The Spanish Crown, from the very beginning of the Conquest, intended to protect the documents generated by the indigenous government. Thus, Francisco Pizarro was ordered to form official archives and any such provision shall continue in all Spanish possessions.
Consequently, Sebastian de Belalcazar ordered in 1535 that were deposited in an ark books and records relating to the nascent government of Quito.
Years later, around 1567, the Royal Audience and Chancellery of the New Kingdom of Granada provided for the creation of a file, to avoid loss of documents due to the continuing fires that were occurring on sites in their custody.
The oldest documented reference on the establishment of official records in Colombia is found in the Agreements book of the Royal Audience of Santa Fe:
(...) Since in these royal houses, with his agreement and royal officials from His Majestys Kingdom, which currently is made to a room where the royal box is and His Majestys Treasury, which at present is to induct the gold and silver and emeralds where this Kingdom is in, that these officers and the lawsuits hear differences touching upon the Treasury, under a Royal Decree of His Majesty, that about it there and again you have sent and for all has a good account and why it is imperative that the aforesaid chamber, where the cash and the Court is, it has an archive in which you have the correct papers, accounts and books touching on the Royal Treasury, after it was discovered that this kingdom and those who will be course offer and wilt again because of not having done up here has been great inconvenience and not so safe in the papers and accounts as needed, and have burned and lost a lot by being in straw huts and houses, and therefore his lordship commanded and commanded the royal officials, who in six days after being so notified, that make the archive and put him into the room, along with real cash, to be together forever and get into it, within the term for inventory, all papers, accounts, collections, books of Royal Treasury, which have been made in this Kingdom, after it was discovered until today, and everything else that it be necessary concerning the Royal Treasury, and therefore ordered be notified by the authority. "
In the Book of Agreements of the Royal Audience of Santa Fe, it was stated then that the order of Andrés Díaz Venero de Leyva, president of the corporation and governor of the New Kingdom, "will have an archive in which you have the correct papers, accounts and such books touching on the Royal Treasury after it was discovered that this kingdom and those who will be recounting of course offer and again, because of not having done so far has been great inconvenience and not so safe in the papers and accounts such as befitted , and were burned and lost a lot by being in straw huts and houses ... "