Gabriel Garcia Marquez' One Hundred Years of Solitude alludes to many of the historical real events of Columbia. Specifically, the Banana Strike Massacre, the Thousand Day War, and The Violence. Bringing these real and traumatic historical elements into such a magically wonderful and surreal town suggests that nothing is impermeable to the brutality of reality, not even the secluded and cocoon-like town of Macondo. This outside force that starts from one central location ends up affecting everything, and everyone, no matter how alienated. This is what ultimately brings about the steady decline and destruction of Macondo, something which the Buendia family fails to realize.
Ever since Columbia won its independence from Spain in 1810 it has been faced with political hardships. The two main political parties, the Liberals and the Conservatives have fought most brutally and gruesomely resulting in Columbia's devastation and loss. This political diversion is even represented in the country's regional layout.
edited image of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, signing in...
19/03/2009 La Ministra de Cultuta de Colombia Paul...
Image of Gabriel Garcia Marquez signatureThe people from the Caribbean coast are called "the costenos," which are said to be more radical and Liberal, whereas the people from the central highlands, "the cochaos," are said to be reformed and Conservative. This division is what led to the endless rebellions and civil wars of the nineteenth century.
In 1899 the War of a Thousand Days began. This was by far one of Columbia's most devastating civil wars (the Liberals lost), and approximately 100,000 people were killed. Marquez' grandfather fought in this war, and many of the soldiers who fought in this war have found themselves fictionalized in Marquez' novels destined to live on forever.
The Banana Strike Massacre commenced in 1928. For the first two decades of the twentieth century not only was coffee one of the main exports of Columbia, but bananas played a vital role in the countries economy as...