The nations of

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

and

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

established diplomatic relations in 1821 when Colombia became the first country in

Latin-America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish and Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geography, and as such it includes countri ...

to recognize Mexico's independence.History of diplomatic relations between Mexico and Colombia (in Spanish)
/ref> Both nations are members of the

Association of Caribbean States The Association of Caribbean States (ACS; ; ) is an advisory association of nations centered on the Caribbean Basin. It was formed with the aim of promoting consultation, cooperation, and concerted action among all the countries of the Caribbe ...

Community of Latin American and Caribbean States The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) is a bloc of Latin American and Caribbean states, consisting of 33 countries, and has five official working languages. It is seen as an alternative to the Organization of American Stat ...

Latin American Integration Association The Latin American Integration Association / Asociación Latinoamericana de Integración / Associação Latino-Americana de Integração (LAIA / ALADI) is an international and regional scope organization. It was created on 12 August 1980 by t ...

Organization of American States The Organization of American States (OAS or OEA; ; ; ) is an international organization founded on 30 April 1948 to promote cooperation among its member states within the Americas. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, the OAS is ...

Organization of Ibero-American States The Organization of Ibero-American States (, , ; abbreviated as OEI), formally the Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture, is an international organization made up of Member states of the Organization of Ibero-Am ...

Pacific Alliance The Pacific Alliance () is a Latin American trade bloc, formed by Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, which all border the Pacific Ocean. The alliance was formed with the express purpose of improving regional integration and moving toward complet ...

and the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

History

Both nations are host to great

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

cultures; the

Aztecs The Aztecs ( ) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the ...

and

Mayas Maya () are an ethnolinguistic group of Indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica. The ancient Maya civilization was formed by members of this group, and today's Maya are generally descended from people who lived within that historical region. Today ...

in Mexico and the

Muiscas The Muisca (also called the Chibcha) are indigenous peoples in Colombia and were a Pre-Columbian culture of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense that formed the Muisca Confederation before the Spanish colonization of the Americas. The Muisca speak ...

and

Incas The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The Inca civilisation rose fr ...

in Colombia. Colombia and Mexico both share a common history in that they were both colonized by

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and each nation was the seat of power of one of four Spanish viceroyalties. Soon after gaining independence in 1821, the newly independent

Mexican Empire Mexican Empire may refer to: * First Mexican Empire The Mexican Empire (, ) was a constitutional monarchy and the first independent government of Mexico. It was also the only former viceroyalty of the Spanish Empire to establish a monarchy af ...

and

Gran Colombia Gran Colombia (, "Great Colombia"), also known as Greater Colombia and officially the Republic of Colombia (Spanish language, Spanish: ''República de Colombia''), was a state that encompassed much of northern South America and parts of Central ...

once bordered each other in what are now the independent nations of

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

and

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

. On 10 October 1821, Colombia recognized Mexico's independence when

Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24July 178317December 1830) was a Venezuelan statesman and military officer who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bol ...

reached out with a message to the newly independent nation, therefore establishing diplomatic relations between both nations. In 1822, Emperor

Agustín de Iturbide Agustín Cosme Damián de Iturbide y Arámburu (; 27 September 178319 July 1824), commonly known as Agustín de Iturbide and later by his regnal name Agustín I, was the first Emperor of Mexico from 1822 until his abdication in 1823. An offi ...

named an ambassador to the Gran Colombia and in 1826, Mexico had a vice-consulate in

Cartagena de Indias Cartagena ( ), known since the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias (), is a city and one of the major ports on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Region of Colombia, Caribbean Coast Region, along the Caribbean Sea. Cartagena's past ...

. In 1831, both nations established resident embassies in their respective capitals. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, both nations have become increasingly close politically and bilaterally. In 1989, both nations, along with

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

formed a trade bloc called the Group of 3 ''(Grupo de los Tres)'' which intended to reduce trade tariffs and create a free trade bloc between the three nations within a ten-year time span that took effect in 1995. However, in 2006, former President

Hugo Chávez Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (; ; 28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013) was a Venezuelan politician, Bolivarian Revolution, revolutionary, and Officer (armed forces), military officer who served as the 52nd president of Venezuela from 1999 until De ...

announced that Venezuela would be leaving the bloc due to his estranged relationship with former Mexican President

Vicente Fox Vicente Fox Quesada (; born 2 July 1942) is a Mexican businessman and politician who served as the 62nd president of Mexico from 2000 to 2006. After campaigning as a Right-wing populism, right-wing populist, Fox was elected president on the Nat ...

and former Colombian President

Álvaro Uribe Álvaro Uribe Vélez (born 4 July 1952) is a Colombian politician who served as the 31st President of Colombia from 7 August 2002 to 7 August 2010. Uribe started his political career in his home department of Antioquia Department, Antioquia. H ...

