In 75 BC, Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius founded a population in Hispania that named Metellinum, now Medellin of Extremadura, in Badajoz province, Spain. The city's name was given in 1675 in honor of Pedro Portocarrero y Luna, count of Medellin in Extremadura and, at the time, president of the Indian Council. This was done by the interest he took in the erection in village of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Aná. In view of that, there was strong opposition from the city of Santa Fe de Antioquia, which at that time was the capital of the Province of Antioquia. This happened because with that erection they would diminish their jurisdiction and political control over the province. ​ ​

That same year, the real ballot signed by the Queen Regent, Mariana of Austria, finally arrived on behalf of Carlos II, a minor to date. Dated on November 22, 1674, grants the foundation in Villa de la Candelaria de Aná. On November 2, 1675, it was the governor and general captain of the Province of Antioquia, Miguel de Aguinaga and Mendigoitia who proclaimed the erection of the Villa of Our Lady of Candelaria in Medellin. ​

Main facade of the Cathedral, 1924.

Northwestern view of Medellin Cathedral completed.

First settlers

About 1,500 years ago, the Aburrá Valley was visited by hunter-gatherer tribes. When the Spanish conquerors arrived, they found a large native population settled, which offered little resistance. They were boring, Yamese, small, drunk, Norish, and peanuts who had been there since the 5th century B.C., according to estimates. They had large maize and bean crops, raised curries and dumb dogs, weave cotton blankets, traded salt, and knew the orphanage. Under Spanish rule they were distributed in caretakers and displaced from their lands. Defection, mistreatment, disease, and hard labor in land and mines, in a few years they decimated ​.

Colonial period

The valley in which Medellin is located was discovered on August 24, 1541, the day of Saint Bartholomew, by Jerónimo Luis Tejelo, a captain at the command of Marshal Jorge Robledo, who founded the city of Santa Fe de Antioquia that same year and is considered the conqueror of Antioquia. The valley was called Valle de Aburrá by the indigenous people who inhabited it and was called by the Spanish Valle de San Bartolomé or Los Alcázares. According to some chroniclers, the indigenous people responded with bellicosity, a resistance that forced Tejelo to entrench his defensiveness and to send an express to Marshal Robledo asking him for help, with which they easily beat the aborigines. This resistance was made by the indigenous people who lived in the Guayabal hamlet themselves, as the others who occupied the valley preferred to flee or take their own lives. ​

First shield of the town of Medellín granted by Carlos II by a Real Cédula given in Madrid on March 31, 1678.

Plan of the Villa of Medellin, 1791.

On March 2, 1616, Francisco de Herrera Campuzano, of the Council of the King, Judge of the Royal Audience of the New Kingdom of Granada and Visitor General of the Province of Antioquia, founded a town called San Lorenzo de Aburrá, where El Poblado is currently located. The hamlet, which was composed of three hundred indigenous people and a few Spaniards, finally failed and in 1646 it was moved to the angle formed by the Medellin River (formerly the Aburrá River) and the Santa Elena stream, a site that the indigenous people called Aná and the Spanish Aguasal.

The Aburrá Valley was seen by a captain following the orders of the Spanish conquistador Jorge Robledo.

A few years later, the first church of tapias and tiles, dedicated to the Virgen de la Candelaria, was erected, and since then the population has been called Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Aná, who at the age of 54 had only 700 inhabitants of the 3,000 that inhabited the territory between the Ancón de la Valeria (now Caldas) to the foothills Barbosa. ​

Since 1670, residents have asked the Royal Audience to choose their village as a village, finding resistance from the city of Santa Fe de Antioquia. Finally, the Queen Mariana of Austria, the widow of Felipe IV, on behalf of her son Carlos II, gave the erection in village of the small town, which now became the Villa of Our Lady of Candelaria of Medellin. A century later, in 1783, new streets were opened by order of Francisco Silvestre and Sánchez, who was governor of the Province of Antioquia. In 1786, Judge Juan Antonio Mon and Velarde numbered the houses, which were 242 on one floor and 29 on the balcony, and marked the streets under the names of San Francisco, San Lorenzo, La Amargura (now Ayacucho Street), El Prado, among others. ​ also issued measures on sanitation, public education, improving trade and administrative systems; it also gives the village running water, creates agricultural colonies, and encourages mining. These progressive measures raise the spirits of the inhabitants and allow us to see better times for the population and the entire province. ​

In the 19th century and at the height of independence, on August 21, 1813, Juan del Corral erected Medellin in the city, a privilege that until then, as far as the province is concerned, only had Santa Fe de Antioquia and Rionegro . In 1826 it was named capital of Antioquia, with 6,050 inhabitants. ​

19th century

San Ignacio building in the square of the same name.

Northern façade of Claustro San Ignacio

In the early 19th century, the city experienced slow development due, among other things, to poor communication with the rest of the country and abroad. Intellectually, materially and socially, the characteristics of people of incipient civilization were still preserved. It was not until the period between 1830 and 1850 that the city began its gradual development. ​ Education made a momentous leap in this period. During the colonial era and even at the beginning of the Republic there were few schools and schools, a situation that changed from the middle of the century, being remarkable during the government of Pedro Justo Berrío. ​

Carré Building.

The Medellin River lacked bridges to cross it at the time, and it became necessary to build one because its waters were abundant, especially in winter, and it required rafts to pass it. Colombia's bridge was the first within the city's territory and was erected with national aid offered by then President Tomas Cipriano of Mosquera in 1846. The second bridge over the river was that of Guayaquil. ​

In 1868, the relocation of the headquarters of the diocese of Santa Fe de Antioquia to Medellin was decreed, which allowed the latter to strengthen the religious institutions that existed at the time. ​ The construction of the Metropolitan Cathedral was a milestone not only in the religious sphere but also from the architectural point of view. ​ Trade was also strengthened and consolidated as a financial activity. This is how in Medellin the Bank of Antioquia emerged in 1871, the Banco de Medellin in 1881, the Banco Popular in 1882 and the Banco del Comercio in 1896. ​

20th century

The city's take-off to modernity coincided with rapid population growth, from 20,000 inhabitants in 1870 to 140,000 in 1938. The city was consolidated as a center of trade in gold, coffee, root farm, mechanics, smelting, speculation and merchandise imports. This commercial vocation was complemented at the beginning of the 20th century by an industrial one (textiles, soft drinks, cigarettes, footwear, among others), taking advantage of the presence of abundant water sources, advances in mobility and nearby markets.

Church of San Ignacio, example of architecture from the colonial era.

As the first cars imported from the United States and France entered, major factories were created, in particular textile companies, such as the Colombian Coltejer Tissue Company (1907), or the Hilados and Tejidos del Hato factory (Fabricato), which began operating in the 1920s and would be consolidated as the second most important textile after two decades. by Coltejer. Other important companies were created in these years, such as the Colombian Tobacco Company (1919), the Lux Gaseous Factory (1925), and the coffee industry is the founding of Café La Bastilla in 1922.

Since 1910, these industries became the main engine of urban growth, creating a first generation of industrial entrepreneurs and wage earners. The city attracted immigrants from the countryside who aspired to work in factories and warehouses. More prosperous immigrants, such as mining entrepreneurs, traders, cattle ranchers, and young people from wealthy families, also arrived with the idea of educating themselves.

In the middle of the century, the city also began to develop a modern architecture with architects such as the Austrian Federico Blodek, who designed works such as South American office buildings, Fabricato ​ (which was the tallest in the city) ​ and Banco de Colombia. ​ The Pilot Plan of Medellin, ​ developed in 1950 by urban planners Paul Wiener and José Luis Sert He recommended: channel the river, control the settlements on the slopes, set up an industrial zone in Guayabal, articulate the city around the river, construct the stadium Atanasio Girardot and the administrative center "La Alpujarra". Soon, the Pilot Plan was overwhelmed by the reality of a population that tripled in 20 years, from 358,189 inhabitants, in 1951, to 1,071,252, in 1973.

During this period, construction was very dynamic, and peasants, who had no access to housing loans, began to build on the slopes. Many of the old buildings of the center, and even those of the early 20th century, were demolished to make way for buildings that were set up for offices and housing, including Coltejer, a symbol of the city. The textile sector was modernized quite a bit during this period and the industrial vocation of the city was definitively consolidated. ​ ​

Aerial view of the center.

Biblioteca Pública España

For the first time, after Antioquia had a rising economy for 150 years, the early symptoms of what would be the largest economic and social crisis in its history are presented in the 1970s. Indicators of rising unemployment, and with it crime and general insecurity, appear. Although the country as a whole faced a critical period in its economy between 1970 and 1980, this crisis had a special impact on Medellin, which had the highest unemployment rate in the nation. ​

The manufacturing sector had not only lost momentum, but was unable to cope with the situation created by high unemployment, economic recession, and the imposition by the central government of a new development model based on financial and construction activities. It is then that smuggling, first, and then drug trafficking, appear as an alternative for thousands of people who had no or very little chance of finding employment or profitable economic activity on the legal market. ​

The Cartel of Medellin was created in 1976 and, until the mid-1980s, enjoyed a relative freedom and tolerance as a result of its direct penetration in all sectors of society. With the approval of the measures allowing the extradition of Colombians to the United States, taken by President Belisario Betancur after the assassination of his minister of justice, the drug cartel has started a big movement to destabilize the state. The city suffered the full brunt of the struggle between drug trafficking and the central government in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Drug terrorism, assassinations, assassinations of judges and politicians, criminal gangs in the popular neighborhoods, kidnappings, and murders of politicians appeared. ​

The death of Pablo Escobar, in 1993, marked the end of the so-called Medellin Cartel, but left deep social conflicts in the region. The guerrilla and paramilitarism continued their armed activism that has created harsh impacts not only on the city but also on the country, such as the increase of those displaced by violence and the tightening of state security policies such as Operation Orión in San Javier (October 2002). ​

21st century

Until 2008 in the Paisa Region, of which Medellin is a member, at least six of the main emerging bands ​ ​ from the remains of the paramilitary groups ​ who demobilized during the peace talks with the Colombian government in 2004-2006. Among them are: Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, Black Eagles, Envigado Office, Los Urabeños, Los Rastrojos or Los Paisas Group; the last four groups are the ones active in the country in 2015.

These criminal groups concentrate their operations in cities and small towns across the country, trying to control drug flows to the Caribbean coast and control illegal mining. ​ Drug trafficking routes move especially through the departments of Córdoba and Sucre where they sell the drug to organizations that have larger infrastructure and can move drugs internationally. ​

Concern about stopping urban violence has led to the introduction of social inclusion projects that include major infrastructure such as parks-libraries in conflicting urban areas, mass transport systems such as the Metro, Metroplús, and the ​ Tram, and the participation of the private, official and institutions to unify a city project, the proliferation of cultural and artistic events, the construction of libraries, parks and educational centers, and the creation and renewal of public space.

