Population Growth in Late-Nineteenth-Century Bogotá Insights on a Demographic Dilemma

A lack of reliable statistical information hampers the analysis of Bogota’s nineteenth-century demographic history. Census data suggest rapid changes—both declines and increases—that challenge the accuracy of official statistics. Two heretofore unused sources suggest a more stable rate of demographic expansion over the course of the nineteenth century, indicating that the 1851 and 1870 censuses seriously undercounted the city’s residents. The rapid expansion after 1870 stemmed from increased native birth rates, but more importantly by migrants from eastern highland communities.