Medellín, it must be said, is no architectural gem like Cartagena and it has had more monkeys on its back than most places.
Following, the murder of presidential candidate Jorge Eliecer Gaitán in 1948, political violence spread through rural areas and farmers fled to the cities. The number of inhabitants tripling in 20 years, the valley slopes surrounding Medellín became overpopulated with slums.
As the hometown of Pablo Escobar and seat of the Medellín Cartel (which controlled ~80% of cocaine supply to the US), it became one of the most dangerous cities in the world in the 1980s and 90s. In 1987, over 3000 people were murdered in Medellín (5x New York City that year), including judges, police and city officials.
After the death of Escobar in 1993, crime declined somewhat but remained high.
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In addition to ongoing violent competition between cartels, war between the FARC (far left) and AUC (far right) militias saw an uptick in homicides in the late 1990s and early 2000s. This prompted President Alvaro Uribe to initiate “Operation Orion” which used the military to disband the militias.
While successful, some ex-paramilitaries reorganised into gangs known as Aguilas Negras (the Black Eagles) notorious for “cleansing” the streets of prostitutes, transexuals, drug addicts, alcoholics and the homeless.
It has taken an extraordinary effort by the city to recover from all that. But it has.
An extensive program of development - including transport links to integrate and include impoverished areas with commercial hubs, and improvement in security and education - built on a consensus between government, citizen groups, businesses, and even the narcos, to ‘never go back to the bad old days’ has resulted in a slew of awards.
These include “most innovative city in the world due advances in politics, education, and social development” (Urban Land Institute, 2013), the Veronica Rudge Urbanism Award (Harvard University, 2013) and the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize which “seeks to recognize and celebrate efforts in furthering innovation in urban solutions and sustainable urban development” (2016).
Medellín was from the beginning the main centre of Colombian commerce. In the 19th century, it was exporting gold and coffee. It has since added textiles and fashion, technology and a broader range of agricultural products.
Mind, I think it has a lot of trauma to work through still. This seems to be playing out through artistic and individual expression.
The old city centre retains a punky edge that I really like. The Parque de Bolívar is a meeting spot for all of Medellín’s tribes and a must see if you’re open minded. Adjacent is the impressive Metropolitan Cathedral. I highly recommend Salon Malaga for traditional Colombian music and cocktails.
The street art at nearby Comune 13 is very impressive.
The Poblado area to the south is entirely different. Posh, modern, great restaurants, and rooftop bars and nightclubs. The latter are made particularly impressive by the lights of the many villages and towns stretching up the surrounding slopes of the valley.
This is almost certainly an exercise in legitimising business assets and you can have a great party in Poblado if that’s your thing.