President Gustavo Petro presided over a ceremony at the Casa de Nariño on Tuesday, unveiling a significant artifact from the country’s tumultuous past: the iconic hat of former M-19 guerrilla commander Carlos Pizarro.
Petro received the hat from a group of M-19 exiles based in Sweden, known as the “Officers of Bolívar”, who had safeguarded it in a Scandinavian vault for decades. The event marked a poignant moment as the hat belonged to President Petro’s former guerrilla leader, and now, under the leftist leader’s mandate, declared Cultural Heritage of the Nation by Colombia’s Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Knowledge.
“The hat of Carlos Pizarro is part of the nation’s cultural heritage for its representation of peace for Colombia,” reads the Presidential statement.
The ceremony, held in the Council of Ministers Hall, was attended by dignitaries and officials, symbolizing the significance of the artifact in Colombia’s history of conflict and peacebuilding efforts.
“This hat is a symbol of peace. Undoubtedly. And it should remain here. It will be heritage. This is a heritage of love. So it is handed over to the Colombian people, who are its rightful owners,” President Petro remarked during the unveiling.
Carlos Pizarro Leongómez, the former commander of the M-19 guerrilla, wore the hat during pivotal moments in Colombia’s peace process, including the March 8, 1990, weapons handover in the football field of Caloto, Cauca, following the group’s decision to abandon armed struggle and pursue peace through negotiations with the government of President Virgilio Barco.
The M-19 orchestrated one of the bloodiest episodes in Colombian history, with the storming of the Palace of Justice in Bogotá, on November 6, 1985, killing 109 civilians, including clerks and high court magistrates. President Petro was a combatant within the M-19 guerrilla at the time of deadly attack.
The hat’s journey from its exile safekeeping to becoming a national focal point of debate reflects Colombia’s complex path from conflict to reconciliation.
Liliana Ángulo Cortés, director of the National Museum of Colombia, underscored the meticulous preparation involved in setting up the exhibit. “The museographic setup of Carlos Pizarro’s hat was done with utmost care to ensure its preservation and to integrate it into the nation’s collective memory,” she stated.
Measuring 35.5 centimeters long, 30 centimeters wide, and 8.5 centimeters high, the hat is crafted from natural and synthetic fibers, with a distinctive brown leather sweatband and a black outer band.
Former right-wing President Álvaro Uribe Vélez spared no words on his “X” account regarding the hat entering the presidential palace. “National Shame!” he posted, and words echoed by many Colombians who see Petro’s validation of the M-19 guerrilla as an apology to terror.
Ex-Conservative President Andrés Pastrana who presided over peace talks with the FARC guerrilla, also outlined his position on the resolution to declare the hat cultural heritage of Colombia: “Petro’s intention to turn a hat supposedly worn by M 19 commander Carlos Pizarro into an object of national worship is an unprecedented insult to the victims of that terrorist group, to the compatriots who were kidnapped, tortured, murdered , to their families, and to the memory of our Army and Police heroes who died defending democracy from the infamous attacks of that group of criminals,” he said.
The litany of outrage was punctuated by the words of Senator María Fernanda Cabal: “Will they also make the filthy “Tiro Fijo” rag a national monument? When will they convert any plane belonging to M-19 drug trafficker Pablo Escobar into cultural heritage? We must work on a law that prohibits the honoring and apology of criminals or terrorists.”
The artifact will be housed in a specially designed display case at the Casa de Nariño, ensuring its accessibility for future generations to reflect on Colombia’s long-standing internal conflict.
Carlos Pizarro was assasinated inside a commercial airline flight from Bogotá to Barranquilla on April 26,1990.
