GUIÓN RECORRIDO INGLES, THE ECOSYSTEMS OF PRADO, history, social movements, art and

culture in Prado. NOTA: Hay que nombrar el recorrido.

Punto de Encuentro, Estación Prado: On behalf of the Fundación Casa Cultural La Chispa, welcome
to THE ECOSYSTEMS OF PRADO. Here we are at Prado Metro Station, which you can see on your
map. Those who wish to return here after lunch can, or we can help each person arrange taxi or bus
transport to your next destination. Before we start, we want to welcome you to downtown Medellín!
While here, please stay close as a group. We will be visiting various cultural spaces and parks and
are happy you can join us to learn more about the culture and social movements that call Prado
Centro home. La Chispa is part of a neighborhood cultural space called the Mesa Cultural de Prado,
where we work together as individual artists and citizen run institutions, to preserve and promote
Prado as a Cultural and Patrimonial district.

First of all… where are we? Pais? Department or State? Comuna? Neighborhood? (Explain how the
city is divided).

We are here under this Higueron Rojo, something more about this tree. Trees and flowers were
very important to the architects of this neighborhood. As we walk through the neighborhood, you may
see large, old Cascos de Vaca, Guayacanes, and Palmas. The grid of Prado is made up of two types
of streets, Calles and Carreras. The calles have flowering trees planted on them, while the carreras
had fragrant trees planted on them under a design of “flores” for flowers and “olores” for fragrances.

During our entire trip, we invite you to use your five senses to explore and understand the ecosystems
of Prado. Tener en cuenta los sonidos, tanto pajaros como urbanos como vendederos What do we
see, hear and smell? Birds alongside street vendors?

La Ballena Salvaje, is an interesting space. It has been all kinds of things: it was a bar with local
mircrobrew beer, a cultural center where music was performed, and at this moment it works as a
Asian Medicine center called Neijing.

ABRAXAS AGUILAR – Museo ABRAXAS:

Once upon a time, an artist loved collage so much that she decided to take her life and make
a collage with it. Her name is Abraxas Aguilar and for more than 20 years she alternates her
profession, the law, with the art of composing works by joining images, fragments, objects,
and materials from sources as diverse as the universe itself. In some diplomas hanging on
the walls of the museum, Abraxas appears with the name of Jorge Hernan Betancur, a
person who also studied theology, wrote three books about Law and philosophy, and who
dabbled in politics: she was Councilor of Medellín on several occasions, candidate for the
governor of Antioquia in 2000 and candidate to the presidency of the republic in 1998.The
house as a whole is a work of art, the biggest of its kind in the world, it also has two
Guinness records that it obtained in 1997. The first because the biggest collage book of the
word, and the second, for the collage with the largest number of images in the world.
Pendiente hablar de los 5 sentidos y hacer la intro que nos pide Abraxas

La Avenida Oriental, or Eastern avenue, is currently an important thouroughfare that connects the
neighboring cities of the South, Envigado, Sabaneta and Itagui all the way to the neighboring northern
cities of Bello, Copacabana and Giradota. It was built between 1970 and 1979 and during the
construcion, 600 buildings were removed from Prado. The construction caused a division from the
homes in Prado to their local park and church. As is common in Latin America, each neigborhood of
Medellín has their own church and park. It was not until this year, 2021, that a second park was built
for the neighborhood of Prado. We will visit both the new Prado park and the traditional Prado Park on
our walk today.

Casa Teatro: Founder in 1987, this theatre was designated a cultural heritage site in 1992. In the last
33 years, Casa Teatro has hosted performances by local, national and international groups as well as
worked in education, investigation, and partipated in festivals and expositions. In 2002, the Casa
Teatro opened the Gilberto Martinez Arango library, which owns one of the largest collections of
theatrical arts works in Latin America. PROGRAMACIÓN

Parada sobre Moore, Red Femenista y Antimilitarista: Although they do not open to the public, the
headquarters of the Feminist and Antimilitarist network is worth pointing out. The Red, or “network”
began as a youth coalition in the 1990s, fighting against illegal army recruitment in Medellín. They
joined a larger network of concientious objectors and worked in various comunas of the city in
community organizing, artistic expression and legal aid during they harshest years of the war in the
city. Some thirty years later, the Red shifted focus to work more directly in feminism and womens
rights. They are an organization affiliated with the nation-wide Estamos Listas movement, which is a
political movement made up of women that fights for the rights of women to govern.

Casa Orlando Pulido (considerar entrar por un tinto; 15 minutos) // Conocerlo a él// Prado has
historically been home to many writers, painters and poets. On the corner is the home of
contemporary painter Orlando Pulido. He designed a community mural that we will see later on during
our walk. Orlando is an easel painter and muralist. He is mainly dedicated to acrylic and watercolor.
However, in 2013 he obtained a grant, in which he had to represent twelve emblematic trees of the
city using soot from pollution as the main material. To do this, he has carried out a study on the air we
breathe in the city, analyzing the different currents that move. Orlando's work has a critical sense
as it tries to sensitize society about the uses we make of our environment. The main motive
of his plastic works is the trees, on them, he prints human forms to convey a message of
dependence of the human being on nature. He recognizes in his work the influence of Asian
pictorial art since he never paints from a photograph, but from an inner memory, as occurs with Zen
painting.

