If a Brazilian Pathfinder crossed the border and visited a club in Colombia, they would recognize almost everything: the scarf, the flag, the ideals, the marching drills. The only strange part would be the name on the uniform sash. There, the club isn't called Desbravadores — it's called Club de Conquistadores. It's the same worldwide movement, with the same origin and the same symbols, just with a name translated into Spanish. On this page, we share what can be confirmed with confidence about how this story began and flourished in Colombia.
Why "Conquistadores" and not "Desbravadores" or "Pathfinders"?
The Seventh-day Adventist Church's youth club was born out of initiatives in California (USA) and was officially organized worldwide in 1950 by the General Conference of the church. Since it's an international movement, each region translated the name into its own language while keeping the same symbols, ideals, and programs.
That's how three names emerged for the same club: Pathfinders in the United States and other English-speaking countries, Desbravadores in Brazil (Portuguese-speaking), and Conquistadores in Spanish-speaking countries — Colombia among them.
So when we talk about the "history of the Pathfinders in Colombia," we're really talking about the history of the Colombian Club de Conquistadores. These aren't different clubs: it's the same worldwide family with regional names.
"It's the same scarf, the same flag, and the same ideals — only the name on the sash changes language."Summary of the relationship between Desbravadores and Conquistadores
Where Colombia fits on the Adventist map
To understand Colombia's history, it helps to know how the church is organized by territory. The Adventist world is divided into large regions called Divisions. Colombia belongs to the Inter-American Division, headquartered in Miami (USA) — not to the South American Division, which Brazil belongs to.
Within each Division there are Unions. Colombian Adventist work was organized as the Colombian Union in 1989. Because of rapid growth, especially in Bogotá, in 2010 it was split into two: the North Colombian Union (headquartered in Medellín) and the South Colombian Union (headquartered in Bogotá), both within the Inter-American Division.
This structure explains an important detail: while the first club in South America is usually dated to 1955 (in Lima, Peru), Colombia belongs to a different Division and has its own timeline — with records pointing to even older clubs.
The oldest club: Alfa Orión
According to material published by the North Colombian Union itself, the club Alfa Orión, from the West Central Conference, is dated to 1953. The same source describes it as the oldest in Colombian territory and — in its own words — "one of the oldest in South America."
One detail that brings this history to life: among the members who came through Alfa Orión was pastor Israel Leito, who would later become president of the Inter-American Division. It's a reminder that local clubs shape leaders who go on to serve the whole church.
In the interest of honesty: the sources consulted confirm this date for Alfa Orión, but it wasn't possible to independently verify, in detailed denominational records, whether it was literally the first club in the country. What can be said with confidence is that it ranks among the oldest officially recognized in Colombia.
Other recognized historic clubs
Besides Alfa Orión, the North Colombian Union lists several older clubs, each tied to a regional Conference or Mission. Together they help sketch the map of how the movement spread across the country through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.
These dates represent specific clubs recognized by the Union; they aren't necessarily the movement's first appearance in each region, but they show deep and continuous roots of the Conquistadores in Colombia.
"From Medellín to the Caribbean, from the islands to the east: the same club putting down roots in every Colombian region."On the regional expansion of the Conquistadores
The Colombian Conquistadores today
The movement remains alive and thriving. In September 2021, during celebrations of the 71st anniversary of Pathfinder Day, the North Colombian Union reported the participation of more than 15,000 young people from the north of the country in community, outreach, and service activities.
This momentum rests on a solid foundation: Colombia is home to the Universidad Adventista de Colombia (UNAC), in Medellín, and dozens of Conferences and Missions that sustain clubs in practically every region. Pathfinder Day, celebrated in September, is one of the high points of the Adventist youth calendar in the country.
For the Brazilian reader, the image that opened this page holds true: on the other side of the border, thousands of boys and girls wear the same uniform, raise the same flag, and repeat the same sibling ideals — except, in Spanish, they call themselves Conquistadores.