Being a descendant of a Sabanalarguero means speaking of the golden age of the 19th and 20th centuries. This process began in the 1930s, following the end of conservative hegemony and the government of Miguel Abadía Méndez. Finally, the municipality's golden age ended in the 1970s, when Sabanalarga ceased to be the political and administrative epicenter of the department of Atlántico.
A conservative town, the only one in the entire Atlántico department, that defined departmental politics thanks to the strength of its votes and its regional leadership. This political tradition has been consolidated since the time of independence.
In 1830, Sabanalarga was created as a municipality.
At the end of the 19th century, the influence of long-standing conservative and liberal movements grew, beginning to shape regional political life.
Between 1905 and 1930, it consolidated its position as an agricultural and livestock center for the department, with fairs and markets that attracted merchants from the region.
In the 1920s, social clubs and cultural spaces emerged, thanks to the richness and virtuosity of its land. Its first settlers were founders of Spanish Sephardic origin. The municipality adopted the motto "Intelligence is power," and from there emerged notable figures who became deputy comptrollers and deputy ministers, such as Jaime Berdugo, among others who held high positions.
Students from Sabanalarga have even worked for NASA. In Bogotá, there is the Sabanalarguera Association, which keeps this regional pride alive.
CARLOS RODADO NORIEGA
Minister of Mines and Energy.
House Representative for the Atlántico.
President of Ecopetrol.
Governor of the Atlántico.
EVARISTO SURDÍS JULIAO
Deputy for the Atlántico.
Councilman of Barranquilla.
Representative to the Chamber of Deputies.
Senator of the Republic.
Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Comptroller General of the Republic.
Representative of Colombia to the UN.
Minister of Labor.
Presidential candidate in 1970, defeated by Misael Pastrana Borrero.
FRANCISCO DE PAULA MANOTAS
Minister of Public Works (1906-1908).
President of the Sovereign State of Bolívar.
JOSÉ AGUSTÍN BLANCO BARROS
Historian and intellectual, noted for his understanding of regional and national history.
JOSÉ CONSUEGRA HIGGINS
Representative to the Chamber of Deputies.
Senator.
Founder and rector of Simón Bolívar University.
Held positions in the National Planning Department.
HERNÁN BERDUGO BERDUGO
Deputy for Atlántico.
Councilman.
House Representative.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Justice of the Superior Court of Barranquilla.
CARLOS MARIO ZULUAGA PARDO
Currently Deputy Comptroller General of the Republic.
Delegate Comptroller for Citizen Participation.
Acting Comptroller General.
Companies such as CILDECO were founded in Sabanalarga. However, the municipality entered a political decline due to clientelism, which destroyed partisan ideologies. The emergence of new parties, coupled with the economic and urban growth of the Barranquilla metropolitan area, motivated the elites to move to Barranquilla, Soledad, and Bogotá in search of better opportunities.
Edier Mendoza Vanegas
September 4, 2025
