Both in the National Historical Archives and the disarticulate and dusty archives of the official Archives of the Municipality of San Gil, are found the names of the people who discharged the positions of Ordinary Mayors, Aldermen, Major Constables, Attorney Generals and Treasurers, the first authorities of the town since the beginning of its public life, excluding, Royal Ensigns, Governors, Provincial Prefects, Department Governors and President of the Sovereign State.
The list of what could be named the gallery of political-administrative authorities of San Gil from its foundation to the present is the following: Jose de Rueda Sarmiento, Captain Bernardo de Rueda, Captain Francisco Diaz Sarmiento, Juan de Rueda Rosales, Francisco de Rueda Rosales, Cristobal Durn, attorney Leonardo Currea de Betancur, Captain Gabriel Angel Ortiz, Pedro Jose de Rueda y Luque, Manuel Gomez Romano, Ignacio Martin Nieto, Luis Beltran Pujol, Juan Salvador Rodriguez del Lago, Antonio Jose Garcia de Cabrera, Pedro Jose Martin Moreno, Ramon Javier Navarro, Alonso Sarmiento, Pedro Martin de Rojas, Jose Lzaro Camacho, Pedro Jose Plata, Miguel Antonio Melendez de Valdez, Ignacio Hernndez Saavedra, Diego Jose Surez, Jose Clemente Sarmiento, Nicols Mariano Zapata, Felipe Gonzlez de Noriega, Bernardo Wendurriaga, Mariano Gomez, Vicente Martinez Reyes, Juan Rafael Acevedo de la Parra, Jose Felix Durn, Ignacio Martinez, Vicente Romualdo Martinez, Mariano Joaquin Gomez Plata, Ignacio de Uribe or Oribe, Antonio Jose de Silva, Pedro Velasquez, Jorge Nieto de Paz, Juan Bautista Araoz, Justiniano Fonseca y Rojas, Gaspar Alvarez Mollar, Custodio Pelez de Estrada, Jose Bernardo Ortiz Navarro, Felipe Santiago Esparza, Pedro Jose Cortes Jose Angel Ortiz, Manuel Jimenez Rodriguez, Antonio de Uribe Salazar, Jose Gil de Rueda, Toms Gualdron de la Pentildea, Pablo de Rueda, Pedro Alejandro Vargas, Manuel Antonio Otero, Matias de Atuesta, Roque Maria Estengo y Estralgo, Pedro Cadena, Pedro M. Navarro, Francisco Garcia Pimentel, Francisco Pradilla y Ayerbe, Francisco de los Angeles Surez, Francisco Hidalgo y Rodriguez, Ignacio de Uribe y Mantilla, Juan Agustin Melendez y Valdes, Esteban Javier de Otero, Felipe de la Pentildea, Miguel Vicente Pradilla, Manuel Melendez, Cristobal Rodriguez, Diego Martinez Aponte, Jose Durn, Salvador Melendez, Rafael Martinez Patintilde, Gregorio Durn, Francisco Vargas Jaramillo, Joaquin de Mota, Ricardo Martinez, Samuel Silva, Juan Bautista Gonzlez, Rafael Gomez Martinez, Sergio Gomez, Daniel Rueda, Joaquin Gomez, Ismael Reyes, Rafael Durn Acevedo, Adolfo Rueda, Felipe Santiago Rueda, Bernardo Gomez, Julio Enrique Otero, Antonio Snchez, Moises Berbeo, Jose Angel Mejia, Manuel Reyes, Manuel Gomez, Roberto Pinzon Santamaria, Rito Rueda Rueda (father), Manuel Pinzon, Enrique Garcia Rueda, Gustavo Pradilla Frasser, Rafael Correa, Ramon Alvarez, Diego Silva Parra, Eliecer Cadena, Marcelino Martinez, Rafael Gomez Navas, Henry Gonzlez, Jose Antonio Soler, Enrique Pieschacon, Guillermo Leon, Martiniano Valbuena, Captain Umantildea, Major Santamaria Caro, Captain Pinilla Maldonado, Colonel Juan Bautista Moreno, Hernn Gomez Silva, Arturo Dominguez Parra, Clodomiro Castillo, Eduardo Vesga Arenas, Leon Gonzalo Vargas, Colonel Victor Delgado Mallarino, Doctor Alvaro Durn Reyes, Benjamin Ardila Diaz, Doctor Rito Rueda Rueda (son), Colonel Hernando Padilla, Jaime Torres, Hernn Durn Mantilla. The reader could compare these names with the ones of the Mayors of Zalamea or Fuenteovejuna. As it is known, the King named aldermen in the cities founded by Spaniards. They were distinguished personalities. Together, they formed a noble senate whose yearly function was to chose the mayors who rule under the Council. The Mayors were entrusted with the good order of the city. Their tenure ended in one year, from which derives the popular saying: “Each Mayor commands in his year”. In the head of provinces existed mayors for life with jurisdiction above the mayors of other ad scripted towns of Indians and mestizos. The Royal Ensign had the pompous ritual of publishing or accepting a new sovereign or a royal event. When the Royal Ensign was absent, these duties corresponded to the attorney general. About the colonial authorities, I will mention the juridical institutions in the care of the political-administrative authorities. Encomienda (certain estates assigned or granted by the Spanish Kings), Custom and Mita (enforced service of Indians). created to accustom the natives to social life. A group of natives’ families were entrusted to the authority of a Spanish Chief for instruction in exchange of labor in an encomienda. The Encomenderos converted their institution in the most varied forms of slavery. The Custom would give a piece of land to Indians in exchange for an annual tax the Indians had to pay to the Crown. Some customs became towns. The Mita was a tax of agricultural, domestic, industrial and mining labors which the authorities demanded of the natives. The Indians were sent to inhospitable climates with their families. This Mita disappeared with the work of missionaries (40).