Location

Satellite view.

Medellin is located in the geographical center of the Aburrá Valley, on the central Andes mountain range at coordinates 6°13′55″N 75°34′05′W / 6.23194, -75.56806 . The city has a total area of 328 km², of which 110 km² are urban land and 218 km² are rural land. ​

The Aburrá Valley covers an area of 1,152 km², forming part of the Medellin River Basin, the main river artery crossing the region from south to north. The formation of the Valle de Aburrá is the result of the geographical unity determined by the Medellin river basin and a number of tributaries that fall along its route. The Valley has a length of approximately 60 kilometers and a variable amplitude. It is framed by an irregular and sloping topography, ranging from 1300 to 2800 meters above sea level.

The mountain ranges surrounding it give rise to the formation of various microclimates, water jumps, forests and sites of diverse landscape and ecological value. ​ The valley is long-shaped and has a widening in its middle, which is 10 kilometers high and is where Medellin is located. ​ The Aburrá Valley is fully urbanized on its flat part, and very busy on its slopes You were.

Topographically the city is a slope that descends from 1800 to 1500 meters above sea level, however, the official height of the city is 1479 meters ​ at the confluence of the gorges La Iguaná, Santa Elena and the Medellin River, and it rises to 3200 meters m at El Romeral highlands, Padre Amaya and knives Las Baldía. ​

Within the urban landscape, the Nutibara hills and El Volador stand out, standing like green stains in the middle of the city. The highlands and mountains surrounding the valley exceed 2,500 meters. The main heights in the territory of Medellin are: Alto Padre Amaya (3100 m), Alto Patio Bonito (2750 m), Alto Boquerón (2600 m), Alto Venteadero (2500 m) and Alto Las Cruces (2400 m), among others. ​

	San Jerónimo Ebejic	Bello	Copacabana
	Heliconia		Guarne
	Angelópolis La Estrella	Envigado Itagüí	Rionegro

Hydrography

The Medellin River is the most important hydrographic stream in the city, dividing it in two parts and is its natural drainage. Born in the upper part of San Miguel, in the municipality of Caldas, at an altitude of 3000 meters; it has an area of approximately 100 km from its source to its mouth (where it confluences with the Grande River and gives birth to the Porce) and receives the water of approximately 196 tributaries along its entire route.

As far as the city's territory is concerned, it receives 57 direct inflows and more than 700 second- and third-order streams, with 23 larger streams, constituting a hydrographic network of considerable density. ​ the Santa Elena and La Iguana gorges, due to their flow and length of travel, are the most important ones in the municipal territory. The creek of La Iguana was born in the Sierra de Las Baldía mountain and the creek of Santa Elena was born in the Espíritu Santo Verde hill. ​ the first one crosses the central-western area, while the second one crosses the central-eastern area and is covered in its passage through the center of the city.

The major currents of the city besides these are from south to north: Doña María, La Aguacatala, La Jabalcona, La Volcana, La Presidente, La Poblada, La Guayabala, Altavista, La Picacha, Ana Díaz, La Beso, Malpaso, El Comercio, El Molino, La Quintana, La Bermejala, La Rosa, La Herrera, Cañada Negra y La Madera.

Climate

Medellin has a climate of transition between monsoon tropical and oceanic.

The latitude and altitude of the city result in a monsoon subtropical climate. The climate is temperate and humid, with an average temperature of 21.6°C. The "city of eternal spring" comes from the reputation of a fairly uniform weather all year round, with a few temperature variations between December and January and between June and July, the driest and warmest seasons of the year. However, there are many differences in the climate of the different neighborhoods of the city.

Lightning over Medellín

The hottest neighborhoods are those located in the center of the city (La Candelaria, El Chagualo, San Benito, among others) and in the northern part of the river Medellín (La Toscana, Boyacá-Las Brisas, Moravia, Santa Cruz), while the coldest neighborhoods are located in the upper parts of the surrounding mountains (Alto del Pobantes) San Lucas, La Sierra, March 8, Oriente, Santo Domingo Savio, San José de la Cima, Carpinelo, Picacho, among others).

Tropical storms are frequent.

On sunny days at noon, temperatures can reach up to 30°C. In Medellin, however, completely clear days are rare, a normal day in Medellin is partially clouded with sun and shadow intervals, which makes the heatstroke rate in Medellin relatively low (about 5 or 6 hours of sunshine a day on average) compared to that of cities like Barranquilla (which has between 7 and 8 hours of sun a day on average). On a partially cloudy day, temperatures rise to 27 °C at noon and in rainy days reach just 24 °C.

Medellin's temperature is determined by the thermal floors that go from the paramo (equivalent to 3 km² of the territory), going through the cold (192 km²) to the middle (185 km²), ​ where the urban area is, which has a temperature ranging from 12 °C to 30 °C. ​ The highest temperatures range from 27 °C. C and 31 °C, ​ with an absolute maximum of 33,2 °C, which was registered in 1993 in San Javier neighborhood, in the western part of the city. The lowest are around 13 °C and 15 °C, ​ at least 10 °C. The beginning and half of the year are dry seasons, the rest of the climate is variable, rainy in some times. Average annual precipitation is moderate: 1656 mm, ​ and not the same in the whole valley: it rains more south than north. ​

Temperatures are constant during the year, in summer temperatures can rise above 30 °C, it rains more in autumn, rarely are temperatures in winter.

Medellin is a city of smooth and constant winds due to its location among mountains. The wind regime is determined by the dominant trade unions of the northeast and the warm air masses rising from the low valleys of the Cauca and Magdalena rivers, with predominance of movement in the northern part of the valley, which causes wind to blow in the north-south direction. ​ It is worth noting that all these conditions vary according to the climate changes originating in the Pacific Ocean, called the El Niño and the Girl. Then there's more rain or more drought. ​

Medellin's average climate parameters
Month	Jan.	Feb.	Sea.	Apr.	May.	Jun.	July.	Aug.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Temp. max. Aps. (°C)	31.5	33	33.1	32.8	12.1	32.6	32.2	33.2	31.1	31.2	31	32.7	33.2
Temp. max. mean (°C)	26.8	27.6	27.4	27.6	27.4	28.6	28.3	28.2	27.7	26.8	26.9	26.5	27.5
Temp. mean (°C)	21.7	21.9	22.8	22.6	22.1	22.4	22.8	22.7	22.8	22.5	22.7	22.2	22.4
Temp. min. mean (°C)	16.1	16.9	17.2	17.4	17.3	17.8	17.5	17.3	16.5	16.6	16.9	16.4	17
Temp. min. Aps. (°C)	12.4	9.5	13	13.9	12.8	10.4	12.4	11.4	10.2	10.2	11.2	10.8	8
Rains (mm)	74.6	80.2	129.3	163.1	168.5	99.5	90.4	110.1	171.7	220.6	151.1	95.3	1554.4
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)	15	13	17	21	21	16	14	15	20	25	22	18	217
Sun Hours	175.5	149	154.2	127.9	138.9	173	203.2	191.6	153.4	132.9	136.4	156.2	1,892.2
Relative humidity (%)	66	66	67	74	71	65	60	65	69	72	73	72	68.3
Source: Institute of Meteorological Hydrology and ​ Environmental Studies

Natural resources

As a result of the urban and demographic growth of the city, there has been a notable alteration of fauna and flora within the Aburrá Valley. With the pollution of the waters, almost all the aquatic fauna and flora of the river that crosses it and its tributaries disappeared. However, there are notable natural reserves within the area of the city that complement the entire ecological system of the Aburrá Valley. Medellin is among the 20 most polluted cities in Latin America. ​ ​

As for minerals, in the vicinity of San Cristóbal and Altavista, west of the urban area, there are more than 30 open-pit mines that extract clay-like construction materials. ​ Additionally, in the area known as Marmato-Titiribí there is potential for exploitation of porphyds and veins with metals such as copper, gold and molybdenum. These areas are scattered in the district area west of the city center. ​ ​

Demographic evolution of Medellin since 1905
Source: Data from 1905 to 1938 History of Antioquia ​ - Data from 1951 to 2016 censuses of DANE - 2016 estimation of DANE

Medellin does not escape the Colombian trend of growth in urban areas to the detriment of the rural population, this process of accelerated urbanization is not due solely to industrialization, since there are complex political and social reasons such as poverty and violence: mainly caused by the armed conflict that Colombia has experienced, which have motivated the migration from the countryside to the city throughout the 20th century, generating exponential population growth in urban areas. Today, 58 percent of the population of Antioquia lives in the metropolitan area. Medellin accounts for 67 percent of the inhabitants of the area, 61.3 percent of whom were born in the city, another municipality for 38.4 percent, and another country for 0.3 percent. ​

According to the figures of the last national census (2005) conducted by the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE), ​ ​ resulted in a population of 2 223 078 inhabitants for Medellin and 3 3 312 165 people for the metropolitan area composed of 9 other municipalities, with projections to 2014 of 2 541 123 and 3 731 447 respectively, ​ this is the second urban agglomeration in Colombia. Moreover, according to the census, the city has a population density of about 5,820 inhabitants per square kilometer. Only 130,031 inhabitants are located in rural Medellin. 46.7 per cent of the population are males and 53.3 per cent are females and the average person per household is 4. ​

The city has an illiteracy rate of 6.8 per cent in the population over 5 years of age. Public services cover 98.8 percent of households with electricity, while 97.3 percent have water supply and 91.0 percent telephone communication. ​

The city is currently facing a wave of foreign migration stemming from its international outlook. Americans, Germans, Swedes and even Koreans have found a new home in Medellin. In addition, it highlights the migration of Venezuelans due to the internal crisis that the neighboring country is experiencing, which is estimated to 2017 in 57,932 Venezuelans living in the state. ​

Birth and mortality

In 2015, 95,335 births were registered in Medellin (48,858 males and 56,497 females). ​ Longevity in the city is 75 years, being higher in females than in males. ​

The deaths in 2015 were 15,430 (8,191 males and 7,236 females). ​

In 2015, more than 99 women were killed, ​ of which 88 died in gang-related crimes. ​ In 2010, the mayor of Medellin recorded 182 murders of children and adolescents (aged 0-17), while in every 100 victims of violent deaths, 9 were children or adolescents ​.

However, the Medellin Personería in her report on human rights in the city concluded that in 2012, there was a 28 percent reduction in homicides, 8 percent in domestic violence and 7 percent in sexual violence. ​

By 2017, a death rate of 19 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants was achieved.

