Order of Boyaca

Order of Boyaca Orden de Boyacá
Grand Cross of the Order of Boyaca
Awarded by Colombia
Day	August 7
Awarded for	Exceptional service to Colombia
Status	Currently constituted
Grand Master	President of Colombia
Grades (w/ post-nominals)	Gran Collar, Gran Cruz Extraordinaria, Gran Cruz, Gran Official, Cruz de Plata, Comendador, Oficial, and Caballero
Established	1922
Precedence
Next (higher)	Military Order of St. Matthew
Next (lower)	Order of San Carlos
Ribbon bar of the Order of Boyaca

The Order of Boyaca (Spanish: Orden de Boyacá) is the highest peacetime decoration of Colombia. The order is awarded for exceptional service to distinguished Colombian military officers and civilians as well as foreign citizens of friendly nations. Established in 1922, the Order of Boyaca traces its origin to a Cruz de Boyacá that was awarded to the generals who led their forces to victory in the Battle of Boyaca in 1819. Reestablished in 1919 as an award for military personnel the order has undergone revisions and expansions into its current form, with the biggest change happening in 1922 where civilians became eligible to be awarded the Order of Boyaca.

Grades

The Order of Boyaca is awarded in eight different grades:

• Grand Collar (Gran Collar), awarded to heads of state and to the President of Colombia upon his election.
• Grand Cross Extraordinary (Gran Cruz Extraordinaria), awarded to former heads of state and Colombian Cardinals.
• Grand Cross (Gran Cruz), awarded to Cardinals, Ambassadors, Ministers of State, Marshals, Generals of the Armed Forces, Lieutenant Generals, Admirals, or individuals of an equal or similar rank.
• Grand Officer (Gran Official), awarded to Envoys Extraordinary and Ministers Plenipotentiary, Archbishops, Major Generals, Brigadier Generals, Admirals, Vice Admirals, or individuals of an equal or similar rank.
• Silver Cross (Cruz de Plata), awarded to individuals and organizations as recognition for tenure and length of service.
• Commander (Comendador), awarded to Ministers Residents, business owners and managers, Bishops, Colonels, Lieutenant colonels, Majors, Captains, Commanders, Lieutenant Commanders, or individuals of an equal or similar rank.
• Officer (Oficial), Chargé d'affaires ad interim, Counselors, First Secretaries, Consul Generals, Captains, Lieutenants, or individuals of an equal or similar rank.
• Knight (Caballero), awarded to Second and Third Secretaries, Consuls and Vice-Consuls, Attachés to embassies and legations, Lieutenants and Second Lieutenants, Lieutenants (junior grade) and Ensigns, or individuals of an equal or similar rank.

Ribbon bars of the Order of Boyaca
Grand Collar	Grand Cross Extraordinary	Grand Cross	Grand Officer
Silver Cross	Commander	Officer	Knight

Notable recipients

- 1952: H.J. Hooijberg

• 1946: William Halsey, Jr., Fleet Admiral, United States Navy
• 1952: Hector José Botero Tobón
• 1982: Eduardo Lemaitre Román
• 1992: Rodolfo R. Llinás
• 1999: Juan Pablo Montoya
• 2004: Alejandro Toledo
• 2004: Julio Mario Santo Domingo
• 2004: Luis Carlos Sarmiento Angulo
• 2006: Supreme Court
• 2009: Rafael García Herreros (posthumouous)
• 2010: Juan Gómez Martínez, Juan Manuel Santos, Sebastián Piñera
• 2011: Radamel Falcao, Tony Blair
• 2012: Mariana Pajón, Rigoberto Urán, Óscar Figueroa, Carlos Oquendo, Yuri Alvear, Caterine Ibargüen, Óscar Muñoz, Jackeline Rentería
• 2013: Nairo Quintana
• 2016: Joseph Dunford
• unknown: King Albert II of Belgium

External links

• Decorations, Cancilleria Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores.

• Bull Halsey biography