Besides the authorities mentioned, San Gil was the Seat of Governors Corregidors, Attorney Generals, Treasurers, Royal Ensigns, Generals, Burgomasters, Mayors, Priests, Attorneys etc. I would stop here in order not to fatigue the ancient history reader. The National Historical Archives have published several volumes of documents of Colombian cities with a Spanish past. There are many in the General Archives of Indias of Seville “Audiencia de Santa Fe” copies prepared by Ms. Pilar Navajas Jimenez, Archives Employee, for my colleague and diplomat Luis Madero F., Colombian Consul in Seville, Spain and his secretary Enrique Daza who sent them to me for this publication. I will mention three documents from the Archives of Seville. The first one refers to the Title of Possession of Don Juan de Rueda, Ordinary Mayor of the town of Guane.(41) “Don Carlos, by the Grace of God, King of Castile, Cordoba etc. in agreement with the Royal Council of Indias, ordered a Royal Edict for the many Indian towns of the New kingdom of Granada. To assign Mayors and Constables for the town of Guane situated a long distance from the town of Velez. I notify my Governor and Captain General of the New Kingdom of Granada and President of the Royal Audiencia that Don Jose de Rueda, native of Priego, be named Mayor of Guane for the administration of Justice and Authority of the Indians Guanecatin, as indicated in my Royal Edict, dated in Madrid, May 28, 1664. I the King, by command of the King Our Lord, Don Antonio Ortiz de Otlora”.(42) The second document (43) relates to the Title of Governor of the City of Santa Cruz y San Gil to Jose Lzaro Camacho in June 1793. It states: “Santa Fe June 11, 1793, the time of Don Gil de Rueda as Governor of the City of San Gil has expired. Don Jose Lzaro Camacho, a person of good conduct, intelligence and disinterest is named to serve the same term of his predecessor, Ezpeleta”. The third document refers to the appointment of Royal Ensign of the town of Santa Cruz y San Gil of the New Baeza. It states: “The King nding the position of Royal Ensign of the town of Santa Cruz y San Gil of the New Baeza empty, found Don Luis Jose de Rueda tting all the requirements for this position. Thus I order my ofcials and declare to give him this employment with the salary according to the Rules of Salaries, given in Aranjuez on February 8, 1694, I the King. (44) Manuel de Negrete y de la Torre. To end this chapter, I will recall how the burgomasters and ancient authorities used permanently a baton as a true symbol of authority. Then, the crisis of the principle of authority did not exist, as we suffer today. To corroborate this statement, we have the book of “Consulates”, Volume 3, Files 468 to 476 which reads that Jose Maria Estengo, in 1798, complained against the Corregidor Juan Salvador Rodriguez del Lago for prohibiting the use of his baton. The same thing did Mariano Joaquin Gomez Plata, then, Mayor of San Gil, against the Postmaster of Barichara, Ignacio Carrizosa, for using a beautiful baton without right. This obligated him to leave it at home. This is from the book “Correos de Santander”, Volume 1, Files 669 to 674.
San Gil was the Capital of the Sovereign State of Santander in 1860, when General Leonardo Canal transferred there on September 8 to 15 of the same year, when General Eustorgio Salgar moved to Socorro.