After Lainie & Miro left Santa Marta and Taganga, they took an 18 hour bus ride to Medellin. They were greeted by a beautiful modern brick city. Since they arrived, they have been exploring the city, enjoying the amazing weather and being welcomed by the wonderful citizens. Miro and Lainie even found their story featured in a local newspaper called Gente.
“Winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart.” And our hearts have been touched by Medellin Colombia, a city famous for eternal spring.”
~Victor Hugo
Medellin
Medellin, located in the heart of the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly locations of the Andes, in South America. The Medellín Metropolitan Area produces 67% of the Department of Antioquia’s GDP and 11% of the economy of Colombia. Medellín plays an important role in the regions economy because of the universities, academies, commerce, industry, science, health services, flower-growing, festivals and nightlife. The city is unique in many ways, including the friendly people, the eternal spring-like weather and the infamous history. Medellin is also the birthplace of artist Botero and as we’ve become more immersed in the city, we are noticing just how much culture exudes from Medellin.
For more on Medellin, visit the wikipedia page here.
History in Brief
Medellin was founded in 1616 by Spanish explorer and conquistador Francisco Herrera y Campuzano. The city’s name was changed to Medellín in 1675 and was granted city status in 1813.
Over the years, Medellin, became a major center for commerce and industry, particularly in textiles, making Medellin the fashion capital of South America. Medellin is also the birthplace of the popular Latin American artist, Fernando Botero.
Fernando Botero
Botero is an abstract artist in the most fundamental sense, choosing colors, shapes, and proportions on a grand scale. Lainie & Miro visited a sculpture garden with dozens of Boteros, and the museum featuring his art.
They were overwhelmed by the hugeness of his figures, both from a 3 dimensional form and in his paintings. From the permanent exhibition of Botero’s work, the question is presented outside the entrance to the multi-room gallery with dozens of his paintings: Why does Botero paint fat people?
In reply, the gallery explains to it’s visiters, Botero does not portray fat people, they are expressions of volume. Fruit, landscapes animals and peopele, just about anything, it he creates has a deformation to exalt volume.
And the Boteros do indeed express volume and can be found scattered throughout the city, somehow fitting perfectly within the Medellin landscape.
Medellin’s Dark Side
However, there’s a darker side. Unfortunately Medellin is remembered by many for it’s recent history of violence, once being thought of as one of the most dangerous citys in all of South America. Several decades of violence are responsible for this perception.
In 1994, Colombia’s World Cup soccer player Andres Escobar was shot dead outside a bar, shortly after returning from the World Cup. The Colombian team was out of the tournament, after he accidentally scored a goal for the other team. Escobar, who was 27, was shot 12 times as one of the gunmen shouted, ‘Goal! Goal!’”
The most notorious, and responsible for Medellin’s former reputation as the world’s capital for murder, kidnapping and crime comes from the reign of drug lord, Pablo Escobar, no relation to the soccer player. Escobar’s cartel was responsible for countless deaths in the 1980s & 90s and the reign of terror paralyzed the community.
Pablo Escobar was captured in 1982 and an entire prison was built specifically for the “the billionaire godfather of international cocaine trafficking.” This prison, however, actually has more similarities to a 4-star hotel than to a jail.
In July 1992, Escobar escaped, and was killed in a dramatic rooftop shooting. However, some believe he is alive today, investing some of his riches in expert disguises, fake passports and identification.
Side note from Lainie & Miro: we are not intending to present these stories to portray a culture fear. These stories are a part of the city’s history just as Al Capone is a part of Chicago’s history. Miro and I always find the human condition fascinating and have hope that humanity can learn from it’s past.
We come from Los Angeles California and used to live in the downtown area a place many people fear. In the 15 + years I lived there, I never had a problem and I don’t anticipate having a problem anywhere else in the world. We are looking at Medellin’s history only from a point of fascination and intrigue, and are not suggesting it is a place to fear.
Our experience of Colombia and of all of Central & South America does not match any of the images that are portrayed in main stream news. In the states we are meant to fear the Latin American countries with “scary histories”. But what we have come to know and experience is the exactly opposite of that experience.
People throughout Central and South America are amazing. They have an resilient spirit and for the most part are welcoming and friendly. It has been such an honor to get to know many of them over the year and a half of our travels.
Bottom line is, the world is a safe place and this is exactly our choice on how Miro and I choose to experience it.
Lainie Liberti is a recovering branding expert, who’s career once focused on creating campaigns for green – eco business, non-profits and conscious business. Dazzling clients with her high-energy designs for over 18 years, Lainie lent her artistic talents to businesses that matter. But that was then.
In 2008, after the economy took a turn, Lainie decided to be the change (instead of a victim) and began the process of “lifestyle redesign,” a joint decision between both her and her 11-year-old son, Miro. They sold or gave away all of of their possessions in 2009 and began a life of travel, service, and exploration. Lainie and her son Miro began their open-ended adventure backpacking through Central and South America. They are slow traveling around the globe allowing inspiration to be their compass. The pair is most interested in exploring different cultures, contributing by serving, and connecting with humanity as ‘global citizens.’
Today Lainie considers herself a digital nomad who is living a location independent life. She and her son write and podcast their experiences from the road at Raising Miro on the Road of Life.