Ethnography

According to the figures presented by the DANE of the 2005 census, the ethnographic composition of the city is: ​

• Mestizo and Blanco: 93,4 %
• Black, Mulatto, Afro-Colombian or Afro-descendant: 6.5%
• Indigenous: 0.1%

Migration

4% of households in Medellín have international migration experience with the United States being the first country of preference (55.5%), followed by Spain (17%), and other countries (12.1%). But there are significant destination preferences for Venezuela (5.5%), Peru, Panama, Mexico, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Canada, Bolivia, and Australia. ​ Demand for low-skilled labor forces makes the search for job opportunities one of the main motivators for this migration, as well as the yearning for a better quality of life, the search for higher education or family reunification are also major reasons ​

39 percent of the population residing in the city was born in another region of the country, mostly displaced by the internal armed conflict in Colombia, turning Medellin into a city of immigrants, mainly from Chocó and internally from other regions of Antioquia; ​ while 0.4 percent come from another nation. ​

The political and social crisis in Venezuela has caused the massive influx of citizens of that country who, since 2017, have the city of Medellin as their fifth preferred destination to settle. According to figures from Migration Colombia ​, in August 2018, 41,128 Venezuelans resided in the capital of Antioquia, 23,000 of whom were legally resident. Many have found opportunities with informal jobs.

Medellin is governed by a democratic system based on the processes of administrative decentralization generated since the proclamation of the Political Constitution of Colombia of 1991. The city is governed by a mayor (executive power) and a municipal council (legislative power).

José María Córdova Administrative Center, also called La Alpujarra Administrative Center is the headquarters of municipal and departmental governments.

The mayor of Medellin is the head of government and the municipal administration, legally, judicially and extrajudicially representing the municipality. ​ He is a position elected by popular vote for a four-year term. ​ his main functions include the administration of the municipality's own resources, ensuring the welfare and interests of his fellow citizens and representing them before the national government, as well as promoting local policies to improve their quality of life, such as health programs housing, education and road infrastructure and maintaining public order. ​

The Council of Medellin is an administrative corporation of popular choice, composed of 21 mayors of different political tendencies, democratically elected for a four-year term, ​ and whose functioning is guided by the democratic participation of the community. ​ The council is the legislative entity of the city, issuing agreements of obligatory compliance in its territorial jurisdiction. Its functions include approving mayors' projects, electing and possessing municipal staff and managers, issuing the organizational rules of the budget and issuing the budget annually for rents and expenses. ​

The mayor of Medellin is administratively divided into two major groups: Central government and decentralized entities. Central Government means all entities that report directly to the Mayor. These entities are referred to as secretariats or administrative departments. The secretariats are administrative units whose main objective is the provision of services to the Community or the Central Administration. Administrative Departments are technical units. For this purpose, the Mayor has 21 secretariats, 2 administrative departments and 23 decentralized entities. ​

Administrative Division

Political-administrative division of Medellin.

El Poblado neighborhood.

Laureles-Stadium Sector.

Houses on Ayacucho Avenue.

The urban sectors of the city are divided into six zones, and these in turn are divided into communes, adding a total of 16. ​ the areas are actually lacking territorial value, and are only used to group communes according to their location within the city. Communes are divided into neighborhoods and institutional areas. The city has 249 official neighborhoods and 20 institutional areas. ​ Institutional Areas are large sectors with some neighborhood characteristics, but their population is not permanent and they lack housing, such as university campuses. The rural area is divided into 5 municipalities, which in turn are divided into sidewalks. The San Antonio de Prado and San Cristóbal districts are the most populated places in Colombia, with more than thirty thousand inhabitants each. ​ As seen in the diagram, Medellin is structured according to the flow of the river that crosses it, the Medellin River, which runs from south to north.

Each commune and county has a Local Administrative Board — JAL — composed of no less than five or more than nine members, elected by popular vote for a four-year term that will coincide with the term of the Municipal Council. ​ A JAL performs functions concerning municipal plans and programs for the economic and social development of public works, monitoring and control of the provision of municipal services in its commune or municipality and the investments made with public resources, in addition to the distribution of the global funds allocated to them by the municipal budget and, in general, to ensure compliance with its decisions, to recommend certain measures by the municipal authorities, and to promote citizen participation. ​ Medellin has a stratum zoning throughout the city. ​ The 16 municipalities of Medellin, in their respective order, are: ​

Communes.

1. Popular. In the 1960s, the first settlements appear. The urban pattern follows a certain order in some sectors. ​
2. Santa Cruz. The urban development of this commune began in the 1930s. Its formation was adapted to the conditions of the land and to the criteria of those who at that time spontaneously and disorderly urbanized. ​
3. Manrique. Its formation begins in 1940. Its growth and urban development is explained, among other reasons, by the industrial boom of 1930 and by the emigration of peasants after Bogotazo in 1948. ​
4. Judge. Its development began in 1919 and the formation of a tram also influenced the arrival of a tram in 1922. The University of Antioquia, Parque Norte and the Botanical Garden are not neighborhoods in themselves but belong to the commune. ​
5. Castile. Its conformation began to insinuate in the 1930s and its population extended to the 1960s. ​
6. October 12. In the 1930s, a slow population began in the sector of El Picacho, a settlement characterized by scattered dwellings accessible from the road to the sea. Only from the 1950s did mass urbanization begin. ​
7. Stolen. Until 1938, it was the city of Medellin. In the 1950s, it began its population due to the process of expansion of the city. In this commune, the El Volador Hill is located. ​
8. Villa Hermosa. Its population process took off in the 1940s, following the trend that prevailed in the city at the time when urbanizers were going up to buy large plots of land and entire farms in the places near the center, just where the mountains were starting to steep.
9. Buenos Aires. The commune developed around the traditional 49th Street (Ayacucho). ​
10. La Candelaria. It's the center of town. In this commune, multiple landmarks with great city value stand out, ranging from religious centers to buildings of general interest. ​
11. Laureles - Stadium. Some of its streets and avenues have a radio route, different from the rest of the city. It is next to El Poblado one of the areas where there is a greater presence of houses classified as stratum 5 and 6 (highest socio-economic class). ​
12. America. Its name was taken in honor of the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America and was the city of Medellin until 1938. Its urbanization process began with the construction of the Our Lady of the Pains Church and the opening of the road to La América (now San Juan Avenue). ​
13. San Javier. It is one of the most remote communes of the city center. It has several problems of poverty, territorial disorganization, insecurity, among others. It has a Medellin Metro Station and a Metrocable line.
14. The Village. It's the largest commune. Previously it was an area made up of large farms with fruit crops and sugar cane; some of these farms continue as an important spatial reference. ​ is next to Laureles - Stadium, one of the areas where the wealthiest people live in the city, the department and even the country. It's an important economic zone.
15. Guayabal. In the 1930s and 1940s, a constructive dynamic was presented to meet the housing needs of the new inhabitants linked to the nascent industry. This process was accompanied by the development of road infrastructure and services. This area was defined as the site for the localization of the city's industry. ​
16. Bethlehem. With the construction of the bridge of Guayaquil, the integration process of this area with the rest of the city began. ​

Medellín's 5 municipalities, without any established order, are:

Corrections.

1. Palmitas. Located in the west of the Valle d'Aburrá and founded in 1742 under the name of San Sebastian de la Aldea. He would later be known as Palmitas because of the wax palms that can be found on his territory. ​
2. St. Kitts. Founded in 1752, it emerged as a transit population between Santa Fe de Antioquia and Rionegro, two important populations during the colony. ​
3. Altavista. It emerged from the activities generated around the horseshoe road that he communicated to Medellin with the municipalities of the southwest of the department. ​
4. San Antonio de Prado. Its development began in the colony. In 1903, it became a municipality, lasting only four years as such, and later became a district of Medellin. ​
5. St. Helena. It was a bridge of communication between Medellin, the municipalities of the eastern Antioquia, other parts of the department and even the country. In 1987, it became a city district. ​

Metropolitan area of the Aburrá Valley.

Metropolitan Area

The metropolitan area of the Aburrá Valley is a political-administrative entity that is located along the Aburrá Valley at an average altitude of 1538 m. The Area is made up of the 10 municipalities that settle in the valley. Envigado entered the metropolitan area after a popular consultation took place on July 10, 2016. ​ ​

It was the first metropolitan area created in Colombia in 1980, and is the second population area in the country after the Capital District of Bogotá. ​ The total population, which adds the urban and rural population of the ten municipalities is 3 821 797 inhabitants. The main urban area of the metropolitan area is located in the center of the valley and consists of the four largest cities by number of inhabitants, Medellín, Bello, Itagüí and Envigado.

Health

Clinic Medellín, center.

The Hospital Universitario San Vicente de Paúl, the Hospital Pablo Tobón Uribe and the Clinica Cardiovascular Santa María are pioneers in organ transplants, merits that have been recognized nationally and internationally. ​ Medellin has marked milestones in the history of medicine in Colombia as the creation of the first valve laboratory and tissue bank, the first transplants of heart, lung, bone marrow ​ The first liver transplant in Latin America and worldwide, the first of trachea and esophagus was performed. ​

Pablo Tobón Uribe Hospital.

Likewise, the city has gained recognition as a destination in medical tourism, which has made health behave as an industrial sector, seeking opportunities for growth in profits; This means taking medical services exports into account as a strategy to increase their number of customers and to obtain higher operating margins. The district offers patients advantages over other countries with similar developments: as a cost-utility of the treatment, waiting times of the treatment and first class hotels. In this way, medical tourism is increasingly being strengthened; over the last five years, more than 4,000 foreigners have visited Medellin for relief. ​ In terms of infrastructure, the city has 12 hospitals, 43 clinics, 39 health centers and 5 health posts. ​ ​ In addition to the private health service, the public health service is run by two local institutions, the Ministry of Health and Metrohealth. .. In each area and commune of the city there is an official medical center. However, the demand for emergency services in public hospitals almost overwhelms the supply, so if there were any massive calamity, private services would have to be sought, which is below international standards, which recommend keeping an extra 20 percent of emergency beds on the normal functioning of the public hospital system to deal with possible cases of mass calamities. Some of the city's main hospital centers include: Hospital Universitario San Vicente de Paúl, Hospital Pablo Tobón Uribe, Hospital General de Medellín, Clinica Cardiovascular Santa María, Clinica Las Americas, Clinica El Rosario, Clinica Universitaria Bolivariana, Clinica Medellin, Clinica León XIII, Clinica Las Vegas, Clinica Soma, Fundación Instituto Neurological de Colombia more.

Education

The network of public schools and colleges of basic education and high school is under the Ministry of Education. Seventy-eight percent of students study in public schools and colleges, while 22 percent study in the private sector. ​ among the most prominent public education institutions in the state exams (ICFES) are the Technical Industrial Institute Pascual Bravo, Institución Educativa José Félix De Restrepo, Institución Educativa Santo Ángel, Institución Educativa San Juan Bosco, Institución Educativa Centro Formativo de Antioquia "CEFA", Colegio la Salle de Campoamor, Liceo Municipal Concejo de Medellín, Institución Educativa Cristo Rey and Institución Educativa Ana de Castrillón, among others. ​

Faculty of Mines, National University.

