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Bogotá 1920's
Public transportation systems landmark their cities. I ask, if in fifty
years someone writes about Bogota today, will he or she overlook its
traffic jams? Bogota sixty years ago was a trolley car city, running in
all directions. Different color stripes helped passengers identify
destinations. Blue, yellow, white, Some headed to Cemetery, others to Chapinero, South, their final destinations written on the upper sides.
One managed the City, instead of being overwhelmed by it.
Initially there were tiny trolleys pulled by mules. Bogota ingenuity had
patented the popular stanza:
"Stop the mules! stop the trolley!.
The mules won't stop; if the trolley halts".
Shortly these small vehicles were replaced by electric trolleys which in
turn disappeared during the bloody riots caused by the assassination of
Jorge Eliecer Gaitan. Some had no windows or doors for all fares, and
latter, many were even closed in. They were known as the "Nemesias",
named after Dr. Nemesio Camacho who introduced them. A long wooden plank
extended along the sides of the first trolleys, each passenger taking
seats ceded by others. One could climb on by catching onto a vertical
pole before setting foot on the foot-board running throughout the length
of the trolley, hanging on to the straphangers along the ceiling rail.
The more expert youngsters could jump on without waiting for the trolley
to halt, and, likewise, we would jump out before completely stopping.
Electric trolleys provided the small townish city with airs of a
metropolis. Not only did social class fares begin to disappear on board,
all passengers were now democratically equal. Rarely did timid and
proper Bogota folk seek conversation with bench mates, unless
acquainted. Express service was also available, mainly for schools,
under the watchful eyes of stem proctors. The trolleys picked-up boys
and girls all the way from Bolivar Square to Chile Avenue, at its Camera
13 intersection, and carried them to schools along Bogota's North.
Schoolboys would bunch up on the comers without daring addressing the
girls waiting for the Sacred Heart express.
The trolley's stops reflected the cardinal points of this city of
250,000 people. The run started at Bolivar Square, and the main stops
within the city limits were at the main, traditional classical churches:
San Francisco, Las Nieves, San Diego; and from then on along an open
stretch to Camera 13 up to a final stop, the so called "trolley station"
(depot). At this point the Gimnasio Moderno schoolboys transferred onto a
smaller vehicle called "L for the Carrera 13 and Carrera 7 run, with
another clerical stop Porciuncula Church, from where they walked to
their campus on fields by Don Jose Maria Samper and directed, since time
immemorial Don Agustin Nieto Caballero.
The political quarrels leading Colombia to the Thousand Day Civil War
opened during the century's first decades. Nevertheless, a certain
amount of sectarism still lingered on, encouraging Liberals to open this
lays were practiced at the Gimnasio Moderno and students were given
more individual responsibilities. On the City's other extreme, towards
the San Bartolome School, headed by the Jesuits, and the La Salle by the
Christian Brothers, where Conservative youth was more Liberal families had
more faith in these traditional institutions, , Catholic principals and
severe discipline were taught. More t beyond the City's limits, Father
Gómez had founded Escuela Ricaute, a boarding school similar to Gimnasio
Modernoo. Famous alumni Alberto Lleras Camargo, Carios Sanz de Santamaria,
Alberto Gonzalo Jorge Zalamea and successful entrepreneurs such as
Rómulo Lara. This is a bothersome comparison for the Gimnasio Moder not
graduate anybody remotely similar.
Some horse-drawn carriages, mainly Victorias, still soldiered on a
radically charging fares, pursuant to distances called "runs",
negotiate the
coachman seated on the coach's box and passer-byes. M were scarce until
local fuel production came on stream.
The Jimenez de Quesada Avenue was the San Francisco River many years of
flooding during downpours, it was channeled via verged brick lined pipe.
The Avenue was built years later along between the mountains and the
current Camera Nine. Up to t and its trolley served as today's Jimenez
Avenue for those wishing to the Western Road, that is, the trolley along
that run dropped 15 onto Camera 13.
San Diego was the City's limits. Bogotanos could not detach the
charismatic Father Almansa's small Colonial church. His prove could be
appreciated, even at a distance, by his modest coarse wear. His charity
lured even the most diehard sinners, attracted angelical priest than by
their fear of the devil. Along Calle 26's long
extent, heading to Chapinero "Quintas", the large homes of the rich,
displaying European bronze names.
Rarely were local geographical appellatives used. Heaven forbid these "Quintas"
bear names such as "Antioquia", "Facatativa" or "Tuquerres'", it was
much more charming naming them "Alsace", "Marseilles" or "Lourdes", if
not "Albania" or "Singapore". Holidays and rest days were set aside to
watch black and white films called episodes, much like today's soap
operas, because they saddled the viewer with following the script Sunday
after Sunday. The more innocent ones were featured at the Cinerama, on
today's Jimenez de Quesada and Carrera 5 intersection, and the more
daring were displayed at the Faenza theater, on Street 22 between
Carreras 6 and 7. "Daring" was a figure of speech because rarely were love or erotic
scenes filmed. The "daring" of theaters such as the Faenza was mainly
young girls smoking in public to show-off to have the older kids single
them out as "dangerous girls".
The great annual spectacle were the Holy Week processions along Carrera
8 between the Cathedral and Las Nieves Church. Owners of two and three
story mansions along the route invited guests over for refreshments
while watching the parades of Our Lord of the Column, The Veronica, Our
Lady of Sorrows, and, on Sunday morning, The Resuscitated with its white
banner. To protect against indiscreet glances by boys on the sidewalks
below, straw mats and rugs were placed on the balcony fronts. This
avoided masculine curiosity to focus more on spectators' legs than on
the mysteries of faith.
