Escobar's legacy remains controversial; while many denounce the heinous nature of his crimes, he

was seen as a "Robin Hood-like" figure for many in Colombia, as he provided many amenities to the
poor, while his killing was mourned and his funeral attended by over 25,000 people.[10] Additionally,
his private estate, Hacienda Nápoles, has been transformed into a theme park,[11] and he has been
praised and criticized for importing hippopotamuses to Colombia.[12] His life has also served as
inspiration for or has been dramatized in film, television, and in music.

Early life

The city of Medellín, where Escobar grew up and began his criminal career.

Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was born on 1 December 1949, in Rionegro, in the Antioquia
Department of Colombia. He was the third of seven children of the farmer Abel de Jesús Dari
Escobar Echeverri (1910–2001),[13] with his wife Hilda de Los Dolores Gaviria Berrío (d. 2006), [14] an
elementary school teacher.[15]
Raised in the nearby city of Medellín, Escobar is thought to have begun his criminal career as a
teenager, allegedly stealing gravestones and sanding them down for resale to local smugglers. His
brother, Roberto Escobar, denies this, instead claiming that the gravestones came from cemetery
owners whose clients had stopped paying for site care and that he had a relative who had a
monuments business.[16] Escobar's son, Sebastián Marroquín, claims his father's foray into crime
began with a successful practice of selling counterfeit high school diplomas,[4] generally
counterfeiting those awarded by the Universidad Autónoma Latinoamericana of Medellín. Escobar
studied at the University for a short period, but left without obtaining a degree. [17]
Escobar eventually became involved in many criminal activities with Oscar Benel Aguirre, with the
duo running petty street scams, selling contraband cigarettes, fake lottery tickets, and stealing cars.
[18]
 In the early 1970s, prior to entering the drug trade, Escobar acted as a thief and bodyguard,
allegedly earning US$100,000 by kidnapping and holding a Medellín executive for ransom.
[19]
 Escobar began working for Alvaro Prieto, a contraband smuggler who operated around Medellín,
aiming to fulfill a childhood ambition to have COL $1 million by the time he was 22.[20] He is known to
have had a bank deposit of COL $100 million (more than US$3 million), when he turned 26. [21]