University City, University of Antioquia.

There are numerous certified private educational centers such as the San José de La Salle School, the Jesús María Community, the María La Enseñanza Company College, the Salesian Suffrio College, the Emaús Parroquial College, Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola, Gymnasium los Pinares, Instituto Musical Diego Echavarría, Collegio Gégio Fontán, José María Córdoba Military College, Colegio Calasanz, Colegio de la Presentation, Instituto San Carlos de Lasalle, Colegio San José de las Vegas, Colegio Padre Manyanet, Colegio Corazonista, Colegio Sagrada Familia Aldea Pablo VI, Colegio de la UPB, Colegio Liceo Salazar and Herrera and the Institute Salesian Educative Pedro Justo Berrío. Many of these schools have a Bachelor-Technician degree.

Medellin has 130,000 students in about 35 institutions of higher education, public and private. Some of the most prominent public universities ​ are those of Antioquia and la Nacional. Among the private ones are EAFIT, EIA, CES, Bolivariana. See also: Universities in Colombia

Science and research

In Antioquia there are 511 registered research groups, 95 percent of which are in Medellin, which is the second most representative city in Colombia in terms of research and development in terms of the amount of work produced. ​

Security

During the 1980s and 1990s, Medellin was notorious for high rates of violence, including the high murder rate. In 2002, the rate of violent deaths per 100,000 inhabitants was 229; but, thanks to social and cultural programs against violence, in 2005 this figure was 66.1 per 100,000 inhabitants, one of the lowest figures in recent years. Also by 2002, the homicide rate was very high: 183.3 per 100 000 inhabitants; this figure was also markedly reduced, as in 2005 it rose from that 183.3 to only 33.2 per 100,000 inhabitants.

In 2010, gang warfare again increased the murder rate, bringing it to 87.2 per 100,000 inhabitants; in the course of that year, serious law and order problems had arisen which had motivated the national government to intervene on several occasions through security councils and an increase in the security forces; ​ that situation had originated from criminal gangs who were contesting control of drug vending centers.

The data presented by the Municipal Government contrasts with the international studies. According to the ranking of Security, Justice and Peace presented by the Citizen Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice A.C., the city of Medellin presented a rate of 38.06 homicides per hundred thousand inhabitants in 2013, ranking among the 50 most violent cities in the world, according to the same study. ​

By 2014, 150 motorcycles, 160 patrols, and 10 mobile CAIs were handed over to the city's police, worth 16.49 billion; ​ policies incited the city to have the lowest homicide rate in 30 years, with 26.7 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. lower than the average in Colombia). In 2015, according to the annual scale of the Mexican Citizen Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice, the number of homicides was reduced to 19 per 100,000 inhabitants. ​ ​

Public Services

They are run by the Medellin Public Enterprises (EPM), which was created on August 6, 1955. Medellin's administrative council, by agreement No. 58, merged the four independent entities that previously provided public services in the city (energy, aqueduct, sewerage and telephones) into one autonomous establishment. On November 18, 1955, the mayor regulated the existence of EPM; a week later, on november 25, the governor passed the decree issuing the statutes, and from january 1956 his administrative life started.

In 1989, the management and improvement of the environment was included as part of its statutes and the name of telephone service was changed to telecommunications service. This service was disbanded in 2007 to create the UNE subsidiary. In 1998, EPM was transformed into an Industrial and Commercial Company of the State and is therefore now subject to the provisions of the commercial law for the exercise of its activities. She was chosen as the best company of the 20th century in Colombia both for her records in the field of public services, as well as for her solid national and international projection. ​

Transport

Air transport

Olaya Herrera Airport

The main gateway to Medellin for international and national travelers is the José María Córdova International Airport, located in the jurisdiction of the municipality of Rionegro, 22 miles from the city in an eastern direction. Opened in 1985, it later expanded its national pier with the construction of 4,200 square meters of new area. ​ Within the urban perimeter of Medellin's municipality, in the south-west, is located Olaya Herrera Airport, which provides national and regional (departmental) flights.

Metro and Metrocable

It's the first mass transportation system built in Colombia. It started operations on 30 November 1995 and has since mobilized more than one billion passengers. ​ the subway crosses the southern to northern metropolitan area between the municipalities of Bello and La Estrella; it also stretches from the center of town to the west. The Metro combines a railroad system with an air cable system called metrocable (not to be confused with the cable car system, although they are similar), which has been used for the first time in the world in Medellin as permanent mass transportation. The Metro has several types of levels (ground level, elevated viaducts and air cables), and has no underground train. The Metro Network has a length of 33 km and comprises 5 lines: Line A (railroad) with 19 stations, Line B (railway) with 7 stations, line C (railway) with 11 stations, line L (cable) connecting the metropolitan area with the Arvi Natural Park from Santo Domingo Sabio station to Santa Elena district, Line K and Line J each have 3 stations (the last three are from the airline system).

Tram

Tram on Ayacucho Avenue (49th Street).

It is a light rail or tram line consisting of six stops and three stations: San Antonio, Miraflores and Oriente. Next to two new lines of the Metrocable, H and M, they connect the center-eastern neighborhoods to the center of the city. The tram runs along 49th Street (Ayacucho), 4.3 kilometers long and its full operation took place in November 2015. ​ meanwhile, it is also planned to enter a Monorriel, or 'Small Metro' that crosses communes 1, 3, 8, 9 and 14 in the northeastern part of the city ​

Metroplous

It's a system of articulated buses for mass transportation. It is physically integrated with the Medellin Metro in the Hospital, Industrie and Cisneros stations; it also has a second pretroncal line, Aranjuez-Universidad de Medellín, which crosses the city center on the avenue Oriental. It has stations every 500 meters and the vehicles are linked by a joint that gives them mobility, with a capacity of 160 people each; they are equipped with three access doors, an automatic box and a pneumatic suspension. The pretroncal Envigado a Itagüí is currently under construction. Although Metroplús is physically and tariffiously integrated with the Medellin Metro, it is in fact a separate company, which has the same Metro of Medellin (25.64 percent of the share ownership) among its shareholders ​

Metrocables

The Metrocable's Line H crosses the Villa Hermosa commune, in the northeast of the city.

Medellin has a public transport system through air cables called Metrocable, the first of its kind in the world. The system, completely devised in this city, currently consists of several lines, such as line J and line K, which complement and link to railways A and B. Thus, the Metrocables also serve as a food source for the Metro. Currently, several cities in Colombia want to implement it, such as Ibagué, Bucaramanga and Pereira.

Current and future projects and their investments have and will have an important social and common benefit, as they are aimed at improving the living conditions of lower-income populations, users of public transport systems.

Line K was executed with resources owned by Medellin's mayor (55 percent) and Medellin Ltda's Metro company. (45 percent), on the premise of contributing to the social development of the inhabitants of one of the most depressed areas of the city. Line J was built with contributions from the mayor of Medellin (73 percent) and the Metro company of Medellín Ltda. (27 percent).

Buses and taxis

Buses on Eastern Avenue.

There is a private system of urban buses in the city that serves all districts or areas of the city, which is being structured in 2007 in the so-called SIT, Integrated Transportation System, an ongoing project that will integrate the urban bus service with the Metro and the new Metroplús system.

Similarly, there are numerous taxi companies covering the entire metropolitan area, including some with bilingual English-Spanish services. Taxi ordering service by phone is the most usual and safe. Some companies provide inter-municipal services. In addition, the bus taxi service is common; some of these collectives can be comfortable and fast, although they are often subject to the full quota. GPS usage was deployed on all taxis in the city on March 31, 2012.^{[quote required]}

Intermunicipal Transport Terminals

In Medellin there are two intermunicipal transport terminals: North Intermunicipal Transport Terminal and South Intermunicipal Transport Terminal. Transport terminals are also commercial centers with banking, trade and telecommunications services. Because of its sustainable transport projects, the city won, together with San Francisco, California, the Sustainable Transport Award 2012, awarded by the Institute for Transport and Development Policy. ​ ​

Headquarters of Bancolombia.

Medellín is Colombia's second most important economic center, after Bogotá. The city accounts for more than 8 percent of the national GDP and together with the Aburrá Valley contributes about 11 percent of it, being one of the most productive regions in the country. ​

Incubator's seat of technological innovation companies Route N.

It has a GDP per capita for 2014 (with PPP) of US$ 11,466 ​ and a business density of 25 companies per 1,000 inhabitants, which ranks it as the second highest in Colombia after the same ​. Industry accounts for 43.6 per cent of the gross domestic product of the Aburrá Valley, services 39.7 per cent and trade 7 per cent. ​ The largest share of the value added generated in the Metropolitan Area is textile companies, with 20 per cent; chemicals and chemicals, 14.5 per cent; food, 10 percent, and drinks, 11 percent. ​

The remaining 10% include sectors such as metallechanics, electricity and electronics, among others. ​ The textiles and clothing industry is now one of the largest exporters of products to international markets; development in these sectors has made the city a center of Latin American fashion. Over the last three decades, the economic structure of the city has been diversified, with the development of other subsectors, such as intermediate goods and capital goods.

In the tourism sector, Medellin has advanced to become the third tourist destination for foreign visitors visiting Colombia. ​ Between 2005 and 2006, the number of foreigners that ended up in Medellin grew by 33.4 percent, from 71,213 to 95,026 visitors. ​ 07, that number was 62 003, which represents an increase of 20.7 per cent over the same period in 2006. ​ these developments are mainly generated by business tourism, fairs and conventions, and by medical tourism, thanks to the excellent level of medicine available in the city, particularly in the field of organ transplants. ​ ​ The city it is part of the comprehensive economic system of the department of Antioquia, which contributes 15 percent of the national GDP. ​

Today, Medellin is Colombia's main export city in plain and sharp tissue, accounting for 53% of total finished goods exports to countries like the United States, Venezuela, Ecuador, Mexico, Costa Rica, and the European Community. The textile industry generates 30 percent of total employment for the city, which is equivalent to 45,000 direct jobs and 135,000 indirect jobs. ​

In Medellín, the headquarters of record companies, Disco Fuentes y CoDisco, are located, each with recording studios.

Cluster Community

With the growth of the economy and exports, several challenges emerged for the industry of Antioquia and Medellín: diversifying the export base, developing an advanced human resource, improving domestic conditions for foreign investment . Antioquia was the most exporting department in Colombia in 2007, ​ that was why about 500 new tariff positions were included in the export portfolio and it went from 990 to 1750 exporting companies in the last five years. ​ A good proportion of these companies belong to the first Cluster Community in Colombia, created with the support of the Chamber of Commerce of Medella. llín para Antioquia y la Alcaldía de Medellin, to which about 21,000 companies belong, with a share of 40 per cent of total exports, 25 per cent of regional GDP and 40 per cent of employment in the Metropolitan Area. ​

Clusters are understood as a geographical concentration of companies and institutions that interact with each other and that in doing so create a business climate to improve their performance, competitiveness and profitability. The clusters that are already formed are Electric Power, Textile/Confection, Design and Fashion, Construction, Business Tourism, Fairs and Conventions. ​

Unemployment and poverty

Houses in Comuna 8, northeast of Medellin.

