José María Samper and the Magdalena River Boatmen: Writing, Tensions, and Nation in 19th-Century Colombia

Abstract

In the second half of the nineteenth century, Colombia’s liberal elite faced the challenge of consolidating a unified and modern nation. José María Samper, a prominent liberal politician and writer, exemplifies this process in his work Travels of a Colombian in Europe (1862), where he recounts his journey from Honda to Cartagena along the Magdalena River. This journey was crucial for understanding and “mapping” the nation, despite the territory being perceived as wild in the nineteenth-century Creole imagination. Samper was not alone; he relied on the essential support of the bogas, local river navigators marginalized in national discourse but vital for river transport. Samper’s and other writers’ accounts legitimize their role as national representatives while revealing tensions with the bogas, who resisted the authority of white travelers. This approach offers critical insights into the social and cultural dynamics between hosts and visitors within the Colombian national space. Samper did not travel alone; he relied on the help of the bogas, river navigators who facilitated transport and, although marginalized in the national discourse, played a vital role. The texts of Samper and other writers legitimized their position as representatives of Colombia, but they also revealed tensions with the bogas, who resisted the authority of the white travelers. This approach offers new perspectives on host/visitor relationships within the national space. Keywords: travel literature; 19th century; Colombia; Magdalena River; bogas