The arrival of wagons to the Andes: Construction of the Cambao Wagon Road in 1880s Colombia

The slow adoption of wagon roads on the Andes is an event widely noted. In this article we document the arrival of the first wagon road to the Andes: the Cambao wagon road connecting Bogotá to the Magdalena river valley in 1885. The road projects, its construction and traffic once it opened are presented and discussed using a variety of newly identified archival sources. It is argued that the historic and economic significance of this technological milestone was probably obscured by the all too soon expected arrival of railways.