This article presents a history of Colombian national parks from their inception in 1948 to the beginning of this century. By untangling the past of conservation, it examines how the park system was formed and demonstrates that the current emphasis on biodiversity conservation is relatively recent. In the beginning, the creation of protected areas was erratic and driven by varied reasons that included scientific research, the preservation of imposing landscapes, and water conservation. This trend ended after growing international concern for the environment led to the creation of environmental institutions that served, from the 1970s, as a platform for the planned expansion of a system of national parks based mainly on ecological criteria.The institution responsible for the administration of national parks has suffered a chronic shortage of funds and personnel; in part, it has faced this situation by creating these parks, which at least confer legal protection on areas whose natural attributes are considered valuable. This strategy has provoked clashes with the populations living in these areas, who have seen their rights to use these resources affected. The institutional inability to enforce standards and, to a lesser extent, its attempts to work specifically with indigenous people have limited these tensions. Although national parks have not reached their ideal, they have fostered the idea that the nation has a natural heritage and significantly contributed to its conservation.