Medellin | Footloose Adventure

Why on earth would anyone go to Colombia? It’s violent, dangerous, filled with armed militias and Narco gangs. A very dangerous place for an American Tourist.

It turns out that this is an image that Colombia has moved past. There are many interesting lessons to learn, and parallels that can be drawn with the current situation in America.

Our oversimplified history of Colombia is based on several tours we took with English speaking guides, and a little wikepedia.

In the 1800’s Simon Bolivar freed Colombia form the Spaniards. The new nation Gran Colombia was much larger than it is now.

Due to disagreements between the various indigenous peoples, the country was broken up to create Venezuela and Ecuador.
In the early 20^th century the United States sent Gunboats and helped create the country of Panama in exchange For a 99 year lease and the right to finish building the Panama Canal.
Colombia operated with 2 parties’ liberals and conservatives. (Sounds like America)
The liberals had internal friction between radicals and a more centrist group. (Sounds like America)
The two main parties enjoyed long periods in power. (Sounds like America)
There was increasing polarization between the two dominant parties. (Sounds like America)
Jorge Gaitan was the leader of the radical left and widely expected to win the election, but was assassinated in April 1948.
Gaitan’s death sparked a 3 day riot that destroyed the capital of Bogota, and was the beginning of La Violencia. (Jan 6?)
La Violencia lasted from 1946 to 1964 with 200,000 dead and an estimated 1,000,000 people displaced.

Monument to victims of La Violencia. Lights represent victims. Screens have photos of families…powerful stuff

Starting in the Early 60’s FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia) came into being as a force for agrarianism and peasant rights.
Other militias came into being at that time including ELN, M19 and right wing paramilitaries funded by large land owners. (BLM?)(ANTIFA?)
With the United States as the biggest customer by far, the drug trade turned out to be enormously profitable. And some of these entities became more focused on the drug trade.
The Narcos including the Medellin and Cali Cartels became the distributors and processors of cocaine through US affiliates like the Black Widow in Miami.
Meanwhile refugees from the countryside began to settle in Medellin on the hillsides as squatters. Their first house were built from scraps salvaged from building sites and scavenging in the dump. But as squatters they had low housing costs and paid no tax. Over time they began small businesses in their neighborhoods, and as they became more prosperous they began to rebuild their shacks with red terra cotta bricks adding a floor for each new generation and creating part of the iconic Medellin skyline.

Isolated from the business center of Medellin by the steep geography and lack of city planning, gangs of underemployed young men began to mark out their turf in these new areas of the city.
In 1993, Medellin was the most dangerous city in the world with a homicide rate of 400/100000 and these new neighborhoods in the hills like Comuna 13 were the most dangerous neighborhoods in that city.
Completed in 1995 the Metro system knits together the neighborhoods of Medellin with tickets that cost 1600 COP (about 0.50 USD) and include transfers to anywhere in the system. Before the system a campaign to educate the public in “Metro Culture” instilled pride for and good behavior on the new Metro. Almost 30 years after its inauguration our ride was on a modern smooth system that puts BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) to shame.

In 2003 a new major Sergio Farjado was elected as Mayor. He began a series of policies that he called “social urbanization” that put the best schools, parks and Libraries in the poorest neighbor hoods. This is often hailed as the moment that Medellin began to turn around. (would this work in America where the poorest neighborhoods often have the worst schools?)
Starting in 2004 a series of Cable cars were added to the transit system allowing easy access to and from the hillside communities like Comuna 13.
The guerrilla factions are of course in the comuna 13 and in in 2002 the government moves to remove them with operation Orion.
Operation Orion has military helicopters hovering over the comuna 13 shooting people in support of ground troops. In all there were 80 civilians injured, 17 casualties committed by the Public Force , 71 people killed by the paramilitaries , 12 people tortured, 92 forced disappearances and 370 arbitrary detentions, according to the Corporación Jurídica Libertad.

Many of the dead are in a mass grave on the hillside.
So I am not a rapper but Hip Hop music has a part to play here. Hip Hop music evolved in New York using the music of Africa and rapping to create a music form that protests the injustice and oppression facing African and Hispanic Americans in the 60’s.
Hip Hop came to Colombia not as music but in visual form via a movie called “Beat Street” other Colombian teens visiting America brought back music, break dancing and graffiti.

