Comuna 13 – The Most dangerous neighborhood in the world becomes a vibrant art community and tourist destination

From the 1980’s to 2002, Comuna 13 was regarded as the most dangerous neighborhood in the world. It was run by violent drug traffic cartels, guerrillas armies like the FARC and various gangs and paramilitary groups.

In 2002, President Alvaro Uribe launched an attack on Comuna 13 with tanks, helicopters and 3,000 government soldiers. For 3 days an intense battle raged, at least 18 people were killed, 34 wounded and almost 250 arrested. There were numerous civilian casualties and many people disappeared not to be heard from again.

After the attack, the government invested in helping rebuild the neighborhood and in 2011, the government installed a series of outdoor escalators connecting the neighborhood with the city below. This access to the city resulted in an influx into the area and it has become a vibrant art community with cafes, restaurants and beautiful murals.

Many of the murals are symbolic. This one shows a soldiers hand reach out out for the neighborhood. The numbers on the dice are the date the soldiers invaded the neighborhood.

See how many animals you can find hidden in this picture below.

At the top of the escalators you can normally find street performers such as break dancers or rappers.

Restaurants & Cafes

The neighborhood has a number of great restaurants or cafes to relax at and enjoy the views and ambiance. We stopped at the Museo Del Cafe Yipao where they gave us a demonstration on the science of how to brew coffee in the right proportions and how to best bring out its flavor.

Berracas de la 13

If you visit I highly recommend eating at Berracas de la 13 both for its great food and to support the woman and youth of community. Berracas de la 13 was created by a group of women with the goal of supporting who lost families members due to the violence or who were victims of abuse. The money generated from the restaurant and crafts they sell is used for programs to empowering women and youth in their community who have experienced violence and various injustices.

The food is Colombian Caribbean style so great fish like the Ceviche de Mariscos and as you can see try the tasty Sancocho soup (shown below)

Safety

Is Comuna 13 safe? Yes. As you can see the government has soldiers there to make sure; that said, I would not advise that you go there at night. A famous rapper came to make a video there and went a little farther up in the neighborhood than they should have, the people who controlled that part of the community, let him know that to leave that part he had to pay the “community fee” which he did. But during the day in the tourist part, it is totally safe. So I would advise to go there in the daytime and stay in the tourist area near the escalators.

Tours/Getting there

There are many places to book a tour of Comuna 13. If you want to go without a tour you can grab taxi, its about 6 miles from Poblado, take the metro to San Javier metro station (it’s a 15 to walk to the escalators from the station) or take the 225i bus.

Comments

Visiting Comuna 13 is a must for seeing Medellin. Its an integral part of the story of Medellin, the artwork is beautiful and moving, there are great restaurants, cafes and excellent views and you are also contributing to helping a neighborhood and their community move toward to a better life. Please let me know your thoughts and any questions or comments.