History

The first time the Spanish conquistadors saw the Aburrá Valley was in 1541, when Spanish officer Jerónimo Luis Tejelo arrived in the area on orders from Marshal Jorge Robledo, who himself would sometime later found the city of Santa Fe de Antioquia. However, after realizing there was neither gold nor silver, the Spanish lost interest in the valley and left amid the general rejection of the Yamesíes, Niquías, Nutabes, and Aburraes who, according to chronicles, inhabited the valley of what today is Medellín.

 

In 1616, Oidor (Spanish judge) and Visitador (Inspector) Francisco Herrera Campuzano subjugated Indians from various areas of the Province of Antioquia, brought some to the Aburrá Valley and founded a settlement called San Lorenzo de Aburrá in modern day El Poblado neighborhood. This fact, however, is not to be taken as the origins of Medellín.

 

The inhabitants of the valley, mostly dedicated to agricultural and cattle raising activities, meshed into a dynamic colony while the settlement at San Lorenzo began a quick decline. Other hamlets sprouted here and there along the valley. One of these was Aná, located near what today is La Alpujarra Administrative Center. By 1660 the village had its own church, the beginnings of a street grid, and held somewhat of an important status.

 

The residents of Santa Fe de Antioquia vehemently opposed the idea of settling a village in the Aburrá Valley, for they feared their jurisdiction and political control over the Province would be reduced. But by then, many of its residents were already moving to the valley, which offered a more pleasant climate, abundant water supply, and a more dynamic communication with the Magdalena River and the Popayán Governor's Office.

The Nueva Villa del Valle de Aburrá de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria was incorporated on March 20, 1671, but Santa Fe de Antioquia's council members and priest got to annul the foundation. A few years later, however, on November 2, 1675 the decree that incorporated Aná as Villa de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Medellín was sanctioned into law.

 

Antioquia proclaimed its independence from Spain in 1813. By this time the Province boasted several cities including Santa Fe de Antioquia, Rionegro, Zaragoza, Cáceres, Remedios, and the villages of Marinilla and Medellín. Marinilla was declared a city that same year by Dictator Juan del Corral, given the city's commerce and location on the route to the city of Popayán, the Magdalena River, and the Caribbean Sea.

 

Santa Fe de Antioquia's fierce opposition, notwithstanding, Medellín was erected capital of the Province of Antioquia as per decree sanctioned by Francisco de Paula Santander on April 17, 1826. It was not until the 1870's, however, that this quiet town, surrounded by dairy farms, experienced a significant economic boom as breadbasket for the mining towns of Remedios, Zaragoza, Cáceres, and even for Santa Fe de Antioquia. The city became center for the growing coffee trade resulting from the so-called “Antioquia colonization”, which converted previously unused large tracts of land to the south into productive coffee plantations. Eventually, this activity gave the region its final economic push and led to the foundation of the National Federation of Coffee Growers in Medellin on June 27, 1927 and established brands like Cafe Medellín headed for the international markets.

 

With the economic boom came urban development and architectural additions with their derived social and cultural activities, which was instrumental in the establishing of agencies dedicated to artistic and literary endeavors. It is worth noting that this last aspect went hand in hand with the city's economic growth, an inherent part of the history of Medellín in later years.

 

It was Pedro Justo Berrío (1827-1875), who launched the city as a political and economic center beyond the local ambit. He was instrumental in infrastructure work including roads, the electric streetcar, banking, and the railroad. And it was precisely in 1874 that one of the projects that would greatly impact the recent history of the region was set into motion: El Ferrocarril de Antioquia (The Antioquia Railroad). At the same time the city was emerging as an intellectual hub attracting writers and thinkers from the region.

 

With a burgeoning city, City Council had to address concerns about uncontrolled sprawl, and as a result Accord No. 4 of 1890 was approved. It was not the first Accord to come out of City Council dealing with the problem, however. Two, from the 18th century already existed addressing the layout and general blueprints for the city. Thus the Sociedad de Mejoras Públicas (an agency dedicated to the beautification of public spaces) came into being in 1899 which had an important role in the development of the city, not only in the urban ambit but culturally as well. One of those ideas the Sociedad was instrumental in bringing forth was the Instituto de Bellas Artes (Fine Arts Institute), which joined forces with then Francisco Antonio Cano Painting Studio, whose painting, Horizontes, is today beautifully reproduced to a monumental scale on a wall at the Plaza Cisneros.

