Santander Department

Prior to the arrival of the Spaniards, the territory now known as Santander was inhabited by Amerindian ethnic groups: Muisca, Chitareros, Laches, Yariguí, Opón, Carare and Guanes.

Their political and social structure was based on cacicazgos, a federation of tribes led by a cacique, with different social classes. Their main activity was planting maize, beans, yuca, arracacha, cotton, agave, tobacco, tomato, pineapple, guava, among others. Their agricultural skills were sufficiently developed to take advantage of the different mountainous terrains. The Guanes utilized terraces and an artificial system of irrigation. They had a knowledge of arts and crafts based on ovens to produce ceramics. They had cotton to make clothing and accessories such as hats and bags.

Spanish conqueror Antonio de Lebrija led the first expedition through the area in 1529. The area was later invaded c. 1532 by German Ambrosius Ehinger in a quest to find El Dorado. This disrupted or destroyed many of the Amerindian villages. Some ethnic groups like the Yariguíes, Opones, and Carares fought the conquerors until they became extinct. Explorer Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada later went to the area in an effort to appease the tribes. The colonization process in the area was started by Martín Galeano who founded the village of Vélez on July 3, 1539 and Pedro de Ursúa and Ortún Velázquez de Velasco founded the village of Pamplona (now part of the Norte de Santander Department) in 1549.

Once the Amerindian tribes were dominated, the Spanish organized the territory based on Cabildos (councils) to maintain the dominance and administer justice in the conquered territory. Amerindians were assimilated and subject to the encomienda regime to work in agriculture, manufacturing goods, and mines. These two villages functioned as centers for the Cabildos' territories. In 1636 the Cabildo of Vélez was transferred to a new jurisdiction centered on the village of Girón, with an area which went from the Sogamoso River, Río del Oro to the Magdalena River. The village of San Gil was created in 1689, segregated from the Jurisdiction of Vélez. In 1789 the village of Socorro was also segregated from Vélez and they were all put under the mandate of the Province of Tunja, a subdivision of the Viceroyalty of New Granada. On July 9, 1795 the corregimiento of Vélez – San Gil – Socorro was created due to the unsustainability of the Province of Tunja, and local government was established in the village of Socorro.

• Arepa Santandereana, corn cake with salt and pork
• Arroz de Peñaflor
• Empanadas Santandereana, local empanada
• Hormigas culonas, roasted "big butted" ants; the winged ants used are especially abundant in March and April
• Carne oreada, thin steak
• Sobrebarriga
• Fricassee Santandereana, a preparation of viscera and blood of goat mixed with white rice and accompanied with roasted goat ribs.
• "Bocadillo Veleño" Guava sweet and milk sweet mixed in a roll-shaped wrapping.
• Arepa de 'pelao'. Yellow corn cake made of specially ground corn.
• Sobrebarriga tamales
• Carne seca
• Cabrito; goat; cabrito is meat from a kid (baby goat).
• Mute (food), a soup of various grains and meat together with cow's viscera.
• Changua, milk and egg broth
• Fritanga, fried beef, sausage, viscera and blood sausage snacks
• Pepitoria, rice with goat intestine and goat blood
• Chorizos del Valle de San José, a chorizo specialty
• Yuca

• Chicha de maiz, chicha from maize
• Chicha de corozo, chicha from palm nut
• Masato Fermented rice drink.
• Goat milk
• Guarapo
• Aguardiente, alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane (White rum)
• Panela's limonada, lemonade drink with sugar cane.

The most outstanding and representative artists of the Colombian Santander department are Segundo Agelvis, Mario Hernández Prada, Carlos Gómez Castro, Martín Quintero, Oscar Rodríguez Naranjo and Pacheco de Suratá.

The department is subdivided into provinces: