Medellin
Medellin was murder capital of the world in 1991, but the paisa's (the fiercely proud cities inhabitants) swear they can't remember that. To be a paisa is to be proud, to be able to talk the talk. Meeting a paisa father and paisa son in the north was enough to convince me to take a detour.
Medellin gets out the best china for its guests. Chauffeured straight into el poblado, one of the cities wealthiest districts on the immaculate metro. The snooty tea shops invite you to indulge in the cafe culture. On first impressions you'd be forgiven for thinking things feel like manhattan. But not European; Medellin will be anything for you but it is not colonial: this is a city of the future.
I can't help being reminded of some kind of sims computer game effort when I contemplate the forming of this city. The identical mud orange brick rasco cielos (literally skyscrapers in English) give the impression that everything happened so fast and so uniformly.
And it did happen fast, since the thousand day war at the turn of the century, the constant fighting between the left and the right has made it pretty hard to be a campeosino. La Violencia of the 50s following the assignation of the really very popular candidate Gaitan in 1948 was particularly difficult. Population grew rapidly as refugees flocked in from the countryside. At the same time, colonial architecture huddled out of fashion. Medellin launched it's medellin masterplan and the city of the future piled high.
Seemingly perfectly placed remain the churches because the only part of paisa culture that seems to have been preserved from times past is Catholicism. Paisa Catholicism is of the 'sin and repent' format. The largest (brick) church in the world serves as a symbol for the sentiments of the city in more ways than one. The proud declarations that medellin hold the largest church in the world are fantastically paisa and so are the the muffled shuttered afterthoughts of 'largest one of built of brick'.
At the front the devout catholic paisa's leave their church and at the back thrives the hub of the homosexual sex trade in the city. As we approach the church through the surrounding barrios we are reminded that Medellin is safe now, open for business and the paisa's are happy to see us. 'Welcome to Medellin' greet the infamous residents of this particular square.
Medellin was murder capital of the world in 1991, but the paisa's (the fiercely proud cities inhabitants) swear they can't remember that. To be a paisa is to be proud, to be able to talk the talk. Meeting a paisa father and paisa son in the north was enough to convince me to take a detour.
Medellin gets out the best china for its guests. Chauffeured straight into el poblado, one of the cities wealthiest districts on the immaculate metro. The snooty tea shops invite you to indulge in the cafe culture. On first impressions you'd be forgiven for thinking things feel like manhattan. But not European; Medellin will be anything for you but it is not colonial: this is a city of the future.
I can't help being reminded of some kind of sims computer game effort when I contemplate the forming of this city. The identical mud orange brick rasco cielos (literally skyscrapers in English) give the impression that everything happened so fast and so uniformly.
And it did happen fast, since the thousand day war at the turn of the century, the constant fighting between the left and the right has made it pretty hard to be a campeosino. La Violencia of the 50s following the assignation of the really very popular candidate Gaitan in 1948 was particularly difficult. Population grew rapidly as refugees flocked in from the countryside. At the same time, colonial architecture huddled out of fashion. Medellin launched it's medellin masterplan and the city of the future piled high.
Seemingly perfectly placed remain the churches because the only part of paisa culture that seems to have been preserved from times past is Catholicism. Paisa Catholicism is of the 'sin and repent' format. The largest (brick) church in the world serves as a symbol for the sentiments of the city in more ways than one. The proud declarations that medellin hold the largest church in the world are fantastically paisa and so are the the muffled shuttered afterthoughts of 'largest one of built of brick'.
At the front the devout catholic paisa's leave their church and at the back thrives the hub of the homosexual sex trade in the city. As we approach the church through the surrounding barrios we are reminded that Medellin is safe now, open for business and the paisa's are happy to see us. 'Welcome to Medellin' greet the infamous residents of this particular square.
Sergio Fajardo was major between 2003 and 2007. A brilliant mathematician and mayor he championed social architecture. He put beautiful artwork in the seediest places. He made libraries beautiful. This juxtaposition lifted these areas up. Tourists flock to see the fat statues made by Medellin's Botero in the places where previously you would never go.
Make a trip to Medellin: they want to see you. Go because it is a safe sophiscated metropolis. Go because sometimes it is still dark and vibrant and dangerous.
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