This article focuses on the economic history of the Neiva Province from the 18th to the 20th century. The hypothesis states that this region varies form Colombian capitalist development. The author focuses on the livestock industry, and the scarcity oflabor in this commercial in passing zone which sits between the center of the country and the other development zones. In the first part of the article, the author studies the process of territorial appropriation from 1778-1938. In the second part, close attention is paid to the evolution of agricultural, livestock and industrial productions. Other themes addressed in the article include the early appearance of large private property, agricultural productions destined for internal consumption and the exploitations of the region's livestock for survival purposes.