San Javier at the Base of Comuna 13 Street Art
If you've read whatever of my other posts, you know that we generally don't like to spend too much time in cities. We adopt to be in the countryside. Only, at that place were two things nosotros definitely wanted to do in Medellin. The first was the Comuna 13 Graffiti Bout. There are a total of xvi comuna, or districts, in Medellin and the largest is comuna 13 with 21 neighborhoods. The tour is by and large in 20 de Julio and Las Independencias neighborhoods.
Comuna 13 was considered the most dangerous neighborhood in all of Southward America just 25 years ago. It was Escobar's main operating base. Today, its a sprawling tourist hub that's known for their amazing graffiti. Artists from all over the world want to come to Medellin and prove their talent. In one case, people were ashamed to say they lived in comuna xiii and today our guide, Sebastian, was proud to admit he grew upward in this neighborhood.
He's seen the change and couldn't be more proud of what the community has achieved with help from Antioquian government. He wanted to brand sure we knew it was the local, Antioquian government and not the Colombian regime. Our tour with Sebastian was free. At the end of the tour, you lot tip him whatever amount you want. The tour is about 3 hours long but tin be a little longer (or shorter) depending on how many questions you inquire.
Nosotros met Sebastian exterior the San Javier metro station. From in that location, we took a local passenger vehicle. We needed a green bill of fare to get on which we got from the omnibus driver for free. We added the remainder for our ride on the green card, got on the bus, and gave the card dorsum to the driver. The ride cost i,200 pesos per person so about 35 cents.
Comuna thirteen is all on a hill and high above the city center. This means getting to and from comuna xiii is a challenge even for those who are immature and fit. But it was even worse for the elderly and disabled. One of the many things the local and Antioquian government has washed is add 6 outdoor escalators to help people get up and down the mountain faster and without getting tired. There's too free WiFi for anybody in the neighborhood. San Javier metro station connects the neighborhood to the rest of the city and it'due south merely a short bus ride away.
Another amazing affair the Antioquian regime has done is offer gratuitous language and trade classes for all the residents. In fact, that's how our tour guide learned English. And he'south now enrolled in French classes and then he can likewise give tours in French. Here's a video of a male child practicing English he learned in class by explaining a complex lion graffiti with 16 hidden animals. They too offer free trade classes for those interested. It's one of many ways the Antioquian government is helping the community that was most afflicted by violence and drugs.
Graffiti bout involves a lot of walking and and some stairs so wear comfortable shoes. The half dozen outdoor escalators certainly help but information technology's still all uphill. At that place's food, skilful coffee, souvenir shops, and bathrooms along the style. There are street performances, art galleries, and artists at work in many places. You'll run across people selling local, handmade crafts, and stalls that sell sugarcane juice. I honey sugarcane juice. I grew up drinking information technology in India and it was and so satisfying to finally drinkable it again.
There are ice cream shops with exotic flavors like avocado, light-green mango, and queso. The avocado ice cream was surprisingly succulent. I wasn't brave enough to try the queso water ice foam. And the unabridged time we felt safe but it is important to note that comuna 13 is huge so follow you guide. Don't wander off. There are still parts that are unsafe in comuna thirteen.
Many of the graffiti painted take a message, a meaning, it conveys a feeling, something personal and deep rooted in history. Now, lets talk about how an creative person gets the rights to graffiti something on the building. It's actually very simple. They just have to get the permission from the owner of the building. If y'all want to add or change something on an already existing graffiti, y'all demand permission from the original artist. All the artists sign their work and the year they did it.
Ane of the common thread we noticed in a lot of graffiti was the epitome of an elephant because they accept groovy memory. And the people of Medellin, and particularly comuna 13, want to recollect what went wrong and never to repeat information technology again. They don't want to forget the past. But they too want to be hopeful so there are also many graffiti that symbolize liberty and change.
The two other graffiti that captures the essence of Comuna 13 are "nosotros are all immigrants" which you see at the start of the tour and "changing lives with color" which is nigh one-half way up the hill. Towards the end you lot too come across a graffiti of a gun with the barrel tied up in a knot. All these are powerful images of what can be accomplished if we come up together and intendance.
As Sebastian, our wonderful bout guide, put information technology "in most places the rich accept the best view. In Medellin, the poorest have the best view". And he's absolutely right. Just wait at the view in the motion picture below. The projection to revive more of the neighborhood is underway. You can run into structure being done to expand the bout and have more graffiti artists come and prove their talent. The bout officially ends with eating ice cream from a local store. In case yous forgot, I had the avocado ice foam.
There are a few things I learned on the tour that has really stayed with me. When you hear loud music coming from a house, you associate it with Colombian culture merely the root cause of information technology was to drown out bullet sounds. Families didn't want to hear those sounds and they didn't want kids to hear it either. So, they turned the music loud to drown out the sound of gun fight. You lot'll hear loud music coming from a few places on the tour but now it's but become more of a addiction. It was a sad realization of how bad things really were back in the day.
Houses in comuna thirteen withal don't take actual addresses. So, I can't mail a package or a letter to someone living in comuna 13. They ordinarily have a PO box near the San Javier metro station where post gets delivered. It was so strange to think that I can get my groceries delivered right to my door but these families tin't even get mail delivered to their home. They don't have actual addresses. In that location's no street name or house number. They have to walk down the hill, go down the 6 escalators, and take a bus to the San Javier metro station just to pick upwards their post! It was a hit difference betwixt our worlds.
So later all this, nosotros had to enquire Sebastian for his favorite restaurant well-nigh by. He took usa to a place that has no proper name just is endemic by his mom's best friend and she cooks everything. It was succulent and super cheap. It merely toll the states 8,000 Colombian pesos which is about $2.35 USD per person and it included soup, main course and a drink! This identify had the best chicharon I had in the 8 days I spent in Colombia. The restaurant has no name.
Near of the graffiti are very new and recent. There are artists from all over the world who want to come and bear witness their talent in comuna 13. Graffiti tour is an absolute must in Medellin. If you merely have fourth dimension to do one matter in Medellin, let it be comuna 13 graffiti tour. And make sure your tour guide is someone local, someone who lives at that place and grew up in the neighborhood.
Overall, comuna 13 gave me promise in humanity. Information technology's a testament to how much good people tin can do if they just attempt and care. It is an uplifting, heartwarming, existent life story that makes you lot feel optimistic near the globe and have faith in humanity. At that place are so many places in the world that can replicate what Antioquia has done and help those who need information technology most.
For more than pictures of my latest adventures, follow me on Instagram. I've posted more than pictures of graffiti tour on Insta here and here. There is also a video of our guide Sebastian making a instance for why anybody should visit Colombia and I couldn't hold more. Information technology was a corking vacation destination, specially if you lot live in USA.
nichollsingre1964.blogspot.com
Source: http://rupalstraveldiaries.com/colombia/comuna-13-graffiti-tour/
0 Response to "San Javier at the Base of Comuna 13 Street Art"
Post a Comment