Medellín ... the city of contrasts, of color and of shadow, of sound and silences.

When describing Medellín, one word comes to mind: resilience. This City of Eternal Spring went from being ‘The Deadliest City in the World’ with an average of 18 murders per day thirty years ago to being awarded ‘The Most Innovative City of the World’ in 2013. The crime rate is 80% lower than it was in 1991, and poverty has gone down by more than 96%. That is incredibly resilient. Although you still want to avoid certain areas of this previous home of the famed leader of the biggest drug cartel, Pablo Escobar, the city is relatively safe now.

(not my photo, it’s a picture of a winner of a photo contest, but represents the idea of innovation so well, I had to use it.)

First Day

I arrived in Medellín in the late afternoon and was immediately... cold and wet. Definitely not spring. But I checked into my hostel quickly, changed into the only pair of leggings and a coat I brought, and headed out to explore Poblado, the chic hipster neighborhood where my hostel, Los Patios, is located. The year-round temperate weather and reasonable cost of living have made this neighborhood a digital nomad's dream, with the many bars and restaurants adorned with twinkle lights above to illuminate the streets below. My first stop was a very cool restaurant I had heard about called Alambique. With a funky bookshop-like interior, killer cocktails, and a slow-cooked innovative menu, it definitely belongs in this new city. The last stop was my hostel bar, which was lively with young people enjoying the rooftop views.

Downtown

I woke up super early to get the most out of my full day in Medellín and decided to walk downtown. It’s about an hour, and although I mostly walked along a main road, I got to see a little bit of everyday life. What struck me the most is how every shop has a specialty. No Home Depot here. If you want sandpaper, you go to the sandpaper shop; for rope, the rope shop; or a fire extinguisher, the fire extinguisher shop. My favorite is the guy typing on the sidewalk. I'm guessing a notary or something of the sort?

My destination was Plaza de Botero. Where famous Colombian artist, Fernando Botero donated many giant sculptures to make this gathering space fun and light. Love, Love, Love his work, but I’ll discuss him more in my Bogota blog. There are a few museums connected to the square, the Museum of Antioquia and the Rafael Uribe Uribe Palace. The palace is a work of art. Built by Belgian architect, Augustin Goovaerts in 1925 it is a classic example of Flemish Gothic Revival style.

Next, I visited the House of Memories, a recently opened museum that pays tribute to the victims of drug and political conflicts. Despite my limited understanding of Spanish, I managed to grasp the essence of the exhibits, which were thoughtfully curated. During my visit, I was struck by the respectful and solemn demeanor of a young school group. The introductory part of the exhibition was translated into English, and I was compelled to share it as it was beautifully said.

Medellín: Memories of Violence and Resistance

One single truth does not exist. History is never complete. Everyone narrates from the roll they have played in the scheme of things. And when they intertwine, these narratives are transformed, enriched, they become more complex.

The exposition, Medellín: memories of violence and resistance, is the woven together version of a history that has touched all of us to a greater or lesser extent, the story of Medellín violence.

Like all stories, it is incomplete subjective and imperfect. But it is a narrative of different voices: those of victims who have suffered some or different forms of this violence, those of the perpetrators, who speak through their acts; those of the passive, but not indifferent witness who speak in the third person; those of the social and political actors who have led events down one path or another.

We know there are as many museums as visitors and interpretations. We hope that this space provokes reflection, ideas and emotions; that is moves you to be part of the construction of a new proposal for society.

In the end, you are all part of this history.

Comuna 13

It was fitting to go straight from the house of memories to a tour of Comuna 13 because this was the community most affected by the violence. Our guide, Julio, is 27 and grew up in Comuna 13. He began the tour by showing us what has raised his community up to the tourist destination it is today with a breakdancing show, street art, coffee tasting, street food, rap show, the escalator and a bar at the very top, but he also gave us the history of this special place and why it became the deadliest neighborhood in the world.

Comuna 13 is situated on the steep hills in the western part of Medellin, housing over 200,000 residents. Originally a farming community, the area gradually transitioned into residential housing as the farms were sold off. With an influx of migrants and the absence of city governance and building regulations, makeshift shacks were erected in a disorderly manner. Due to escalating drug-related violence, rural communities were displaced, leading to a surge in migration to Comuna 13 by the 1970s. The lack of skills and resources resulted in widespread poverty, exacerbated by its strategic location as a hub for drug and arms trafficking due to its direct access to the highway. By the late 1980s and early 1990s, guerrilla groups, gangs, and paramilitary organizations such as FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia) and ELN (Ejército de Liberación Nacional) had taken control of the area. While this brought some infrastructure development, it also brought extreme levels of violence. Many orphaned children were recruited by these groups and trained to become killers.

