Life after Annandale High: Moving on to Medellin

Moving on to Medellin

It’s a mere 133 miles from Bogota to Medellin but the driving time is 9-10 hours due to the steep twisting roads through the Andes. A better option is the 15-minute flight. From my window seat on the plane, I looked down at a lush green landscape, defined by contours of hills and valleys studded with rivers and streams.

Founded by the Spanish in 1616, Medellin is Colombia’s second largest city and the capital of the department (state) of Antioquia. It prospered during the 19^th century as a commercial center, exporting gold and coffee. Today, practically none of the colonial-era architecture remains.

Medellin was once considered the most dangerous city in the world. That was during the 80s and 90s, when Colombia’s cocaine cartels were based in Medellin and the city became their killing ground. After the death of drug lord Pablo Escobar, Medellin’s fortunes improved. Nowadays, Medellin prides itself on its reputation as one of the most innovative cities in the world. It is known for its universities, commerce and industry, science, fashion and textiles, festivals and lively nightlife. Unlike Bogota, it has excellent public transportation, such as a metro system, cable cars, and trams.

Making Medellin even more appealing is its year-round spring-like weather. In fact, it’s known as the City of Eternal Spring. And, sure enough, when we stepped out of the airport terminal, the temperature was delightfully warm. It was perfect weather for enjoying an al fresco lunch on the terrace of the Hacienda Origen restaurant, overlooking a lively pedestrian shopping street.

One of the Colombian specialties on the menu was bandeja paisa. This is traditional fare for farm workers. The carb-heavy dish is designed to fuel them with calories for their physical labor. A few ravenous members of my group ordered the dish which turned out to be a large oval platter overflowing with kidney beans, a fried egg, rice, arepas, plantains, avocado, pork rind, ground beef, two different kinds of sausage.

Although I love trying new foods, I wasn’t at all tempted to order it. Instead, I was very happy with grilled salmon and potatoes, served with a delicious herb-flecked sauce. Perhaps it was just my imagination, but the potatoes in Colombia tasted much better than their American counterparts. The dessert was my favorite torta de almojabana (cheese bread cake), this time with a caramel-like center. I will definitely try to make this when I get home.

After lunch, we walked to nearby Berrio Park, which is popularly known as Botero Square because it’s filled with the sculpture of the Colombian artist Fernando Botero. I’m sure you’ve seen Botero’s work – his style is unmistakable. In both his paintings and sculpture, he works with volume to highlight certain parts of the figure. The sculptures, in cast bronze, were a gift to the city by the artist who was in charge of their placement in the park.

An art deco building in the park, formerly the city hall, now serves as the Museum of Antioquia. It contains a large collection of Botero’s paintings, as well as works by other artists. Unfortunately, the museum did not allow photography in the rooms devoted to his paintings. The other building in the park, of a somewhat eclectic style, was originally the governor's house. It's now a cultural center.

The downtown area of Medellin, with its bustling, noisy streets, reminded me of New York City in a certain way. The two cities seem to have the same kind of energy. Fortunately, our hotel was located in El Poblado, a quieter and decidedly upscale area. On a walk around the neighborhood, we noticed attractive restaurants, shops, and modern apartment buildings.

Another area of Medellin that we visited was Communa 8, which we reached via tram and cable car. While the older and more affluent part of the city is in a valley, Communa 8 sits above it on the steep slopes of the mountains. If you remember from my first post about Colombia, neighborhoods are assigned a level from 1 to 6 to indicate their relative socio-economic position, with 6 being the highest. Communa 8 is definitely a level 1 neighborhood.

Most of the residents of Communa 8 originally came from rural parts of the country and were displaced by the political violence of the 1950s and 60s, the later fighting between guerillas and paramilitaries, and the drug cartel killings of the 80s and 90s. Without much money, they weren’t able to find homes in the more established parts of Medellin so they began to construct shanties on the mountainside, using whatever materials they could find.