According to data published by the Mission for the Empalme of the Employment, Poverty and Inequality Series -MESEP- of November 2009, in Medellin and its metropolitan area the poverty rate in the period 2002-2008 was reduced by 22.5 per cent, from 49.7 per cent to 38.5 per cent per cent. Similarly, the rate of homelessness decreased by 25.2%, from 12.3% to 9.2%, ​ these results are in tune with the increased coverage of basic services such as health, education, and public services in the city. However, poverty and destitution in Medellin and its metropolitan area remains above the average of Colombia's top 13 metropolitan areas. In 2008, that average was 30.7% for poverty and 5.5% for destitution. ​

On the other hand, the unemployment rate in Medellin has presented a decreasing trend. In 2000, unemployment in the city was 17.7 percent, and according to DANE data, in Medellin and its metropolitan area unemployment in the quarter of June-August 2010 was 14.3 percent, ​ though still standing above the national average, which by August 2010 was 11.2 percent ​, El DANE ranked Medellin as the most unequal city in Colombia in its 2012 results, revealing that its Gini coefficient is 0.54 for factors such as the poverty rate, relative to the total population, located at 22 percent. ​

Tourism

Tourist sites

Explora Park

Among the main destinations are the Museum of Antioquia, the Plaza de Botero, the Pueblito Paisa, the International Convention and Exhibition Center Plaza Mayor, the Carabobo Pedestrian Passage, Barefoot Park, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Basilica Our Lady of Candelaria, the Pablo Tobón Uribe Theater, the Political Theater, the Shopping Center Oviedo, the Parque Explora, the Botanical Garden ​, Parque Lleras and most recently, Comuna 13.

With regard to natural sites, the most popular are Cerro El Volador and Cerro Nutibara. A new natural area opened a few years ago is the Arvi Regional Park, which has an area close to 20,000 hectares, covers almost all of the territory of the district of Santa Elena and extends between the municipalities of Bello, Copacabana, Guarne and Envigado. Meanwhile, in December, the city covers thousands of colorful light bulbs, creating the famous Christmas lighting, considered by National Geographic to be one of the ten most beautiful in the world, ​ and can be seen mainly in Northern Park, near the Botanical Garden, on Avenue Beach and in Medellin River Park, between 33rd Avenue and San Juan Avenue ...

• The Paisa village

• Botero Square; at the back of the Museum of Antioquia

• Medellín's Christmas Lamp

• Cisneros Square

• Rafael Uribe Uribe Palace of Culture

• View of Medellín from Cerro Pan de Azucar

Hotel

Hotel Dann Carlton.

There are different sectors in the city where the hotel offer is concentrated. The hotels in El Poblado can accommodate up to 8,200 people. There are 73 hotels in the Laureles-Stadium area that can accommodate up to 2,100 people and in the city center, 34 hotels that have 1,400 beds at their disposal. ​

Medellin offers all its visitors different accommodation options in traditional farms, country houses and urban family-style houses, Boutique Hotels and City Hotels.

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, the city has undergone a process of intense urban transformation that has given it important national and international recognition. ​ this transformation is based on social urbanism, a public policy of giving priority to the poorest inhabitants and territories, as well as to the victims of violence, through works and programs that seek to repair the wounded physical and social fabric. ​ example of these policies are novel electric staircases installed in a neighborhood of Comuna 13, ​ area characterized not only by the problems mentioned above, but also by its location on the mountain slopes, which makes communication and quality of life for that part of the population a little difficult.

Current city settings

Coltejer building, a representative building in Medellin.

In 1890, the city council issued an agreement ordering the drawing of the future expansion of the city, which also regulated aspects such as the construction of buildings, the opening and paving of roads, the aqueduct, the sewerage, and even the form of windows so that they would not obstruct the passage of passersby. In a subsequent reform, the rectification and channeling of the Medellín River, which was winding through the Aburrá Valley, was contemplated in order to gain ground for the construction and growth of the city. The plan, called Medellin Futuro, could only be partially fulfilled, but it helped guide the progress of the city in the first half of the century.

Some important timelines at this stage were as follows: in 1900, the creek of Santa Elena was consolidated as the center of the city and started to be plotted as the Paseo Urbano. In 1905, a tram was opened with mules; in 1914 the railway of Antioquia arrived in the city; in 1920, track trails start. In 1925, electric trams started operating; in 1928 the coverage of the Santa Elena bankruptcy takes place; Olaya Herrera airport was built in 1931; in 1940, the channeling and rectification of the Medellin River began; in 1941, the architect Pedro Nel Gómez was responsible for the urban design of the Laureles sector. And in 1945, the Nutibara hotel was built. ​ ​

Once the works were carried out on the river, and due to the urban expansion to the west (the Otrabanda), in the late 1940s it was necessary to draw a new plane to organize the city. That is how the urban planners Paul L. Wiener and José L. Sert planned between 1948 and 1950 the Pilot Plan, which suggested, among other things, the construction of various avenues and the design of a new government center. Because of this, works as representative in Medellin as the Eastern Avenue, built in the 1970s, and the Administrative Center La Alpujarra, in the 1980s, although they were not directly covered by the Plan of Wiener and Sert, they can be considered to be based on it. ​ ​

Between the 1950s and 1980s, the phenomenon of territorial invasion intensifies, making it difficult to fulfill the plans that tried to manage the growth of the city. The Pilot Plan was overrun by the reality of a population that tripled in 20 years, from 358,189 inhabitants, in 1951, to 1,071,252, in 1973. The construction was very dynamic during that period and much of the city's slopes began to be occupied by the inhabitants who They had no access to housing loans. Many of the old buildings of the center, and even those of the early 20th century, were demolished to make way for high buildings that were set up for offices and housing.

The textile sector was modernized during this period and the industrial vocation of the city was definitively consolidated. ​ Some important dates during this period were as follows: in 1962, the Atanasio Girardot Sports Unit was built around the stadium; from the late 1960s to the early 1970s, the Coltejer building was built, a complex of buildings that is still the most representative urban symbol of Medellin. In 1980 the river road plan was built; in 1987, La Alpujarra was inaugurated. From 1995 onwards, the Metro began operating, a work that has been criticized from an urban perspective because of its high passage through the city center. ​ ​

Architecture

Façade of the Palace of Culture.

In 2013, Medellin won the Veronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design, awarded by Harvard University, due to the Integral Urban Project PUI in the North-East, designed and executed by the Urban Development Company. ​ Medellin retains very little colonial and 19th-century urban memory. Although the Valle de Aburrá was an active area in agriculture and livestock during the colonial period, its relative wealth was not expressed in an outstanding civil and religious architecture as in Cartagena, Tunja, Popayán or Bogotá. This can be explained by the fact that the Villa of Medellin was not a political-administrative center and it was a geographically isolated place whose elite invested little in the development of a monumental architecture. Of the end of the colony are left, but with many transformations, the Church of the Candelaria and the Church of the Veracruz. ​

Towers of Freedom Square, an example of contemporary architecture.

The Church of San Ignacio, built in the early 19th century.

Gran Colombia building, opened in 1947.

The architecture produced in Colombia between 1850 and 1930 is called "Republican". The use of brick and the application of European historical styles were the main novelty. The German Enrique Haeusler was the author of the Guayaquil bridge (1879). But it was the French architect Carlos Carré who was the main figure of 19th century Republican architecture in Medellin; Carré arrived in the city in 1889, having been contracted to design and build the new Episcopal Cathedral and several commercial and residential buildings that were planned for different parts of the city, especially in the new neighborhood of Guayaquil.

The Metropolitan Cathedral was completed in 1931; the Vásquez and Carré buildings, located next to Plaza de Cisneros, are also the buildings of the hotel. The Medellín Railway Station of Antioquia was the work of Enrique Olarte, a project that allowed the definitive urban consolidation of the sector of Guayaquil.

In the 1920’s, the Republican architecture reached its climax. The former Municipal Palace (now the Museum of Antioquia) in 1928 and the buildings of the National Palace and the Department Government Palace (now the Palace of Culture) between 1925 and 1928 stand out from this period. These last two works were designed by Belgian Agustín Goovaerts, both inspired by the Belgian Modernist current. applied the Romanic and Neogotic styles respectively. Other works by Goovaerts included the Church of the Sacred Heart (Guayaquil sector), and the Church of San Ignacio, among others. The 1930s saw some of Prado's buildings, such as the Egyptian house and the current Prado Theater. ​

The economic expansion of the State, industry, banking and population framed the emergence of skyscrapers. Located in the city's historic-civic center, the construction of skyscrapers for offices, commerce, and housing has resulted in the destruction of a large part of Medellin's already scarce urban heritage. Living in large buildings in the center was at that time an analogous sign of prestige and social status. The Furatena buildings (1966) with its thirty floors and ColTobacco (1967), the latter located in the Parque de Berrío, inaugurated this trend.

In the following decade, the aforementioned Coltejer tower (1968-1972) would come, which remains the tallest building in the city; it was designed by the same projectists of the Avianca building in Bogotá. The Junín Theater, one of the pillars of Colombian engineering and architecture ​ and the only exponent of art nouveau in the city, was demolished. ​ 1974-1978, the second tallest tower in the city took place. This time, medium-height buildings like Camacol (1972-1974) near the bridge of Colombia and Banco de la República (1969-1974) in Parque de Berrío stand out. ​

El Poblado Avenue.

The country's first intelligent building was inaugurated in 1997. It is the EPM building, whose design was an architectural innovation by projecting 36-meter-high lights and having a wider range in its office areas. One of its advantages is the flexibility of the interior, as it allows for adjustment when required, without breaking walls or destroying floors. ​

The turn of the century brought with it a new architecture expressed in works of great urban impact, among them the Plaza de Cisneros (2002-2006), the Parque de Los Deseos (2003), the International Center of Conventions and Expositions Plaza Mayor (2003-2005), the Library of Public Companies Medellín (2004), Orquideorama del Jardín Botánico (2005-2006), Library Parks (2005-2012), Parque Explora (2005-2008) and Plaza de La Libertad (20000 9-2011). ​

Parks

One of the most important parks that the city has is the "Central Park", which, although located in the municipal territory of the city of Bello, is owned by the municipality of Medellin.

Stretching over one million square meters, the "Central Park" on Medellin's northern side is a vast area for recreational, playful and sporting activities, as well as concerts, with a capacity of 100,000 people, and can also be used for other gatherings, such as political or religious. Inside it is located the Autódromo de Medellín, a runway for motor competitions of 300,000 square meters. The highway is designed for car, motorbike and go-kart racing, but also cycling, skating and athletics, among other sports.

