Text and photos by Mary L. Peachin
December, 2014, Vol. 19, No. 3
In Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia, frequently referred to as the City of the Eternal Spring, Christmas is the most celebrated festival of the year. Throughout the month of December, two and a half million residents revel nightly while admiring more than twenty seven million Christmas lights. Street vendors line streets, there are free nightly concerts, kid- friendly exhibits, cultural events, and plenty of photograph opportunities.
Christmas lights line and skim the surface of the Medellín River. Lighted decorations encompass 472 miles through ninety locations. The celebration began in 1955 when public utility company Empresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM) adorned the city with twelve and a half million lights.
Each year more tourists are attracted, with an attendance of more than 60,000 visitors in 2013. El Alumbrado is than more than a simple government supported celebration. Hanging millions of lights enlists the efforts of thousands of volunteers, locals who have also made the commitment to clean the banks of the Medellín River.
Medellín, Colombia’s second-largest city is located in the Aburrá Valley. The city’s density lies in a beautiful valley lined by the Andes Mountains. Founded in the 17th century by Spaniard Francisco Herrera Campuzano, it was originally called Poblado de San Lorenzo. In 1675, the queen consort Mariana of Austria renamed it to Villa de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Medellín or Town of Our Lady of Medellín. When Colombia won its independence from Spain in 1886, Medellín became the capital of the Federal State of Antioquia. During the 19th century, Medellín became a dynamic commercial center, first exporting gold, then producing and exporting coffee.
The construction of the Medellín Metro commuter rail, which runs the length of the valley, liberalized development policies, improved security and education, and brought both industrial stature and tourism to Medellín. The city is recognized for its universities, academies, commerce, health services, flower-growing, and nightlife. Each August, The Flowers Festival is a five day exposition displayed in the Metropolitan Cathedral. Organized by the Gardening Club of Medellín and Monsignor Tulio Botero to celebrate Virgin Mary day, its flower parade represents the abolishment of slavery when men and women were carried on the backs of slaves up Medellín’s steep hills.
In February 2013, Medellín was chosen one of the best places to live as well as the most innovative city in the world. Its Museum of Antioquia houses a large collection of works by Medellín native Fernando Botero and Pedro Nel Gómez. Facing Botero Plaza near the Berrío Park metro station, twenty three life size sculptures line the square. A local son, Botero adds either humor or a political message to his artwork noted for its voluminous figures.
Taking the Metro light rail from Santo Domingo station then connecting with the Metro cable up to the small outdoor market at Parque Arfi is well worth the eighty seven cent fee. Parque Arvi’s lush green fauna forms an important watershed as well as serving as a biological nature reserve for native plants and animals.
Down in the city, Carabobo’s, which translate to dumb face, eight block pedestrian walkway connects Parque Bolivar to Plaza Botero and La Apujarra. Filled with shops, places to eat, a wide selection of street vendors it also offers interesting architecture, sculpture and historic sites. This roadway, unsavory in the past, is a part of the transformation that shows a new and friendly face to the city of Medellín. Those disreputable days of drugs and gangs are in the past.
In addition to its celebratory festivals of El Alumbrado at Christmas and late summer’s Flowers Festival, the city offers upscale boutique hotels, fine dining, great public transportation, and a wonderful temperate climate located in a scenic valley between the Andes. If you visit Colombia, take a visit to Medellín.