Guillermo París Sanz de Santamaría

The Enterprise of Omnibuses

He founded the first serious enterprise of omnibuses in Bogotá which covered mainly the route between Bogotá and Facatativá. The fleet, imported from Philadelphia, consisted of four carriages which he named "Azucena", "No me olvides", "Rosita" and "Trinitaria". They were decorated with pictures of actresses of the time, scenes, mirrors and lanterns. The carriages were of such high quality that at least one of them was active for forty three years. This enterprise's contribution to the economic progress of Colombia was commented by various writers. Isidoro Laverde wrote (translated quote from Spanish): "The capital, negligently leaning at the foot of Monserrate and Guadalupe [mounts], for long long years saw its streets paved with stone covered with weed in the absence of any noise that is not the one from the nocturnal ghosts. Only two couches circulated its streets, the one from the Archbishop and the one from the Viceroy, that passed by the Alameda to a little distance from the convent of San Diego. The use of couches did not start to be generalized until, in 1854, señor Guillermo París took this industry on his own account." In the words of one of the best journalists of the time, "as we arrived in Facatativá we found the pleasant surprise of the establishment of the enterprise of omnibuses founded by the progressive gentleman Mr. Guillermo París; since then [people] were able to traverse the plateau in relatively comfortable vehicles ...". Upon the demise of París, the company went to Ignacio Osorio Ricaurte.