Other major traditional parks of the city include: Berrío Park, located in the heart of the city; Bolívar Park, located a little further north from the previous one and framed by the imposing Metropolitan Cathedral, the largest building in the world built in cooked brick; other parks are located in more residential areas such as Belén Park, El Poblado Park or Laureles Parks. The most recently built parks are more interactive, and have been very popular with residents, as some are not only places of leisure but also allow learning through direct and personal experiences of visitors; among them are the Parque de los Pies Descalzos, the Parque de los Deseos, the Parque Explora and the Parque Bicentenario (Bicentenario Park), the latter opened on the occasion of the Bicentennial of Colombia.

Similarly, you can find recreational parks that have been open to the public and have become a reference for the city; among them are: Parque Norte, Parque Juan Pablo II, Botanical Garden, Cerro El Volador, Cerro Nutibara (the top of which is Pueblito Paisa), and Parque Arvi offers a unique theme for hikers, bird watchers and hikers. It is an exotic park worthy of exploring for its own and visitors. ​ the Santa Fe Zoo was founded in 1960 and houses as of 2020 about 1,000 animals from Asia, Africa and elsewhere in the Americas. ​

• Los Deseos Park

• Medellín Botanical Garden

• Lleras Park

• Bolivar Park (Medellín)

• Berrío Park

Seats and squares

• Plaza de San Antonio: Built in 1994, it is the largest square in the center of Medellin: it has approximately 33,000 m². It is a place for citizen gathering and for the programming of public events. It has three monumental sculptures by Fernando Botero and another sculpture, "El Portón de San Antonio", a work by Ronny Vayda. People usually call it "Parque San Antonio."

Plaza Cisneros.

• Plaza de Cisneros: Located between the EPM Library and the Vásquez and Carre Buildings. It features a 24-meter-high forest of bright bikes. There are 300 poles with 2100 reflectors (seven per tower), and 170 floor lamps. These elements are in turn mixed with bamboo and water sources. It's a kind of artificial forest, with clear spaces for gathering and mass gatherings.
• Botero Square: Opened in 2002, it is located across from the main façade of the Museum of Antioquia. It has 7000 m², in which 23 monumental sculptures by Fernando Botero are permanently displayed in the public space. He received the Atila Prize, which was awarded by the Argentinian magazine Documents of National and American Architecture (Dana), and gave the mayor of Medellin, Luis Pérez, and the former heritage director of the Ministry of Culture, Konrad Brunner, as winners of his 2003 Atila Prize.
• Zea Placite : It dates from the end of the 19th century and still has some houses with original architecture; it's also called Plazoleta by Francisco Antonio Zea. In 1932, when the sculptor Marco Tobón Mejía produced the sculpture of Francisco Antonio Zea. Only until the 1950s would the place acquire modern characteristics.
• Freedom Square: Located in the Alpujarra area, it has an area of about 70,000 m²; it has both government and private units. It is designed as a public square open to leisure; it is a center of convergence and articulation of the main activities and pedestrian flows that take place in the administrative and cultural sector of the city.
• Plazuela Nutibara: Historical and representative place of the city; the surrounding area is home to traditional buildings listed as heritage sites of the city: The Palace of Culture, one of the most architectural buildings, former headquarters of the governorate of Antioquia, and the Hotel Nutibara; the fountain Cacique Nutibara, the work of Master Pedro Nel Gómez, is also located there. She is a neighbor of Botero Plaza.

Plazuela Nutibara.

• Plazuela San Ignacio: The town's traditional location, on the eastern side of the town, is composed of three historic buildings: the San Ignacio Building, the historical headquarters of the University of Antioquia; the Church of San Ignacio, a jewel of the baroque, and the Claustro San Ignacio, in a neoclassical or republican style on the outside and with Gothic elements inside. The statue of General Francisco de Paula Santander, the bust of Marceliano Vélez and the monument to the first centenary of the University of Antioquia can be found in the Plazuela.
• Plazuela de La Veracruz: This is where the Church of La Veracruz, which gives the name to the Plazuela, is located. It has a bronze fountain and a marble monument, a tribute to the independence hero Atanasio Girardot.

Terrestrial communication pathways

The city's main road crosses the entire Aburrá Valley from south to north along both sides of the Medellin River. This route is known as "The Highway" on the western side of the river, and as "Regional Avenue" on the eastern side of the river. In the east of the city, the longest Tunnel in South America (5 miles), connects it to José María Córdova International Airport and in the west, the Western Tunnel (3 miles), connects it to the colonial city of Santa fe de Antioquia. In addition, there is the "Medellin-Villeta-Bogotá Highway" that leads directly to 80th Street in northwestern Bogotá, the "Las Palmas Highway" and the old "Road to the Sea".

Road nomenclature

The Parc de Berrío, of great historical significance, is the founding center of Medellín, which is why it is the starting point of the road plot and site of reference of the city nomenclature. On the south-eastern side of the park, it crosses 50th Street (Colombia) with the 50th race (Palacé), named to honor the Battle of Palacé, the first contest for the independence of Colombia.

The track numbering is alphanumeric and is composed of a number, optionally an alphabetical appendix of up to two literals, and the appendix "Sur" for the streets and "East" for races. Street examples: 43rd Street, 44th Street, 56th Street FE, and 5th Street South. Example of races: Race 76, Race 70B, Race 22AA and Race 2 East.

The highways of Medellín are divided into:

• Streets: roads are called those roads that have an approximate east-west orientation, and their numbering will increase from 50th Street (Colombia) with the 50th race (Palacé) and will decrease in the opposite direction from 50th Street towards the south. From the point where the numbering of the streets is exhausted (more precisely on street 1) the appendix "south" is used. Example: 10th Street South.
• Races: those tracks with a south-north orientation are called races, and their numbering will increase from race 50 (Palacé) to the west and will decrease in the opposite direction from this same route to the east. From the point where the racing numbers are exhausted (more precisely in race 1) the appendix "East" is used. Example: Race 8 B East.
• Transversal: the cross-sections are those roads whose orientation is not the same as the street in the sector but resembles that of the streets. The transverse ones are given street numbering according to the ones in the sector.
• Diagonal: the diagonal direction of the track is not the same as that of the race in the sector, but it resembles that of the track. The diagonals receive career numbering according to the corresponding ones in the sector.
• Circulars: circular are those paths whose horizontal alignment resembles circle sections. In the city this name has only been used in the sector of La UPB (Laureles-Bolivariana).
• Agreed: the term avenida is used with the traditional name of a track to highlight its importance. For example, the 45th race in Manrique neighborhood is known as Carlos Gardel Avenue, in homage to the Argentinian singer who died in this city in 1935 in a plane crash.

Classification of corrections

The roads also differ in nomenclature according to their location, since being in the urban area of the city, they are all governed by the same road name. But in the municipalities, having its urban headwaters apart, its nomenclature was unique, due to its remoteness from the urban zone of Medellin. With the new Territorial Management Plan (POT), the idea is to integrate them into the Medellin Road Nomenclature and the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley (except the municipalities of Bello and Itagüí).

• The urban area of Altavista district did not require intervention, as its nomenclature has always been integrated with that of the city in the areas of the sidewalks of São Paulo, Altavista, El Corazón and Aguas Frías, near the Comuna de Bethlehem.

• The other corridors are gradually being integrated into the city's road system. The first was the town of San Cristóbal, because the land of the expanding urban area of the city in the Robledo area is already there. For example, the junction of 10th Street and 10th Street in the main park was transformed into 62nd Street with 130th Race, and the 150th Race above can be found near the Tunnel of the West.

• Years later, the shift was in San Antonio de Prado, between race 54, in limits with the municipality of Itagüí and race 90, and between street 34 Sur and 73 Sur, in limits with the municipality of La Estrella.

• The same is true of the district of Santa Elena, in the eastern part of the city, where now the crossing of the main road leading to the sector of El Tambo and Parque Arvi can be referred to as the intersection between race 35 East and street 19.

With this, the only area with its own nomenclature to date is that of San Sebastián de Palmitas.

Road nomenclature is not used on the sidewalks of each village, due to the lack of urban concentration.

Media

Teleantioquia studies in Freedom Square.

Telecommunications

The city's telecommunications are represented from public telephones, via mobile phone networks, wireless broadband networks, and navigation centers or cyber cafés, among others. The main company in this sector is Tigo, a subsidiary of Millicom; they are also present: Claro (from América Mobile) and Movistar (from Telefónica).

The city has six national mobile phone operators, three of whom are mobile network operators: Of course, Movistar and Tigo; the other three are virtual mobile operators: Mobile Uff, UNE and ETB, which use the Tigo network. In the case of UNE, it is currently deploying its own network across the country, already covering the metropolitan areas of Medellín and Bogotá with its own 4G LTE network. The Avantel company also operates in the city, offering trunking service, which is done through a hybrid device between cellphone and radio.

Television

Several terrestrial open-signal television channels, the four local channels (Telemedellín, Canal U Televida and Cosmovision, one regional (Teleantioquia), and the five national channels are tuned in the city: the 3 private ones Caracol Televisión, RCN Televisión and Canal 1, and the 2 public ones Canal Institutional and Señal Colombia.

Radio

In the city, radio stations are established on AM and FM all over the spectrum, both local and national coverage, most of which are operated by Caracol Radio or RCN Radio, although there are other independent stations of great tune, such as Todelar and Super.

Newspapers

In Medellín and Antioquia, regional coverage newspapers like El Mundo and also national circulation newspapers circulate: El Colombiano (Medellín's own), El Tiempo and El Espectador.

Night life

Medellin at night.

Night view of the city from the Alto de Las Palmas.

One of the most popular places in Medellín is its Zona Rosa, known as the "Golden Mile," a sector located in El Poblado, whose landmark is Parque Lleras. This park is very popular as it has many bars, cafés and restaurants for all the public, both on its perimeter and in its surroundings. The Zona Rosa also covers the Parque del Poblado and part of the famous 10th Street. ​

The Colombian neighborhood also has popular bars and clubs. Las Palmas Avenue has also been consolidated over the years as a sector dedicated to night life, especially on weekends. Similarly, in the western part of the city, on 33rd Street, many establishments have been established. ​ The epicenter of the so-called "Fucsia Zone" (as opposed to the Pink Zone) is the Parc du Periodista, located in the center and where many 'urban tribes' meet. ​

Among the main artists in the Medellín region are Fernando Botero, Rodrigo Arenas Betancur and Débora Arango. Juanes, J Balvin, Maluma, Karol G, Piso 21, Sebastián Yatra and later in the time Jaime R. Echavarría stand out in music. Bands like these have also emerged: Altered States, Under Land, Ekhymosis and Kraken.

