The article inquires into the participation of the popular classes in the celebrations of the first centennial of Colombian Independence in Bogota. On the basis of the histoire evenementielle or short-span approach, the objective is to describe and analyze the events that took place over the 24 hours of July 20, 1910, in order to examine how the subaltern classes were included in the idea of nation that was represented on that significant date for Colombian history. Thus, the article not only attempts to trace the participation of the popular classes, but also to observe the interaction of these classes with the behavior assumed by the elites and other social groups, that is, with all those who were in Bogota for the commemoration of the first one hundred years of republican life in Colombia.