Objective/Context:

This article studies Ashkenazi migrations to Colombia in the nineteenth century and their role as intermediaries in the capitalist shaping of the country. This mediation occurred through a transatlantic network between Frankfurt, London, Manchester, and Bogotá via Kingston and Cartagena, a network formed over four generations by the Stiebel-Schloss-Koppel-Kopp extended family.

Methodology:

A significant number of documents were analyzed, related to members of the network and to the commercial firms Schloss Brothers, Stiebel Brothers, Koppel & Schloss, and Kopp & Castello, from various archives in Germany, England, Jamaica, and Colombia, as well as from the virtual genealogical platforms MyHeritage and FamilySearch. Thus, it was possible to reconstruct in great detail the chronology of their transit locations, the particular characteristics of their commercial activities, and numerous aspects of their biographical trajectories.

Originality:

This study considers ethnicity as a relevant variable in the economic and commercial historiography of Colombia. Specifically, it underscores the importance of the Jewish identity of many migrants arriving in the country after the Independence, a factor that allowed them to become privileged actors in foreign trade. It also contributes to a better understanding of Jewish migrations to Colombia, a subject that has received little attention by scholars.

Conclusions:

The article reveals the fundamental role played by the transatlantic community formed by Ashkenazi migrants as they served both the interests of the British Empire throughout Spanish America and the project of the elites of the new Spanish American republics, who sought to insert their countries into the global capitalist economic system. In the case of Colombia, this insertion meant incorporation into transatlantic commercial circuits.

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