Assasination Cradel

Medellín was the cocaine capital of the world in the 80´s and 90´s. It is estimated that Pablo Escobar´s cartel provided 90 percent of the cocaine exports from Latin America. Coca leaves, grown in Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador are processed in Medellín into an enticing addictive white powder and then trafficked via sophisticated smuggling methods. Most of the shipments went to the US in response to the growing appetite for the glamorous drug.

During its darkest days, Medellín was named the most murderous city in the world. People were murdered in the streets, shopping malls, police stations and in airplanes on an all too regular basis--so much so that burying loved ones became a normal part of Colombian´s lives. The people who suffered the most, not surprisingly, were the poor who lived in barrios. These slums became a breeding ground for recruits for the cartel´s army. Young boys with no other opportunities were perfect victims for these powerful organized criminals.

Except for some famous sites seized by the government and occasional bullet holes scattered buildings, the traces of this shawody and violent history, which most Paisas would rather forget, are not easy to find on the surface. Medellin´s renaissance is in part thanks to a paisa president and more likely due to innovative public and civic policy. Since Pablo Escobar was killed in his non-descript suburban home, Medellin has cleaned up its act. The city is a clean modern metropolis home to beautiful parks, museums and state of the art buildings.

Visiting the barrios, which is a pleasant ride on the recently installed metro cable is something that outsiders did not dare six or seven years ago. Everyone with whom I visited in this part of Medellín say it is like a different world now. However, they were quick to warn extranjeros that it is not safe to leave the area patrolled by police. There are still plenty of robbers who are quick to take advantage of tourists carrying money and expensive cameras. While no longer the 'assasination cradle', the area has a long way to go in terms of development and safety.



I found this area to be the most alive and real part of Medellín, especially when contrasted with the sterilized wealthy part of town, El Poblado, where most travelers stay because of the lack of any other option. The barrios are bustling with kids riding down steep hills on a single roller skate, vendors peddling refreshing sugar cane lime drinks, workers loading mules with cinder blocks, and old men sharing stories over a cup of coffee and cigarette.

We met a well versed barrio kid who offered to tell us 'la historia' and help us find a place to eat. "La nueva bibloteca cuesta sies milliones dolares...." the story began. Jogan recalled when he was just three years old how dangerous the streets where in his neighborhood, as he pointed his fingers in the shape of a guns. Jogan is nine years old. That was a powerful reminder of how little time had passed since the place in which we were enjoying a meal was a murderous zone where the poor were terrorized and held hostage in their own homes by the cartels.