After a while, the city brought utilities (water, electric, and gas) into the area. Although the people didn't purchase their land, they became the legal owners after living in their residences for ten years.

Unfortunately, Communa 8 didn’t become a refuge from the violence the people were trying to escape. The guerillas and paramilitaries also found the area suitable for their activities. In addition, drug cartels, including the cartel run by Pablo Escobar, came to Communa 8 to recruit local youngsters. Before long, Communa 8 was the most dangerous area in the most dangerous city in the world.

This bad situation was compounded by a tragedy that occurred in September, 1987. A huge mudslide covered 200 houses and killed 600 people. Even more people were made homeless. The cause was never determined although many of the residents of Communa 8 believe that it was due to an accidental explosion from the guerillas living higher up the mountainside. The Colombian government, fearful of getting involved in an area that was so dangerous, did little to assist the people. As a result, many children orphaned by the tragedy were prime targets for recruitment by paramilitaries, guerillas, and the drug gangs, including the organization run by Pablo Escobar.

Speaking of Pablo Escobar, while we were in Medellin, Alejo gave us a great deal of information about his life story. He grew up in a middle-class family in a rural area near Medellin and even as a kid, he was a troublemaker. He always wanted to be noticed and to have power.

In the 1960s, when unemployment was high, Escobar and his brother went to Medellin with the idea of getting rich as quickly as possible. His goal was to build an empire and to be admired and feared. (Does this sound vaguely familiar?) After trafficking briefly in marijuana, he switched to the more profitable cocaine. In the 1970s, he took farmers with no land, brought them to the jungle in eastern Colombia, and taught them to grow coca. Then he taught the farmers how to process the leaves into a paste that they sold to the big drug lords, including Escobar. The farmers made a small profit while the drug lords ended up with most of the money.

Escobar, along with five other drug lords, became the legendary Medellin cartel. They started bombings in cities throughout Colombia to create fear in the population. Escobar was frustrated in his desire to have a role in the government. And despite his wealth, he was never accepted socially by Colombia’s upper class.

Eventually, all of the drug lords except Escobar were jailed or extradited to the U.S. Only Escobar remained, and his terrorism increased. He used bribes to control government officials – an offer of silver or lead meant take the money or get a bullet. Five presidential candidates were assassinated in the years 1989-90. I was horrified to learn that he gave his hit men a reward for each police officer they killed. You would think that he was universally detested by the Colombian people. However, that isn’t the case.

During our walk through Communa 8, we stopped to speak with one of the longtime residents, Leydi, and her two school-age daughters. She welcomed us into her home, which has now been expanded to include an upper story. Leydi had some positive things to say about Escobar. Although he was responsible for many of the most brutal crimes in Colombia’s history, he also used some of his wealth to improve living conditions for the people living in Communa 8.

Leydi's two daughters in their home in Communa 8

Escobar was finally killed in a shout-out with the Colombian authorities in 1993. Still, there was no peace in the countryside as fighting between guerillas and paramilitaries continued.

Eventually, in 2003, when the government offered amnesty to the paramilitaries, a number of paramilitiaries who had been using Communa 8 as their base decided to demobilize. A group of about 60 paramilitaries realized that they wanted to do something constructive to help the local residents and to create a living memorial to the victims of the mudslide. They chose a trench on the mountainside that was a former hideout and military center and turned it into a community garden.

Today, the original project has become a community establishment called the Hill of Values. Here, the former fighters teach local kids and adults about caring for the environment, sustainable gardening, and recycling. Their recycling efforts bring in money to support their activities. They also share their personal life stories with the younger members of the community in the hope that they will make better choices.

We met with one of these individuals, named Luis, who explained that before, they were part of the problem and now, they’re part of the solution. Like Ana Milena and Martin in Bogota, they’re grateful to have this second chance and to be accepted as members of the community. After listening to Luis’s story, we walked through the garden, which is filled with whimsical animal figures made from recycled materials.