Objective: to understand the meanings that the civil population indirectly participating in the armed conflict, residing in rural and urban territories, has built around the phenomena of violence, peace and the armed conflict in Colombia. Method: from a constructionist approach and a hermeneutical method, a content analysis of the information collected in five focus groups was carried out in the light of three large categories (Historical-Cultural Influence, Senses and Events). Results: it is highlighted that the meanings around peace and violence are constructed from the family context and systems close to it such as educational institutions, community, among others. Conclusion: the participants relate the armed conflict to groups outside the law and their polarized ideology with respect to the State, identifying the civilian population as the most affected actor. Daily actions are reaffirmed as possibilities for building peace.