Medellin: A City of Pablo(s)

“Passport, please.” I hand the immigration agent my passport. He looks at it, then cocks his head to one side and looks at me suspiciously. “So you’re from Colombia?”  I confirm, and the agent opens my passport; he now looks even more suspicious. “From Medellin?”  I confirm with a nod of my head.  I wait patiently, but I know what is coming… “and your name is Pablo?”.  “Yes, sir,” I reply politely. “So, Pablo from Medellin, Colombia, what do you have in your backpack?” “The usual, clothes, shoes, a book.” “What about drugs, do you have cocaine in your backpack?” “No, I do not have any drugs or cocaine,” I say. “Well, we are going to need you to come this way for a moment,” he says sternly. 5 hours later, my bag has been repeatedly searched, I’ve been questioned again and again, and my flight is long gone.

This is a story that our guide, Pablo, from Real City Walking Tours in Medellin recounted as we marveled at the old Ferrocarril de Antioquia, the train system which once symbolized the ingenuity, work ethic, pride and prosperity of Medellin and the paisas. However,  most people do not know about that Medellin; they only know of the Medellin which was considered the most dangerous city on the planet. They know of a Medellin ruled by Pablo Escobar and the drug cartels. Despite the fact that Escobar has been dead for over 20 years, he still, unfortunately, rules the world’s view of Medellin.

Pablo, Real City Tours guide                                                            Old Ferrocarril de Antioquia                                                                                                                                               

The Medellin that we experienced was so much more though! Medellin is a city which has been reborn. Medellin has become a modern city; a city filled with new buildings, public spaces and a transport system which boasts Colombia’s only metro system and MetroCable cars that run up into the mountains. These types of improvements create inclusion and mean that people living in the poorer neighborhoods are still able come to Medellin to make a living, get an education and try to improve their lives. They also provide  great views of the city from above.

MetroCable Medellin                                                                           Medellin Metro                                                                                                  

Plaza Cisneros

One of the central plazas in Medellin used to be a particularly dangerous area filled with drug dealers, homeless, prostitutes and thieves. To the people of Medellin, it was a place that represented all things bad in Medellin. It was a place of crime, drug abuse and fear. On one end of that plaza sat Edificio Carre, a building which housed all of the aforementioned. Now the plaza has been renovated and renamed, Plaza Cisneros; it houses 300 poles lit from within; it represents a place of light and hope. Also, that same dangerous and dilapidated building has been renovated and is now the city’s Center of Education.  On the other side of the plaza sits EPM Biblioteca, a massive library where the residents of Medellin come to read, learn or simply use the internet for Facebook.

The Old Quarter of the city was also given a facelift. The Museum of Antioquia was renovated in 2004. At that time Fernando Botero, a famous artist and sculptor from Medellin, donated 23 of his sculptures worth millions. The pieces are scattered throughout the Plaza Botero and around Rafael Uribe Palace of Culture for the viewing pleasure of all.

Fernando Botero's Sculptures and "Palacio  de Cultura Rafael Uribe"

Through education, city planning(democratic architecture) and improved security Medellin has flourished. In 2012 it was named the “Innovative City of the Year” by WSJ.

Despite all of the change and progress, the past must not be forgotten. As we came to our final spot of the tour, this point was made clear. Pablo tells us that in January 1995, this spot held a plaza, like the many others in the city. It was a place filled with people, a weekend market and where children came to play. One January morning, someone left a backpack on a sculpture of a bird, and it exploded. The bird became a dangerous weapon. It sent shards of metal across the plaza, injuring many and killing twenty-three, one of whom was a 7 year old girl named Lina Marcela Taborda Herrera. Pablo states, “I was the same age as her, but I wasn’t in the square that day, so I’m alive and she isn’t. Such different lives, only because of where we are at a given moment in time.”

Plaza San Antonio

After the explosion, people stopped visiting to Parque San Antonio. The government decided to tear down the bird sculpture because it evoked bad memories. However, the sculpture’s creator was not going to let this happen. Fernando Botero told the government that the sculpture should stay where it was; he would create a new, duplicate sculpture of the bird to sit next to the damaged one. Botero did not want the people of Medellin to forget this event.  Now,  the two Botero birds sit side by side, one torn to shreds, the other sitting happy and whole.

“This is my Medellin, right here,” says Pablo, “the broken and the new. You are my Medellin. A Medellin filled with hope, new life and visitors.”

Bandeja Paisa

And what wonderful Medellin it is! It is a city filled with pride, culture and delicious food!! You simply can not visit Medellin without trying the Bandeja Paisa, a heaping dish of rice, beans, dried/shredded meat, sausage, blood sausage, pork belly, fried egg, plantain and avocado. The perfect way to cap off our perfect tour of Medellin.