. The trade bloc continued without Venezuela until 2007. Over the past few years, both nations have become increasingly tangled in the war on drugs. Colombia has for many years been known as one of the biggest producers of drugs and for having notorious cartels. Mexico was traditionally a transit country for Colombia drugs to pass through en route to the United States (the largest demand market for drug consumption). However, Mexico has also become increasingly involved in drug production itself and many Mexican drug cartels have increasingly partnered with Colombian cartels in transiting drugs to other markets globally. Both the Colombian and Mexican government have increasingly worked together to combat the cartels and have hired advisers from each other nations to practice successful tactics in each other's nations respectively. Colombia and Mexico are two of the four founding members of the

(the others being

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

and

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

). From 2017 to 2018, both nations celebrated a "Dual Year" in order to promote greater rapprochement among both nations, strengthen ties through activities in the areas of culture, education and academic mobility, trade and investment, entrepreneurship and innovation, among others, which were celebrated throughout two years. In July 2021, Colombian Vice-President and Foreign Minister Marta Lucía Ramírez, paid a visit to Mexico and met with her counterpart

Marcelo Ebrard Marcelo Luis Ebrard Casaubón (; born 10 October 1959) is a Mexicans, Mexican politician who has served as the Secretariat of Economy, secretary of economy since 2024. He previously served as Secretary of Foreign Affairs (Mexico), Secretary of ...

to reaffirm their commitment to strengthening both nations' joint bilateral relations mechanisms. In 2022, both nations celebrated 200 years of diplomatic relations. In November of that same year, Colombian President

Gustavo Petro Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego (; born 19 April 1960) is a Colombian politician who is the 34th and current president of Colombia since 2022. Upon inauguration, he became the Pink tide, first left-wing president in the History of Colombia, recen ...

paid a visit to Mexico and met with Mexican President

Andrés Manuel López Obrador Andrés Manuel López Obrador (; born 13 November 1953), also known by his initials AMLO, is a Mexican former politician, political scientist, public administrator and writer who served as the 65th president of Mexico from 2018 to 2024. He se ...

. During the visit, Mexico was asked to and accepted the invitation to become a guarantor country in negotiations between the Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (ELN). In September 2023, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador paid a visit to

Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,280,522 residents estimate by National Administrative Department of Statistics, DANE in 2023. The city span ...

, Colombia to attend a Latin-American and Caribbean Conference on drugs. While in Colombia, Presidente López Obrador met with Colombian President

and the two leaders discussed the ongoing

peace process A peace process is the set of political sociology, sociopolitical negotiations, agreements and actions that aim to solve a specific armed conflict. Definitions Prior to an armed conflict occurring, peace processes can include the prevention of ...

in Colombia. In October 2024, President Petro travelled to Mexico to attend the inauguration of President

Claudia Sheinbaum Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (born 24 June 1962) is a Mexican politician, energy and climate change scientist, and academic who has served as the 66th president of Mexico since 2024. She is the List of elected and appointed female heads of state and ...

. President Petro returned to Mexico in December 2024 and met with President Sheinbaum..

High-level visits

Presidential visits from Colombia to Mexico * President

Julio César Turbay Ayala Julio César Turbay Ayala (18 June 1916 – 13 September 2005) was a Colombian lawyer and politician who served as the 25th President of Colombia from 1978 to 1982. He also held the positions of Foreign Minister and Ambassador to the United S ...

(1979) * President

Belisario Betancur Belisario Betancur Cuartas (4 February 1923 – 7 December 2018) was a Colombian politician who served as the List of Presidents of Colombia, 26th President of Colombia from 1982 to 1986. He was a member of the Colombian Conservative Party. His ...

(1983, 1985) * President

Virgilio Barco Vargas Virgilio Barco Vargas (17 September 1921 – 20 May 1997) was a Colombian politician and civil engineer who served as the 27th President of Colombia serving from 7 August 1986 to 7 August 1990. Early life Barco was born in Cúcuta in the No ...