Bogota's profane Carnival parade was along a comparable beat. Individual
and group costumes were readied months in advance. Gathering at the
social clubs, revelers climbed on trucks to continue partying, drinking
and singing.
Students selected their annual queen through daily balloting during a
whole week. Votes were bought and proceeds given to charity. Last minute
closing sponsor enthusiasm was noticeable as they balloted their final
contributions, a foretaste of the later practice of vote buying for the
election of our governing officials. Candidates for queen were selected
from Bogota's upper social ranks and solemnly crowned at the Colón
Theater, accompanied by some lyrical speech by era speakers, a López de
Mesa, or one of the poets, as Alberto Angel Montoya. Doña Maruja Vega,
later married to Doctor Carlos Arango Velez; Doña Amalia Zea and
Doña
Emilia Alvarez, later to become Mrs. de la Concha, were all sweethearts.
Sara Davila Ortiz and Mariana Khon were queens years later until the 50
year Carnival festivities forever disappeared from icy Bogota before
settling down in Barranquilla.
The greatest show for the learned crowed, particularly for students, was
on at six in the afternoon, the opening of both chambers of Congress.
Each time a history setting debate was announced, the public lined up
early to get a seat on the Senate or House galleries for lack of radio
and TV transmission. For example, how can one forget Laureano Gómez'
debate against President Suarez, causing the latter's downfall? How to
overlook the death sentence debate by the poet Guillermo Valencia on
behalf of the Conservative Party and Antonio Jose Restrepo, a Liberal,
on behalf of the opposition? Of course, what was least mentioned was the
death sentence. The issue being debated was the past 30 years of
history, the subject matter was not enough to cover the sessions' two
and a half weeks set aside to argue the practicality of reinstating the
death sentence in Colombia. It had been more than 20 years since the
issue had disappeared from the political scene. Even during the so
called Regeneration Era one could count with the fingers on the hands
those condemned to death for atrocious or political crimes.
Unfortunately such was the case of the guerrilla fighter known in Panama
as "Laurence the Indian" who was designated an Independence Hero by the
neighboring nation for being shot after amnesty had been proclaimed on
the Isthmus.
The early 1920's were peaceful and hopeful years. The benefits of Europe's peace impacted this remote Andean village. Also, the
possibility of enjoying United States compensation (25 million period
dollars) for damages caused to Colombia by Panama's succession, and
foreign loans greatly revived the economy during the early bonanza
years. This period was known as "owed prosperity". Nothing seemed to go
against this social peace generated by sustainable and unforeseen
progress. But, at the closing of the decade two events shook the
Republic of Colombia, and in particular its capital city. One was the
strike of the Banana Area workers where force was needed to restore
order with a still unknown death toll, tallied in the hundreds in Cepeda
and Garcia Marquez novels, but actually maybe in the twenties. The
second, which was like a prelude to the defeat of the Conservative Party
during the February 1930 elections, was the popular uprising against the
small cadre running the capital's bureaucracy under the inspiration and
leadership of a politician by the name of Hemandez, better known as the
"Chichimoco", who was forced to resign in view of the mass protests
threatening the Presidential Palace during the so called July 8 protests
when a student, under the last name of Bravo, fell victim to official
bullets.
From abroad came two innovations already forgotten by people younger
than 65. One was the use of the familiar form in addressing people. Men
and women of the same social condition and age always addressed each
other in the formal sense. In my case, my own wife whom I know since age
eight. Even today I still address her in the formal and she replies
likewise. The daughters of Guillermo Camacho Carrizosa, the
Plenipotentiary Minister in Spain, had returned from Spain and imported
the Castillian, better yet, Andalusian, familiarity sense. We were all
addressed in the familiar you and the innovation spread like wildfire.
Something similar happened with the kiss-on-cheek-greeting among
acquaintances. Nobody would have dared greeted or said goodbye with a
kiss on the cheek as today, and it is difficult to convince our
grandchildren that this was never seen in public, even under ceremonial
circumstances. I recall at the coed school in London, with a very
limited number of French students, that we would bet who had the right
to say good-bye with a kiss to the favorite female student at social
gatherings.
Another wave arriving during those days was the so-called Tu-Tan-Khamon
craze. Pharaoh Tutankhamen's grave had been discovered in those days by
Lord. Camavon, who died just a few days after visiting the burial
chambers. Legend had it that he had paid with his life for having
violated the Pharaoh's resting place.
The fascinated world watched as the infant Pharaoh's belongings
appeared. The Tutankhamen style spread throughout Europe, and even in
the Americas, in an effort to standardize the distinctive features of
the appeared one. Regarding these B.C. textiles, an infinite range of
squares were superimposed on the same cloths, supposedly tunics. A
feminine style surfaced, perfectly described by a period musical group:
"In my time children wore one-colored dress.
Today they sport rags and rags,
Tu-Tan-Khamon, mister don Simdn"
Bogota filled with shades, lamp shades, rug shades, hanging tapestries,
in a great show of the Pharaoh style.
It was during the Bogota of the 1920's that the newspaper "World Today"
appeared with the first animated "Mogolldn" drawings. "Mogolldn" was the
symbol of Bogota's period waifs. Article written by Alfonso López
Michelsen. |
