Founded a hundred and three years ago at the time of writing, this paper has press-run of 230,000 copies and publishes ten weekly or monthly magazines. "El Espectador" has stood since its foundation for its constant struggle in support of liberty; in the last ten years it bravely denounced Colombian drug traffic.

"El Espectador" was founded on the 22nd March 1887 by Fidel Cano Isaza in the city of Medellín. Conceived of as a mean of defending the country and liberal beliefs, its efforts to do this led to its being closed by the government when it had been out for scarcely a month. After various attempts, in 1896, it managed to stay in publication regularly, maintaining its initial small page format, which it was to keep until 1913, when "El Espectador" changed to large format.

In 1915, the head office of the newspaper moved to Bogota; four years later it wold become a nationally distributed newspaper. Fidel Cano died and was replaced by his son Luis, who remained at the head of the journal until 1949, when his retirement coincided with the censorship imposed on the press by the government of Mariano Ospina Pérez. Gabriel Cano relieved him in the post, facing the hard times of the dictatorship of General Rojas Pinilla, during which, on the 6th September 1952, "El Espectador" was taken by assault, sacked and set on fire. Although a few days later the newspaper came out again, from loaned premises, in 1956 the cast-iron dictatorial censorship left no alternative but to close, in the hope of better times.

In 1958, after the overthrow of the dictator and with the "Frente Nacional" on the move, "El Espectador" reappeared as a morning newspaper. Six years later the newspaper bought a building, where a new press was installed and the current stage of the daily began to be forged. In the Seventies the Sunday edition was accompanied by a magazine-format supplement. At the beginning of the Eighties, Gabriel Cano died, but the family line of succession was maintained in Guillermo Cano Isaza, who took over the running of the paper.

With the change of director a fight without quarter began against the "Gran Colombiano" group, an important financial empire, which "El Espectador" accused of "doubtful handling" of the savers´ money. This campaign led to severe business pressures, which meant a reduction in advertising in the newspaper. This process was known as the "economic pincer against the press". In 1984 "El Espectador"´s special investigations group received the National Journalism Prize for its work on the "Gran Colombiano" group.

In these same years, around 1980, "El Espectador" began to denounce the operations of drug traffickers and the director, in a column called "Cuaderno de apuntes" ["The Notebook"], laid bare, with proper names, the obscure network of drug dealing in Colombia. On the 17th December 1986 Guillermo Cano Isaza was assassinated as he left work.

His sons, Juan Guillermo and Fernando Cano, keep the flag flying, loyal to founding principals of "El Espectador". In the editorial published the day after their father´s death, the following phrase could be read: "Seguimos adelante" [We carry on].