sentences:  Before the Spanish conquest it was the territory of the Muisca, which was the most developed in the country socially, culturally, and in productivity.Post-conquest governmental power was exercised by the Governor General, who was directly appointed by the King of Spain.After several centuries of Spanish rule, and after fierce battles, the people won their freedom from Spain in the Battle of Boyacá, where on August 7, 1819, troops under the command of Simón Bolívar defeated the Spanish forces.