1939 Gachetá massacre

On January 8, 1939, a mass shooting occurred in the town of Gachetá, located in the department of Cundinamarca, Colombia, roughly 100 km from the capital, Bogotá. The event took place during the presidency of Eduardo Santos, a member of the Colombian Liberal Party.

According to the official version of events, the shooting resulted in nine deaths and seventeen injuries. All of the victims were reportedly affiliated with the Colombian Conservative Party.

Although the available record characterizes the massacre as an incident related to public order rather than a directly political act, the Conservative Party used the event for political purposes in the aftermath. This led to a public scandal, with the newspaper El Siglo alleging that the massacre had been ordered by the Santos government itself.

The precise details surrounding the massacre — including motive, perpetrators, and the full circumstances of the shooting — remain disputed. No individuals are identified by name as responsible for the killings, and no prosecutions, convictions, exonerations, or legal resolution are documented.