(1987) * President

César Gaviria César Augusto Gaviria Trujillo ( ; born 31 March 1947) is a Colombian economist and politician who served as the President of Colombia from 1990 to 1994, Secretary General of the Organization of American States from 1994 to 2004 and National D ...

(1990, 1991) * President

Ernesto Samper Ernesto Samper Pizano (born 3 August 1950) served as the President of Colombia from 1994 to 1998. From 2014 to 2017 he served as the Secretary General of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR). He is a lawyer, economist, academic and pol ...

(1994) * President

Andrés Pastrana Arango Andrés Pastrana Arango (born 17 August 1954) is a Colombian politician who was the 30th President of Colombia from 1998 to 2002, following in the footsteps of his father, Misael Pastrana Borrero, who was president from 1970 to 1974. Early ...

(1998, 2002) * President

(2004, 2006, 2007, April & November 2008, February 2010) * President

Juan Manuel Santos Juan Manuel Santos Calderón (; born 10 August 1951) is a Colombian politician who was the President of Colombia from 2010 to 2018. He was the sole recipient of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize. An economist by training and a journalist by trade, S ...

(September & November 2010, August & November 2011, 2012, February & December 2014, 2015, 2018) * President

Iván Duque Márquez Ivan () is a Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John) from Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. The earliest person known to bear the name was the Bu ...

(2018, 2020) * President

(2022, 2023, October and December 2024) Presidential visits from Mexico to Colombia * President

José López Portillo José Guillermo Abel López Portillo y Pacheco (; 16 June 1920 – 17 February 2004) was a Mexican writer, lawyer, and politician affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) who served as the 58th president of Mexico from 1976 ...

(1977) * President Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado (1984) * President

Carlos Salinas de Gortari Carlos Salinas de Gortari (; born 3 April 1948) is a Mexicans, Mexican economist, historían and former politician who served as the 60th president of Mexico from 1988 to 1994. Considered the frontman of Mexican Neoliberalism by formulating, p ...

(1989, 1991) * President

Ernesto Zedillo Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León (; born 27 December 1951) is a Mexican economist and politician. He was the 61st president of Mexico from 1994 to 2000, as the last of the uninterrupted 71-year line of Mexican presidents from the Institutional Re ...

(2000) * President

(2001) * President

Felipe Calderón Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa (; born 18 August 1962) is a Mexican politician and lawyer who served as the 63rd president of Mexico from 2006 to 2012 and Secretary of Energy during the presidency of Vicente Fox between 2003 and 2004. ...

(2008, May & August 2009, August & October 2010, 2012) * President

Enrique Peña Nieto Enrique Peña Nieto (; born 20 July 1966), commonly referred to by his initials EPN, is a Mexican former politician and lawyer who was the 64th president of Mexico from 2012 to 2018. A member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), he p ...

(2013, 2014, September and October 2016, 2017, 2018) * President

(2023)

Gallery

File:XXI Cumbre del Grupo Río.jpg, President Felipe Calderón and President Álvaro Uribe in Cancún; 2010. File:II Cumbre de la Alianza del Pacífico, Mérida.jpg, President Felipe Calderón and President Juan Manuel Santos in Mérida, Mexico; 2011. File:Almuerzo de los Presidentes de los países miembros y observadores (8798029853).jpg, President Enrique Peña Nieto and President Juan Manuel Santos in Cali, Colombia; 2013. File:Andrés Manuel López Obrador y Gustavo Petro.jpg, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and President Gustavo Petro in Cali, Colombia; September 2023.

Bilateral agreements

Both nations have signed several bilateral agreements such as an Arbitration Treaty (1928); Air Transportation Agreement (1975); Agreement in Scientific and Technical Cooperation (1979); Agreement for Cultural and Educational Exchanges (1979); Free Trade Agreement (1994); Agreement of Cooperation in the Fight against Illicit Trafficking Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (1997); Tourist Cooperation Agreement (1998); Agreement for the Exchange of Non-Judicialized Information (1998); Agreement for Mutual Recognition of Certificates of Studies, Titles and Academic Degrees of Higher Education (1998); Agreement of Cooperation on Legal Matters (1998); Agreement to Avoid Double Taxation and to Prevent Tax Evasion in Relation to Taxes on Income and on Equity (2009); Extradition Treaty (2011) and an Agreement to Prohibit and Prevent Theft and/or Theft, Introduction, Extraction and Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property (2015).

