Independence Day on the Way!

On July 20, 1810 in La Casa del Florero (the House of the Flowerpot), located on the corner of Bogotá's Plaza Bolivar, a group of Colombians got into a dispute with a Spanish-born man over a flowerpot. When the Spaniard refused to lend the Colombians the flowerpot, the Colombians smashed it and ran into the street yelling in protest.

That incident is considered the beginning of the region's revolution against Spain, and Colombia will commemorate its bicentennial this Tuesday.

Expect lots of parades, concerts and fireworks, which will scare my dog. They're already getting ready, with concert structures filling the plaza, and concert platforms between the pillars of the Congress building.

All around the plaza lots of street vendors and performers are doing their thing. Also, a group of Afro-Colombians, who are among the poorest Colombians and those most impacted by the its outlaw guerrilla and paramilitary groups and narcotraffickers, are demanding more attention from the government.

Look here for a humorous take on the bicentennial, with a few digs at Argentina: http://www.chebicentenario.com/

This blog written by Mike Ceaser, of Bogota Bike Tours