Aficionados of military history who might otherwise have no interest in Latin America will be drawn to Colombia’s War of the Thousand Days (1899-1902) for its drama and consequence. It can be described without hyperbole as a contest for the soul of a nation. Those seeking insights regarding the nature of civil or guerrilla war, or those who wish to trace the determinants of Colombia’s current misery, could benefit from the study of this little-known violent episode. A century after the peace treaties were signed Colombians still live in its shadow.
