THE

MEDELLIN
CITY
SIMON GIRALDO ZULUAGA
9-1
G.M.V
The History of
Medellín
+ Location
+ Medellín is found in the direct center of Colombia – equidistance
from Bogotá, Cartagena, Bucaramanga, and Cali (the landscape
means journeys between the cities vary by bus). Medellín sits in
the basin of the Aburrá Valley and on all sides is lined with
mountains. When the city was first colonized, it was relatively
small and confined; nowadays, the greater metropolitan area
includes Sabaneta, Itagüí, and Envigado in the south, along with
Copacabana and Bello in the north.
Spanish
colonization
+ The Aburrá Valley was first discovered by Spaniards in the 1540s
but Medellín was not officially founded until 1616. Francisco de
Herrera Campuzano is the conquistador credited with
establishing Medellín. He initially named the city San Lorenzo
de Aburrá and focused development efforts in what is now the
Poblado comuna. The name was later changed to Villa de
Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Medellín in 1675, and finally
to Medellín around 1813 when it was declared the capital of
Antioquia.
The economy and
trade
+ Medellín’s economy didn’t emerge until the early 20th century
when coffee production and the railroad industry began to boom.
Primarily, coffee manufacturing was what placed Medellín (and
Colombia) as a major player in the world market. Locals who
profited from coffee invested their money in the textile industry,
which was on the cusp of expanding. Industrialization took place
towards the end of the century and solidified Medellín as South
America’s leading textile industry. To this day, clothing,
furniture, food, tobacco, agriculture machinery, cement, steel,
and chemicals are still produced in the city, which fosters its
original entrepreneurial spirit.
Mobility

+ Following years of conflict and violence, Medellín focused its

transformation efforts on mobility throughout the city. Even
though Medellín’s railway industry had long declined, 1995 saw
the metro system open, running between Niquía to Poblado. This
metro was the first, and still is, the only metro system operating
in Colombia. The trains connected the wealthier areas with
poorer ones and so provided more job opportunities, shortened
travel times, and improved social integration. Gradually, the
metro expanded into two lines (A and B, these days covering just
under 20 miles) and introduced a network of metro cables.
Tourism
+ Medellín has felt a sharp rise in tourism over
the last decade – notably due to Colombia’s
peace agreement with the FARC in 2016.
Between 2002 to 2018, tourism in Colombia
more than quadrupled (540,000 to 2.5
million). In 2018, Medellín witnessed over
half a million travelers visit during the year.