Transportation and Tourism

In 2022, over 700,000 Colombian citizens visited Mexico for tourism, making them the third largest group of visitors to Mexico (after the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

). That same year, 389,000 Mexican citizens visited Colombia for tourism. There are direct flights between Colombia and Mexico with the following airlines:

Aeroméxico Aerovías de México, S.A. de C.V. () operating as Aeroméxico (; styled as AM), is the flag carrier of Mexico based in Mexico City. It operates scheduled services to more than 90 destinations in Mexico, North, South and Central America, the Ca ...

Avianca Avianca S.A. (acronym in Spanish for ''Aerovias de Colombia S.A.'', "Airways of Colombia", and stylized as avianca since October 2023) is the largest airline in Colombia. It has been the flag carrier of Colombia since December 5, 1919, when it ...

Viva Aerobus Aeroenlaces Nacionales, S.A. de C.V., trading as Viva (formerly Viva Aerobus), is a major Mexican low-cost airline headquartered at Monterrey International Airport, in Apodaca, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Measured by passenger numbers, it is Mexico's t ...

Volaris Volaris (legally ''Concesionaria Vuela Compañía de Aviación S.A.B. de C.V.'') is a Mexican low-cost airline based in Santa Fe, Mexico City, Santa Fe, Álvaro Obregón, Mexico City, Álvaro Obregón, Mexico City with its operating bases in Canc ...

and Wingo.

Trade relations

Trade between the two nations has increased dramatically over the past ten years. In 2023, trade between the two nations totaled US$5.6 billion.Data México: Colombia
/ref> Colombia's main exports to Mexico include: coal, crude oil, instant coffee and automobile parts. Mexico's main exports to Colombia include: flat screen TVs, pure petroleum oil for tank-car, ship-tank or auto-tanks; corrugated rods or bars for reinforcement, for cement or concrete; shampoos; milk powder or pills; tequila and malt beer. Colombia is Mexico's tenth largest trading partner globally. Colombian multinational companies such as Grupo Nutresa, Rappi and Terpel (among others) operate in Mexico. Mexican multinational companies such as

Alsea The Alsea are a Native American tribe of Western Oregon. They are (since 1856), confederated with other Tribes on the Siletz Reservation, Oregon, and are members of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz. Their origin story says that the Yaquina, A ...

América Móvil América Móvil, S.A.B. de C.V. is a Mexican telecommunications corporation headquartered in Mexico City, Mexico. It is the 7th largest mobile network operator in the world in terms of equity subscribers, as well as one of the largest corpor ...

Grupo Bimbo Grupo Bimbo, S.A.B. de C.V. (also known simply as Bimbo) is a Mexican multinational food company with a presence in over 33 countries located in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa. It has an annual sales volume of 15 billion dollars and is ...

Cemex CEMEX S.A.B. de C.V., known as Cemex, is a Mexican multinational building materials company headquartered in San Pedro, near Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. It manufactures and distributes cement, ready-mix concrete and aggregates in more than ...

, Mabey,

Orbia Orbia (previously Mexichem) is a company providing specialty products and methodologies in the agriculture, building and infrastructure, fluorinated solutions, polymer solutions, and data communications sectors. It was founded in 1953 and has h ...

and Oxxo (among others) operate in Colombia.

Resident diplomatic missions

* Colombia has an embassy and a consulate-general in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

; a consulate-general in

Cancún Cancún is the most populous city in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, located in southeast Mexico on the northeast coast of the Yucatán Peninsula. It is a significant tourist destination in Mexico and the seat of the municipality of Benito J ...

and a consulate in

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...

. * Mexico has an embassy in

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish Imperial period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city, capital and largest city ...

.Embassy of Mexico in Bogotá
/ref> File:Corporativo Reforma Diana, Ciudad de México.jpg, Embassy of Colombia in Mexico City File:Consulado-General de Colombia, Ciudad de México.jpg, Consulate-General of Colombia in Mexico City File:Embajada de Mexico en Bogota.jpg, Embassy of Mexico in Bogotá

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colombia-Mexico relations

Bilateral relations of Mexico