 

At the beginning of the 20th century, the sleepy Medellín of a few thousand went through a radical transformation with the so-called Industrialization. This last aspect alone, however, could not have been enough for that transformation to take place. It took the region's topography, the abundant water supply, -which was used to produce electric power- the proximity to new and developing marketplaces, and of course imaginative enterprising “Antioqueños” (as people from Antioquia are called) along with the governing class, whose visionary ideas, at the dawn of the 20th century, were instrumental in establishing the Medellín Chamber of Commerce.

 

The garment industry marked the beginning of industrialization in the Aburrá Valley and was soon followed by other sectors, some as diverse as glass and shoe industries, food production of mass consumption, iron smelting, air transportation, home appliances, and cultural goods production, among many others. Some of the nascent companies of the moment were: Compañía Nacional de Chocolates (chocolate and food industry), Postobón (soft drinks), Coltejer (textiles), Fabricato (textiles), Coltabaco(tobacco industry), Fábrica Nacional de Galletas y Confites Noel (food industry).

 

The new politics instituted by presidents Enrique Olaya Herrera and Alfonso López Pumarejo to boost economic growth, in the 1930's, finally consolidated the process. Medellín took clear advantage of said politics to the point of becoming the main industrial, economic, and financial center in the country.

 

The city also continued to grow in the cultural ambit. Newspapers like El Espectador, the most respected of Colombian dailies, and Caracol and RCN, the two most important radio networks in the country, as well as important publishing and record houses initiated their trajectory in this city. Literary figures like Tomás Carrasquilla and Fernando González began their careers here as did groups like Los Panidas with León de Greiff. Years later the city would consolidate itself in this area becoming center of transcendental literary movements, like the Nadaista movement, which enthralled and scandalized the society of its time.

 

Some cultural milestones that occurred in Medellín, showing the city's dynamism, are marked by Festival de Ancón (a local version of Woodstock), the big bands playing dance music and which presided over Colombian festivities and celebrations, the Biennials of Art (bringing art to the man in the street), and the showcase of them all, for its impact on the urbanscape and for helping project the city internationally, is Fernando Botero's paintings and sculptures known and admired world over. Nowadays, besides many artistic and cultural events of considerable importance that take place in Medellín, we can highlight: the International Poetry Festival – Alternate Nobel Prize 2006 –, which brings poets and writers from dozens of countries worldwide.

 

After overcoming the drug trafficker crisis of the 1980's, Medellín has now recovered its traditional leadership of old. Today, Medellín presents itself as a model of peace and reconciliation, after taking repentant offenders, from that unsung war, back into its fold.

 

Medellín's new climate has been confirmed by the presence of world congresses in the city, such as the XIII Congress of the Association of the Spanish Language Academies that was held in March 2007. The congress brought together representatives from all Spanish speaking countries in the world. In addition, the congress was honored with the presence of the King and Queen of Spain, who were present during the reading of the main proposition made to the assembly. Said proposition called for the updating and definition of contemporary Spanish grammar and which was to be called Gramática de Medellín or Medellín Grammar. Likewise world-class events are being scheduled in Medellín, like the Organization of American States General Assembly, which took place in June 2008. Also the appointment of the city to host the Inter-American Development Bank's Annual Meeting in 2009, as well as the IX Juegos Deportivos Suramericanos (IX South American Games) to be held in March 2010, give faith to the remarkable achievements of the city and its international renown.

 

Medellín is known today for its noteworthy fairs and events that year after year fill the city with hopeful and pioneering airs. Fairs like Colombiatex and Colombiamoda, call Medellín home. The city also bids its welcome to a Book Fair, the International Poetry Festival, music festivals and the International Jazz Festival, the Flower Parade and its spin-off Silletero Parade. And of course its Christmas Lights Display, which year after year holds residents and visitors alike in awe with its designs and colorful light shows.

 

Medellín, a welcoming city. A city involved in top-dollar investment work. The construction of Metroplús and the three Metrocable Lines that complement the Metro, Medellín's pride and joy. The all-encompassing urban renovation, visible and favoring all of Medellín's inhabitants and visitors. More than 6 local TV channels. The ultramodern Parks and Library that bring culture to areas of the city previously excluded from opportunities like this. The scientific progress of Medellín, especially in the field of health. New universities and educational opportunities for all its denizens make of this city a metropolis facing its own future and with worldwide projection.