The main cultural centers of the city are the Museum of Antioquia and the Plaza Botero. The International Poetry Festival takes place annually in the city, a cultural event that has been held since 1991; Medellín's Children's and Youth Orchestra is also a highlight. Moreover, it is the Colombian city with the most sculptures on its feet, and the Antioquia gastronomy is the most representative of the region. Additionally, reggaeton is a strong trend in the city: there are more than 300 groups, more than 200 concerts are held every year and there are several clubs dedicated exclusively to gender. ​ ​

Libraries

Medellin and the Metropolitan Area have a "Library Network", a set of libraries that communicate with each other that share resources, efforts, knowledge and experiences in order to improve the educational and cultural conditions of the communities they serve. The network consists of 36 libraries, 24 of which belong to Medellin. ​

• Biblioteca Pública Piloto, founded in 1952 thanks to a partnership with Unesco, is currently a unit of the Municipality of Medellin and serves 120,000 users a month. Among its assets are the Antioquia Hall, which has the most complete bibliographic collection in the department, and the Photographic Archive, which contains more than 1.5 million frames, covering from 1849 to the present. It also saves the personal files of eminent literati such as Manuel Mejía Vallejo and Carlos Castro Saavedra, and the León de Greiff library, among others. Her video library has more than 7,000 titles.

• EPM Library, inaugurated June 2, 2005, is located in the city center, across from the Piazza Cisneros. It records an average of about 1,700 users, 400 loans, and 610 Internet users a day. Science, industry, environment and technology are the Library's areas of expertise.

• Metropolitan Planning Library; was established in 1967; it is located in the building of the mayor's office, in the administrative center "La Alpujarra". Their collections specialize in the areas of urban planning, public administration, and aerial related to the city of Medellin.

Greiff Lion Library.

• José Luis Arroyave Presbyterian Library^{[Appointment Required]}, inaugurated on December 31, 2006 and better known as "Parque Library San Javier", has 4000 m² of built area.

• Greiff's León Library, inaugurated on February 17, 2007, better known as "La Ladera Library Park", has a 4,200 m² area built.

San Javier Library

• Biblioteca Tomás Carrasquilla, inaugurated on March 10, 2007, better known as "Parque Library La Quintana", has a 4500 m² area built.

• Biblioteca España, inaugurated on March 24, 2007, better known as "Parque Library Santo Domingo", has 2960 m² of built area and a building shaped like 3 rocks.

Public and university libraries not attached to the Library Network

• Central Library University of Antioquia: The oldest and largest in Medellin and the most rich in collections of books and magazines. With an area of 12 008 m², it has a catalog of 650 000 reference texts. And among its heritage is the most complete Antioquia collection in Colombia, from the 18th century to date, and national newspapers archives from the mid 19th century to today. It has an average of 5,300 users a day.

• Central Library National University of Colombia: The National University's "Efe Gómez" Library has a building that opened in 1997 but is currently being renovated. It has centralized the libraries of the faculties of Agricultural Sciences, Sciences, Architecture and Human Sciences that were scattered across the campus. There is also the library of the National Mines Faculty, located in the Robledo core of the University west of the city.

• Library of Medellin Council: It was opened in 1988; it is located in the building of the Council, in the administrative center "La Alpujarra". Their collections are specialized in the areas of law, political and social sciences, public administration, and the area related to the city of Medellin.

• Library and Museum of Antioquia: Located in the former museum headquarters and now called Museum House (Museum Experimental Wing). You will find material specialized in art. It also has a collection of press articles and historical documents.

Also noteworthy are the central libraries of the private universities Pontificia Bolivariana and EAFIT, which host bibliographic materials on a wide variety of disciplines.

Museums

Inside the Museum of Antioquia.

• The Museum of Antioquia, founded in 1881, is the most important museum in the city. It features a collection of more than 5,000 pieces, ranging from archeological materials to contemporary art. Since 2000, the institution has been headquartered in Medellin's former Municipal Palace. The museum has a collection of 126 Fernando Botero paintings and collections of 21 international teachers, including Antoni Tàpies, Roberto Matta and Rauschenberg. Alongside them are eleven monumental murals by Pedro Nel Gómez, the work of pioneer painter Francisco Antonio Cano and that of the artist Débora Arango, as well as the sculptures of Marco Tobón Mejía, among other exponential works of Antioque art. The Sculptures Park also exhibits 23 sculptures of Botero, forming an open-air gallery with some of the most important works of the master. ​

• The Museum of Modern Art of Medellin (MAMM) was founded in 1978 by a group of artists belonging to the so-called "urban generation" in order to awaken public interest in modern and contemporary art. Since its founding, there have been no limitations in the field of arts, plastics, film, architecture, industrial design and criticism, among other contemporary artistic manifestations. It became operational on 22 April 1980 at its original headquarters in the Carlos E. Restrepo neighborhood; in 2009 it opened its new location in the old building of the Robledo workshops and in 2010 it received about 208,000 visitors. ​ one of its main reasons is the collection of almost all of the works of the antique painter Débora Arango. Another of his great attractions is the film-art screenings he usually does. It also hosts the International Video Biennial in September.

• The University Museum of Antioquia was created in 1942; it is located in the university town. The anthropology area exhibits a collection of 18,000 pieces of ceramics, stone, shell, metal and pre-Columbian textiles, the second richest in the country, and a complete ethnographic collection. The area of visual arts comprises contemporary painting and sculpture, and includes 1,200 pieces of contemporary artists. The history area of the University collects in 1,000 pieces and documents the 200 years of existence of the University; and the natural science section exhibits 5,400 pieces, including native and exotic embalmed animals, study skins, minerals and fossils.

El Castillo Museum.

EPM Interactive Museum

• The El Castillo Museum was built in 1930 in a medieval Gothic style and opened to the public in 1971; it has French-style gardens, an exhibition room, a library and a concert hall for 250 people; it permanently exhibits porcelain and glass objects, stained glass windows, music, sculpture, piano and ballet.

• The EPM Interactive Museum is part of the Barefoot Park environment. It receives 1,000 daily visits, mainly from students. It is a didactic tour of 22 rooms distributed in four pavilions in which, with many technological resources and in a friendly manner, they are explained and interacted with the physical principles of water, energy, gas and telecommunications. It is financed and administered by Medellin's Public Enterprises.

• Museum of Mineralogy (also called Museum of Geosciences), is located in the Faculty of Mines of the National University of Colombia. It has a permanent exhibition of a total of 2778 copies, and its collections are recognized by mineralogists experts as one of the best museums in South America.

• The San Pedro Cemetery Museum was built in 1842, named museum in 1998, and declared a National Monument in 1999; this place is an integral part of the cultural and architectural heritage of Medellin. Although it falls under the category of sculptural works and architectures representative of funeral art, the space has begun to shape itself as a new meeting place for artistic diffusion. Local and national art collections are kept there, and concerts, oral storytelling, plays and dance are held on full moon nights. But, indeed, the most significant thing is the funeral monuments erected in memory of prominent figures in national history.

Interior of the San Pedro Cemetery Museum.

• Pedro Nel Gómez House Museum: It was the home where Pedro Nel Gómez lived; it became a museum in 1975 thanks to the donation made by the artist and his family of the works that make up it. It currently has 1,500 works, 200 square meters of fresh paint and an art library with more than 500 volumes.

• The Gardeliana Museum House disseminates the culture and history of Tango. It was declared a Cultural Heritage and Historical Monument by the Medellin Council in 2002. It was founded on February 14, 1973 by Argentinian Leonardo Nieto Jarbón in the Manrique neighborhood, in a traditional, simple-looking house. Renowned tango singer Carlos Gardel found his death in Medellin, when he was on a plane that he was traveling on. Since then — and since before — there has been a deep tango culture in the city that has been staged at the Gardeliana House. Inside the museum house, some plates testify to the visit to the place of personalities of politics, spectacle and lyrics, like that of the Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges.

• Parque Explora is located between the Botanical Gardens and Parque Norte. It is an interactive museum, oriented to science, technology and many other aspects of knowledge and creativity. It offers the visitor a unique experience of intimate contact with the most advanced of science and technology, the universe and outer space, nature and our planet, the human body, biology, ecology, research, creativity and inventiveness, and playful learning. Among other attractions, it has the largest aquarium in South America where fish from the Amazon and Orinoco rivers can be seen, in addition to some samples from the Colombian Caribbean and Pacific.

• The Planetarium of Medellin is located in front of Los Deseos Park. It has telescopes and a projection room for 300 people; in its 17.5-meter-diameter dome, exhibitions on our planet and outer space are permanent. Its services include an auditorium, a library, and a permanent exhibition about space history.

Other notable museums include: Banco de la República Cultural Center, Francisco Luis Gallego Entomological Museum, Casa Museo Santa Fe, Museo de Ciencias Naturales, Miguel Ángel Builes Ethnographic Museum, and Museo de la Madre Laura.

Theaters

Medellin has more than 17 performing arts halls, where about 50 groups are presented, some with a wide trajectory and local and national recognition. They are distributed in more than 20 schools.

Some of the city's main theatrical facilities include:

View of the Metropolitano Theater.

Image from the Pablo Tobón Uribe Theater.

• Teatro Metropolitano; it is currently the largest venue for cultural shows in the city. It opened in 1987; it has a capacity of 1634 viewers and the availability to adapt the space, by mechanical means, to the different acoustic and visual requirements. It has environments for schools and tests; it is the site of the Hétores Awards (Medellin Audiovisual Youth Event), the Medellin Polyphonic Study and the Medellin Philharmonic Orchestra.

• Pablo Tobón Uribe Theater; it has been one of the most traditional scenes in the city; opened on august 2, 1967, it has a capacity of 923 viewers, is the best acoustics for musical and theatrical performances, and has an exhibition room and dressing rooms. The Pablo Tobón Uribe Theater is the cultural center of downtown Medellín.

• Lido Theater; it was launched in 1945. It has a capacity of 1,100 spectators and is located on the eastern side of Bolivar Park; offers varied programming throughout the year.

• University Theater University of Medellin; opened in september 1985, it also offers varied programming throughout the year. It has a capacity of 1,700 viewers and is located inside university campus. It is home to the children's and youth symphony orchestra and the symphonic choirs of Medellin's music school network.

• University Theater of the University of Antioquia, located in the University City; it is integrated into the cultural extension programs of the University. It can accommodate up to 1,500 people and has an Art Gallery for exhibitions. More than 220 activities are carried out every year, with about 138,000 people attending.

• Carlos Vieco Open Air Theater; is located on the northern slope of the Nutibara hill; it can accommodate up to 3,000 people comfortably seated. It offers all kinds of popular shows. Every year, in June, it becomes the epicenter of the recitals of the International Poetry Festival. Live rock concerts are also frequent there.

A typical example of the Pisa theater - in this case of the comedy theater - is the group El Águila Descalza (The Barefoot Eagle).

