This paper argues that there is a lack of consensus in the Colombian historiography regarding the duration and the number of victims of the political violence of the mid-twentieth century.Demographic characteristics of the Colombian population were analyzed in order to examine both controversies.Based on population censuses and vital records of the time, some basic components were estimated: life tables, birth rates, and specific rates of violent deaths.Considering the size and distribution of the Colombian population, a maximum of 57,737 deaths were estimated for the period 1949-58.Inasmuch as not all violent deaths would have a political cause, the death toll is estimated to be 39,142 people under more conservative assumptions.Therefore, the figures estimated in this paper rebut the more than 200 thousand victims that are usually cited in the literature without quantitative support.Although there were fewer deaths than those usually accepted, the advances that allowed reducing mortality during the 20th century were partially attenuated by the excess mortality during the years of la Violencia.