Thanks to the funding provided by CLACLS, I made a two-month-long research trip to Colombia in the summer. I visited the General Archive of the Nation in Bogota, where the official documentation from the Ministry of Public Works is deposited. Additionally, I visited Puerto Leguizamo—in the department of Putumayo—and Leticia—in the department of Amazonas—where I conducted interviews, reviewed private archives, and established the basic contacts for further research. In particular, I found rich documentation regarding the roadbuilding project the Colombian government embarked on during and after the Colombia-Peru conflict (1932-1934) with the goal of connecting the newly-established southern border of the country with the economic and political centers in the south—such as Pasto and Mocoa—and ultimately with the capital, Bogota. This research experience not only provided me with the archival documentation I needed but also helped me better define the topic and outline the direction of my doctoral dissertation. I’m a second-year PhD student in Latin American history. My research examines the processes of state formation and nation building in the Colombian Amazonas during the first decades of the twentieth century, focusing on infrastructure, economic networks, and the relationship between state institutions, peasant communities, and indigenous peoples.