Brothers La Etnnia ages 8 to 12 began to practice break dancing and would become one of leading Colombian Hip Hop groups.

Hip Hop helped to get people back into the streets instead of hiding in their homes and breakdancing became a way for rival gangs to work it out without killing each other.
More on Colombian Hip Hop movement Here
One final overlay was the effect of Pablo Escobar and the various cartels, who took over the distribution and processing of Cocaine. In an attempt to control the cartels the Colombian government signed an extradition treaty with the United States for drug offenses committed in either country.
The constitutionality of this was questioned and the cartels went to war with the government to try and overturn this treaty. Between 1989 and 1993 Pablo Escobar was responsible for the deaths of 657 policeman along with judges, politicians. He began to commit acts of terrorism with many car bombings.

Today it’s all quiet in the country side, but Colombia remains as the largest exporter of Cocaine in the world.. More about that here.

One of the enjoyable aspects of the tours in Bogota and Medellin was trying to figure out the complex history of this country. I am certain I have missed a lot, but being merely a traveler I feel I have an obligation to try and understand but no responsibility to create a definitive history….

Colombia is highly recommended, don’t miss the highland cities. Their climate is wonderful and the cities have an almost European feel.

After months in the Ferroalquimar shipyard, at last, we broke away from Cartagena to explore some other cities and the beautiful countryside of Colombia. This trip far exceeded our expectations.

**A view of the city atop** ***Monserrate***

Bogotá, Colombia’s Capital City, is a short flight from Cartagena. At 8,661′ elevation, the climate is cool and refreshing. We stayed in La Candelaria, the cobblestoned center of the city, at Hotel de la Opera, within easy walking distance to many sights and colorful neighborhoods. The hotel is located next to the state department, so there were armed guards everywhere. We watched with interest from our balcony, a protest in support of Ukraine, against the issuance of visas to Russians.

We packed a lot of sight seeing into our 4 days in Bogotá. Enough so, that we learned once again that we needed more time!

Cerro de Monserrate

The Sanctuary of Monserrate sits high above the city. It’s a sacred place and religious pilgrimage for many. Up on this hilltop, there are also some excellent restaurants, beautiful walks, gardens, and even bird watching. You can walk up the Pedestrian path, approximately 2 miles uphill. Given it was Michael’s birthday, we opted to take the Funicular for a scenic ride, but we did get some steps in walking the Stations of the Cross.

The Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá

We hired a driver to take us to the spectacular Salt Cathedral located in the town of Zipaquira. We were the last to board the packed van, so we were stuck in the back seats. The ride there was one hour long and rough. This van had no shocks and Michael’s back in particular felt every bump in the road. It took him a few minutes to straighten up once we crawled out of there! Luckily, the driver was merciful and promised us the front seat for the return trip. It was worth it to see this cathedral carved underground some 600 feet within a former salt mine. Mass is held here every Sunday. Imagine the queue for Easter or Christmas service! Michael had two stations of the cross for his Birthday…. A virtuous life..

Here’s a pretty amazing light show in the Salt Cathedral

The Botero Museum

A short walk from our hotel was the Botero Museum. Fernando Botero Angulo is a Colombian figurative artist and sculptor, born in Medellín. His signature style, also known as “Boterismo”, depicts people and figures in large, exaggerated volume, which can represent political criticism or humor, depending on the piece. (Wikipedia) The museum, which belongs to the Banco de la República de Colombia, was founded in 2000 when Botero donated more than 100 of his own works, along with 85 from his personal collection of other artists’ work – a haul that includes pieces by Picasso, Monet, Matisse and Klimt. At Botero’s instruction, Admission is free to all. It’s located in a beautiful colonial building with an interior courtyard for lunch or rest.

