 1821 and 30 years of the Constitution of 1991, Villegas Editores publishes - fulfilling a request from the Presidency of the Republic - this two-volume case profusely illustrated on the two great cards:

The Constitution of Villa del Rosario de Cúcuta of 1821, sanctioned when the emancipatory feat had not yet been completed, gave birth to Gran Colombia, Bolívar's dream of uniting Venezuela, New Granada and Ecuador into a single state. The historian Fabio Zambrano, supported by extensive research in the General Archive of the Nation, narrates from the colonial antecedents and the first American movements that were more in support of Fernando VII than in independence proposals until the fierce return of the king and the war. of independence. As a main part, the creation of the Constituent Congress and the sanction of the Constitution. But this is not a languid narrative: unpublished documents describe the problems behind the scenes, the different internal trends and tensions and shed new light on the dissolution of this enormous state. The graphic material also has, in addition to the historical and important graphics and art, many surprises and new contributions.

The 1991 Constitution, living and transformative, is, in the words of author Manuel José Cepeda, the only one that has governed this country that “was not made against anyone, and has protected us all.” The very tone of this book, written from the vision of someone who was one of its main managers, is agile, deep and illuminating. Cepeda tells us first-hand how the Seventh Ballot Movement and the call for the National Constituent Assembly emerged—thanks to the initiative of a group of students, President Virgilio Barco, and the clamor of different groups—in the midst of the ashes of a dejected country; the debates, proposals, counterproposals and agreements that led to its promulgation. Throughout these 30 years, the Constitution has had such a profound impact that it has led to Colombia being a different country today than the one that existed in 1991.

But a large part of the book reveals to us the different facets of the Magna Carta, its true scope and strengths, the debates that have been generated and, finally, its future projection.