His Life

Dario was born in Restrepo, department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia. He always maintained a close link with his native region in the form of academic research. Dario completes his undergraduate studies at various Colombian universities and graduated from the Universidad Libre in Bogotá. Later, he was one of the first students to graduate from the Masters program in History at the Universidad Nacional in Bogotá. At the time of his dead he was pursuing a doctoral degree at the Ecole d' Hautes Etudes in Paris. His academic advisor was Daniel Pecaut, one of the most renowned Colombianist historians. When Dario Betancourt was disappeared in April he was a professor at the Universidad Pedagogica in Bogotá. He was Chair of the Department of Social Sciences.

Professor Betancourt was always concerned about the increasing violence in Colombia and especially in his beloved Valle. For this reason he made this the subject of his research and during his life published three books about the protagonists of violence in Colombia. He wrote about the bandits and political assassins of the 1940s and 1950s and about the black market smugglers and drug mafiosi of more recent years. His goal, more than to documents facts well known to all Colombians, was to develop actor-centered or region-centered interpretations of Colombia's social and political violence.

Dario Betancourt left behind more than four book, many academic articles, and strong memories of his human and academic qualities. His intense gaze and his smile will not fade easily from the memories of his two daughters, of his students, and of his colleagues. Peace in his tomb.

His death

Professor Betancourt was last seen driving his car in Bogota on April 30 of 1999. On September 2 his body was found in the outskirts of the city. He was 46 years old.