Consultas populares en Colombia: interpretación constitucional y poder constituyente

This article examines the evolution of the Colombian Constitutional Court’s case law on popular consultations concerning extractive activities and environmental protection. Using a qualitative, legal-dogmatic, and hermeneutic approach, it analyzes the principal judicial decisions that shaped and subsequently modified this line of precedent, taking the theory of constituent power as its analytical framework. The findings reveal a transition from an interpretation that recognized greater community involvement in territorial decision-making to one that limited the scope of popular consultations in light of national powers over subsoil resources. This development raises tensions among popular sovereignty, citizen participation, territorial autonomy, and constitutional interpretation.