El pasado como modelo a imitar. Relaciones entre historia y memorias, siglo XIX colombiano

This paper analyzes how testimonial writings suchas memoirs contributed to shaping Colombian his-tory. It starts by differentiating the notions of me-moirs, diaries and history. Additionally, it attempts to elucidate the place of the witness as a central actor and architect of events during the 19th century, as opposed to the view of the witness as a victim who does not deserve his fate, typical of contemporary times. Between the memoirs of the nineteenth century, written to promote imitation, and the contemporary memoir, narrated to ensure non-repetition, there is a historiographical order that redefines time, narration and the role of historical knowledge.