In 2002, the newly elected president, Álvaro Uribe, determined that an intervention in Comuna 13 was essential to counter the guerrilla groups. Several military operations were carried out, with the most significant and final one being Operation Orion, conducted from October 16th to 19th, 2002. According to a report by Peace Brigades International, more than 1,500 troops from the 4th Brigade, in collaboration with the Department of Administrative Security (DAS, now disbanded), police special forces, and members of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, participated in combating the urban militias. This intervention, marked by brutality, resulted in the reported execution of at least 70 individuals, the disappearance of nearly 300 people, approximately 450 illegal detentions, and the forced displacement of around 2,000 individuals, many of whom were innocent civilians. Despite lasting only four days, the operation had long-lasting repercussions, with ongoing killings in the aftermath. Numerous bodies were disposed of in La Escombrera, a mountainous site on the outskirts of Comuna 13. La Escombrera is suspected to be one of the largest mass graves in Latin America, with the exact number of buried bodies remaining unknown. You can feel the lingering resentment towards the government and especially Operation Orion.

So how did it turn from the description above to what it is today. Mostly the will of the citizens motivated by not wanting to live in that violence anymore, but also the government did give some compensations to help the community thrive. In 2008, a cable car line was built to help to connect Comuna 13 with the other districts of Medellín. In addition, in 2011, the government launched an urban renovation project in the area and installed a large 384-meter escalator, with six sections that scale the mountains, to further help connection and movement within Comune 13. But the biggest innovation was the organization of the community. As a way of countering the violence, the artists of the community started to self-organize. Apart from empowering their community by rapping about the tough reality of poverty, violence, and marginalization faced by the residents of Comuna 13, they started teaching breakdance, graffiti, and rap to the young kids in their neighborhood. By giving the children a creative outlet, a sense of community, and a source of pride, they prevented them from joining gangs or getting wound up in crime. I know this part of the blog was a little long, but I think it’s important to understand what happened here to get an idea of what Medillín and Colombia in general are about.

Guatapé and El Peñol de Guatapé

Although not Medellín, Guatapé is a small town about 2 hours east deemed most colorful town in Colombia for its colorful houses and painted “zócalos”. It sits on the shores of the Peñol-Guatapé Reservoir, a man-made lake that adds to the town’s scenic atmosphere and is close to the giant Piedra del Peñol, a climbable granite stone that offers spectacular views of the surrounding area. Although not my favorite thing to do, I took a bus tour there because I couldn’t be that close to this "must see" cute little town and not see it, but I didn’t have time to overnight. So, I, and about 40 others, boarded the greyhound looking bus at 6:40 am to see this little gem. Oh ya, it didn’t start great. I actually got on the wrong bus and my guide had to come find me, but now aboard the correct bus we made our way to the first stop,

First stop, climb the 700-plus stairs to get to the top of a 656-foot giant rock called El Peñol de Guatapé or also known as La Piedra de El Peñol. The rock is a very controversial subject to residents of El Peñol and Guatapé, as both towns claim the rock as their own. The town of El Peñol used to be located right next to the rock until it had to be relocated due to the construction of a dam. Now, the nearest town is Guatapé. Either way, the views of the surrounding area are stunning from the top. You can even get a beer and do some shopping at the top.

Next stop was the town of Guatape. With its steep and windy streets and bright colors, Guatapé is ridiculously photogenic, but it’s the zocalos that make it distinctive. Zocalos are a colorful baseboard with the purpose of protecting the lower part of the building. Some friezes are simply cute such as sunflowers, dove and lambs. Other zocalos advertise businesses like the wine and cocktail motif on a cantina. The most complicated tell stories.

With colorful tuk tuks running around carrying tourist, to the cute shops, to the umbrella streets, and many restaurants and bars, Guatape is definately worth a stop, but I would suggest staying a night or two and not do the tour. I felt too rushed and wanted to stay longer.

For my final night, I opted to try Mambo Negra, this swanky rooftop restaurant, co-founded by Juan David Zapata, to round out my whole Medellín experience. Juan was born and raised in the marginal Comuna 13. He trained as a bartender at the Learning for Life social program in 2011 and won Colombia’s largest individual bartending contest in 2018. The restaurant is amazingly gorgeous, and the view was mind-blowing, but don't eat the expanding mints. Apparently, they are napkins. :)