Museo del Oro

Not to be missed, the Gold Museum contains more than 55,000 pieces of gold and other materials from all of Colombia’s major pre-Hispanic cultures. It was a feast for the eyes. We couldn’t pass up the gift shop and brought home a book to study more about this incredible collection and history of the people. Here’s a small sample:

Next Stop: Medellín

**Beautiful Countryside with City Below** (formerly Pablo’s Prison view)

Another short flight from Bogotá to Medellín, the 2nd largest city In Colombia. Admittedly, prior to our visit, our knowledge of Colombia was limited to and somewhat tainted by the popular Netflix series, “Narcos”, about the infamous Pablo Escobar, narcoterrorist and leader of the Medellín Cartel. Of course, what we learned is that this city is so much more than what was once called the most violent city in the world. In fact, Medellín is known colloquially as “la Ciudad de la Eterna Primavera,” or “the City of Eternal Spring.” This alludes to the weather, where most days are sunny and mild. Flowers grow abundantly, and are a major export for the country. The people are warm and proud of their city. They welcome conversations about the history of violence, which includes a civil war, the drug cartel, gangs and a corrupt government. People were happy to talk of the transformation that began not long ago under then Mayor Sergio Fajardo, who believed that “aesthetics is a tool for social transformation”. Needless to say, we were inspired during this visit. While politics was a central thread of discussion and interest here, we especially enjoyed the beauty, the food, the weather, the ice cream and so much more!

We stayed in the neighborhood El Poblado, at Hotel Park 10. The hotel was lovely and included a wonderful breakfast buffet with an incredible spread of the freshest fruit including dragon fruit (a new one for us), omeletts to order, and unlimited dark rich coffee. We enjoyed daily walks around our neighborhood, with a park across the street and a large variety of restaurants and shopping to choose from. We grew quite fond of an afternoon treat at Amor-Acuyá Gelato. And we took a few tours.

Comuna 13 Graffiti Tour

We met our english-speaking guide, Arturo, at the Poblado Metro Station. Medellín’s metro is the only rail-based city transit system in Colombia with the first line opening in 1995. The Metro is a source of pride to all. It helped transform the community, giving people easy access to work, education, etc. It also brought people to their communities, which increased tourism and broke down the barriers of fear and isolation, especially for the Comuna 13 neighborhood.

Throughout the 80s and 90s, Comuna 13 was considered one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the world. It was run by violent drug trafficking organizations, who used the poor, sprawling hillside barrio as a transit route in and out of the city, and served as a stronghold for guerrillas, gangs, and paramilitaries. In the mid-90’s all this began to change, under the guidance of the Mayor Sergio Fegardo, who encouraged people to take back their communities. He invested in community projects (including parks) to bring people outside. In 2011, the government installed the escaleras electricas, a series of outdoor escalators that extend for 1,260 feet (384 m), connecting parts of the once chaotic and isolated hillside neighborhood to the city below. Now, tourists–like us–visit this vibrant community, which helps to sustain their economic progress.

Our tour began with a metro ride, then a bus, then a tram, then onto the outdoor escalators. We then hiked up the hillside barrio taking in the sites and hearing many stories of what has endured in this community.

Guatapé and Coffee Farm Tour

Our next tour took us out of the city for a drive around the countryside. Our tour guide, Daniel, picked us up at our hotel for a private car tour. Daniel was an engaging storyteller and provided insights into the history and culture of Colombia. Guatapé is a resort town east of Medellín. It’s known for its houses decorated with colorful Zocalos, painted panels on the houses that portrays the original occupants trade or history. It sits by the man-made Peñol-Guatapé Reservoir. Piedra del Peñol, a giant granite rock southwest of town, has hundreds of steps to the top, where there are sweeping views. We enjoyed the leisurely drive to Guatapé, stopping at a family-run coffee farm on our way.

Pablo

We had to do it. We took the Pablo Escobar tour. Thankfully, our tour did not celebrate Pablo as a hero, but rather showed the sights of his life story and detailed some history. Interesting facts: to serve his prison time, Pablo had his luxurious Prison site (La Catedral) built high in the Mountains, overlooking his City, Medellín. He did escape with the help of the guards. The prison site is now a serene setting for a senior housing site run my Jesuit Monks; The site of his home in Medellín was transformed into a Memorial park, honoring victims of the violence Pablo and his Cartel inflicted on the community.

The Casa de la Memoria Museum

On our last day in Medellín, we visited the House of Memory Museum. Created in 2006 —this museum serves as “an exercise of memory to the understanding and overcoming of the armed conflict and the various forms of violence in Medellín, Antioquia and the country”. It’s a place to remember, to reflect, to forgive, to heal. It was very moving to visit this space. The museum includes displays with artifacts of things lost or torn apart by violence. And a room which uses video clips of photographs of the many victims, many who disappeared, never to be found again, but all remembered here.