Other organizations and theatrical installations in the city include: Porfirio Barba Jacob Theater, El Triangle Theater, El Firulete, Little Medellín Theater, La Fanfarria Muñecas Theater, Medellín Popular Theater, Matacandelas Theater, ​ The Theater House, Café Concerto Los Inquietos, Manicomio Muñecos Theater, Cultural Corporation Silk Theater, Barra Theater from Silence, Manicomio de Vargasvil, Sala Beethoven, Institute of Fine Arts, Planetarium Jesus Emilio Ramírez.

Gastronomy

The paisa platter is the most representative dish of the Antioquia region.

Mondongo soup is one of the typical dishes of the city.

The gastronomy of the city corresponds to that of the Antioqueña. Typical dishes include a paisa platter, a strong regional dish, and a paisa arepa, which is usually eaten with accompaniments. Breakfast is served in a traditional setting of Antioquia's gastronomy, with chocolate, warmed (hot leftovers from the day before) and grapes. The menu features a wide variety of bakery items, including pandecheese, cocochuelo, baked bread, bread and bread.

Traditions and folklore

A silleteros parade commemorative armchair in 2007.

The silleteros have been proclaimed as Cultural Heritage of Colombia. ​

During the colony, mountain passes were such that they made it difficult to use bulky cargo animals (such as oxen, mules, or horses) on tortuous narrow roads, and so it often became necessary to transport wrinkles (and even children) on the backs of the carriers, in wooden apparatuses loaded on the back called 'armchairs', and also for which they were used they were called silleteros. They enabled the exchange of products and the mobilization of travelers between distant places. His ability was to bear large weights behind his back for long hours. Some travel chronicles from the end of the 19th century describe silleteros caravans moving along mountain paths.

The chair and silletero were adapted to the modern times of the department and the country; in this way, in many rural dwellings the chair persisted as a useful instrument for transporting helpless or sick people, or for mobilizing products, and for the peasant in Santa Elena in particular, it was a resource that was used wisely for the task of marketing their products in Medellin. The city became familiar with the silletero salesman of flowers and vegetables, who was traveling the central streets and neighborhoods as a supplier on behalf of certain families. It was common to see them in the most well-known market squares, such as Cisneros or Flores, and in church atria, until they became colorful characters incorporated into the everyday landscape of the city.

In 1957, a parade was organized, and from that moment, its figure grew to be consolidated today as one of the cultural symbols of Medellin. ​ ​

Fashion

The city holds two fashion fairs throughout the year, the most important Colombiamoda, which takes place during three days in July. It is considered one of the most important fairs in the country and in Latin America and has 24 years of history. ​ the first fair that took place in Medellin was held in 1987 with the support of traditional textile companies in the city such as Coltejer, Fabricato and Tejicóndor. Despite the great welcome that year and the following year, the fair had only two versions. Inexashio took over the reins of fashion in Medellín and in 1989 the first version of Colombiamoda was produced. In subsequent years, the fair was attended by renowned designers such as Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, Badgley & Mischka, among others. ​

Events

• Flower Fair: It is the most representative event of the city of Medellin. It is held at the end of July until the beginning of August. The Feria, in addition to many other activities and festivities, has as its main axis the Parade of Silleteros, a colorful stop of huge and artistic flower chairs loaded on the back by their own growers.
• 2 Wheels Fair: This event is considered the most important of the motorcycle industry in Colombia and the second in importance for Latin America. It is held annually in May for 4 days, in which it receives visitors from approximately 30 countries that see this fair the perfect opportunity to do business and learn about the latest developments in the sector.
• International Poetry Festival: This is an annual gathering of poets from almost all over the world, who give the public their poems and readings in a massive way in parks, auditoriums, popular neighborhoods and towns close to Medellin. This event was awarded the Alternative Nobel Prize by the Right Livelihood Foundation in Sweden and aims to fight for peace through poetic art.​ The XVII International Poetry Festival in Medellin was held between July 14 and 22, 2007, with the participation of more than 80 poets from around 55 nations.
• International Tango Festival: Annual popular celebration, an expression of the tango culture that Medellin adopted as its own. This is a legacy of Bardo Carlos Gardel, who died in this city in a plane crash in 1935. One of the Festival's activities is La Tangovía, where people are hurling en masse to dance, listen to tango, milonga.
• International Jazz Festival: The Medellin Jazz Corporation and other entities of the city organize this traditional festival annually in September, with the participation of global and national gender exponents. It takes place simultaneously in several places of the city, including the open-air theater of the El Tesoro Shopping Center and the Café Teatro in the city. The Jazz Festival has epitomized a revival of new-generation music in the city, attracting more and more prominent musicians and mass audiences.

Parade of classic and old cars at the Flower Fair.

• Fest Speaker: The festival was born out of the idea of creating a space for young people and musicians in the city to showcase their music, since in the past there were music festivals that didn't last long; as was the Ancon Festival (1971 and 2004) and Rock a Lo Paisa (2000). The festival has been a major axis of support for the city's new artists, to expose their work to a large audience and in sound conditions.
  
• Book and Culture Festival: One of the most important cultural events in Medellín. The event is held annually with a guest country and the participation of exhibitors, national and international authors of all genres.
• Humor Festival^{[Appointment Required]}: An annual celebration of laughter, humor, troves, comedy and uncomplicated life, held at the Metropolitan Theater in Medellin with the participation of humor artists from all over the country and abroad, aimed at cultivating and preserving good humor as an important cultural expression.
• Parade of Myths and Legends: On the night of December 7 of each year, the night of lights, the city center is adorned with the parade that, amidst costumes, chants and bands, evokes the most well-known myths and legends of the region: Mother Mt, The Healing Without a Head, The Green Lady, The Hatter, La criona and many more.
• International Horse Fair and Hall: From 2009 onwards, the International Horse Hall, held in October, was added to the horseshoe culture. ​
• Taurina de La Macarena Fair: It takes place every year between January and February in the Bullring of La Macarena.

Other highlights of the city: Expofinca, Fair of Home and Cooperative Integration, Fair of Construction, Metallecanical Fair, Fair of Antioquiety, Expocasa, Colombiamoda, Supersales, International Transport Fair, Café de Colombia, Saludexpo, Expocorporation, AgroFair, Made at Hand, among others.

Atanasio Girardot stadium during a match at the U-20 World Cup in 2011.

Football is one of the most popular sports in the city. National and Independent Athletics Medellin are the two professional teams of the city that participate in the First A category of Colombian football.

The main leagues of the city are athletics, BMX, basketball, baseball, cycling, fencing, football, gymnastics, judo, karate, microfootball, monopathin, motorcyclism, swimming, skating, weightlifting, taekwondo, tejo, tennis, volleyball, chess, table tennis and volleyball beach.

A very popular sport in Medellin, and in general in all of Antioquia, is horseback riding, so it has encouraged the trade and production of tools and gear for this activity, such as chairs and horseshoes for export. During the Flower Fair, Medellin's horseback riding stables achieved a Guinness record in 1996 and 1999. ​ ​

In 1978, Medellín hosted the 13th Central American and Caribbean Games and between March 19 and 30, 2010, the 9th South American Games "Medellin 2010" were held, for which a strong investment in sports infrastructure was made, renovating and constructing new scenarios.

American Football has also become a growing sport in the city. In Antioquia we find several teams that practice this sport. Hunters and Lobos are two of the most representative teams in the city of Medellin.^{[quote required]}

In 2011, with the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia, Medellin hosted 10 world-class matches. This was the most important football event of the year, with 24 participating countries.

Regarding infrastructure, Medellin has several sports scenarios located in the different neighborhoods of the city, in which the community can enter them for free. ​ ​

Atanasio Girardot Sports Unit: ​ ​ is the main sports area of the city. It extends over an area of 280,000 m² and includes courts and stadiums for the practice and competition of 34 sports. Here you will find the headquarters of most sports leagues. It has a capacity of 44,500 spectators ​ ​ as well as professional scenarios for several thousand viewers of basketball, volleyball, combat, gymnastics, athletics, baseball, swimming, tennis, among others. ​

Football and basketball clubs in Medellin

Predecessor:   Buenos Aires

South American City 2,010

Successor:   Santiago de Chile

The crest, the flag and the anthem of the city are recognized as official symbols of the municipality of Medellin according to Decree 151 of 20 February 2002, ​ and as emblems of the city are part of the institutional image of the municipal administration, and are therefore present in the official acts, events and media in which they are to appear because of their representative character.

Shield

Medellín's coat of arms is the oldest emblem in the city; it originates from the granting of its use by King Charles II of Spain through the Royal Cédula given in Madrid on March 31, 1678, and whose document reads:

Heraldic version	Versions of municipal entities
In shape called modern French style	Version currently used by the Mayor

"...a coat of arms in the blue field and in it a very thick, round turret, all round about, and on it a shield of arms that has fifteen laces, seven blue and eight gold, and on his colonel who touches him and on the tribute of the tower to each side a turreoncillo, as well as almonished and in the midst of them put an image of Our Lady on a cloud, with her son in the arms..."

However, a more refined and structured description in the heraldic language, although not official, would be: ​

"In the field of azur, a round gold turreon, mazonated and cleared of sword, loaded with a jacked shield of 15 pieces, 7 of azur and 8 of gold (weapons of the house of Portocarrero), with a ring of old gold crown, and surpassed, between its two turrets, a cloud carrying the image of Our Lady of Candelaria carrying the Child, on his left arm, and a candle on his right hand, a scratching, and stretched out of nascent clouds of every canton."

The blazon has been maintained over time since it was granted, with no variations other than aesthetic ones, as it is worth noting that there are different stylistic versions between the Mayor and the Municipal Council, and none of them fulfill aesthetically the heraldic norms.

Flag and anthem

Medellin's flag.

The municipality adopted the flag of Antioquia, to which the city shield was added to differentiate them. The flag is made up of two equally proportional horizontal stripes, the white top and the green bottom, and in the center between the two stripes is the shield. The white color symbolizes purity, integrity, obedience, firmness and eloquence. Green represents hope, abundance, freedom, and faith.

Similarly, Medellín adopted the Antioquian Anthem, in accordance with Decree 151 of 20 February 2002, Article 10: ​

"ARTICLE 10. ANTHEM OF MEDELLIN. To unify the ideals of the region, adopt the Anthem Antioqueño, three letters from Epifanio Mejía and Gonzalo Vidal's music as Anthem of the municipality of Medellin. He will be chanted in all the official acts in which the mayor of Medellin is present.."

In addition, the Conventions with the following cities are under way: Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Florence (Italy), Mendoza (Argentina), Valencia (Spain), Andalucia (Spain), Monterrey (Mexico), Guayaquil (Ecuador), Cuenca (Ecuador), Makati (Philippines), Ekurhuleni (South Africa), Lima (Peru) and Miami (USA. ​

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