Junta de Accion Comunal: Every neighborhood has their own Board, or Junta, in service to the
community. This is government entity at the neighborhood level and can serve as a first resort
institutional space for many things, including disputes between neighbors, a place to host
neighborhood events or publicize them, and a local space to be rented out by neighborhood residents
or organizations for meetings or other activities etc. The headquarters of the JACs are paid for by the
local government.

Montaña del Silencio Fundación Zen: This is a meditation space of Zen and Insight Buddhism
practitioners. In 2016 they became a subsidiary of the San Francisco Zen Center founded by
master Shunryu Suzuki Roshi and they are part of Branching Streams. Any person who is
sincerely interested in knowing and practicing the Buddhist dharma will be received and
welcomed in the community.

Casa Tres Patios: Casa Tres Patios (The house with three patios) is an artist residence space that
works in varios artistic fronts: investigation, education, and residencies. As with many organizations in
Prado, there is an intentional focus on social inequality and human rights in Casa Tres Patios.
U de A, Serpientes: There are many different kinds of snakes in Colombia and the University of
Antioquia studies them all right here. Previous to the pandemic, the public could schedule visits to see
the specimens on Mondays. Due to COVID, this opportunity has not re-opened to the public, but it is
one of the few opportunities for the general public to see ongonig research from a public university.

Casa Olano: The home of Ricardo Olano, the architect who dreampt and designed Prado. This house
was one of the first buildings in the neighborhood, over a hundred years ago. Ricardo Olano Estrada,
brought together prominent merchants and wealthy elites for the beginning of what he imagined to be
a garden city; he helped each family build their own home inspired by foreign construction in places
they had visited in Europe.

Habitat latente QR program: Habitat Latente is an agency of cultural heritage projects that
designs and executes programs related to the protection, promotion and dissemination of
cutural heritage, based on educational and participatory actions with communities to
strengthen and recognize their origin, history and context. Habitat Latente is currently
mounting a QR program that will allow pedestrians to scan the codes on the historic
properties and be taken to a website where they can learn about the property and its history.
Habitat Latente is also a part of the Mesa Cultural de Prado.

Cabildo: The Chibcariwak Indigenous Council, or “cabildo,” is a special public institution that has been
working with and for the indigenous people in the Aburrá Valley since 1979 and brings together more
than 2000 indigenous people, registered in its databases. Among the programs it carries out, those
carried out with indigenous students and with unemployed indigenous women. The cabildo is also a
part of the Mesa Cultural de Prado.

Parque Prado (sit down 15 minutes, consider buying something local), 20 minutes: Gina
This park was built in 2021, using materials recovered from the site, including the homes of the people
that were displaced and a former parking lot. This park, as with many of the “development” projects in
Medellín was very contested. Another example of problematic public investment is right to our right, a
metro station that was poorly constructed and can’t be used. As members of the neighborhood, we
participate in various political initiatives, always trying to insist that the municipal government hear the
voiced of those most affected by their projects. This is a very difficult process in Medellín. We think it’s
important not only to show the beautiful pieces of Prado (like the recently renovated streets we are
walking), but also the difficulty in this area of downtown, and question where the local government
should take responsibility alongside the residents.

San Pedro Metroplus Station:

The San Pedro metro station was inaugurated in 2011, but it has not been able to start
operating due to design and construction. The stop is located on a slope with an inclination
greater than that established by the safety regulations. in 2013 it was revealed that it was
actually a hurt by six officials of metroplus, but in 2014 the Valley the Aburrá Attorney's
Office decided to definitively file the disciplinary proceedings against the Metroplus officials
involved in this process. By order of the Court, on July 22, 2016 the limit for the adaptation
works of the controversial San Pedro the Metroplus station to be completed. In 2016 they
also invested 543 million pesos, this figure is added to the initial investment of 1,133 million
pesos, on that date the compliance agreement between the parties was finalized, and a one-
year term to put the station into operation. But today in the middle of the year 2022 that has
not been fulfilled and it is not known where the money ended up.

Cantar algo poesia

Break/Refri

On our walk back down toward the old Prado Park, we are going to imagine ourselves as the old elite
of Prado, sauntering out of their mansions to take a stroll down to the cathedral. We will walk about
?? blocks without stopping, so please take in the various forms of architecture, the flores y olores, as
we stroll toward the park.

Ballet Folklorico: The Ballet Folklórico de Antioquia first performed in Medellín on August 28,
1991, with the premiere of its first show “Baila Colombia”, on the majestic stage of the
Metropolitan Theater of the city of Medellín. An evening that marked the beginning of a
group that emerged to be recognized as one of the best Cultural Ambassadors of Colombia,
worldwide.

Penca Sábila: A non-profit that works in environmental rights and protection in Medellín and Antoquia.

Plazarte Centro Cultural, lo que significa para la Mesa y el movimiento: This building was lost after a
public battle over squatters rights. Previously the home of Plazarte, a community artistic collective,
this space represents a lot for the neighborhood and the Mesa Cultural de Prado. After losing their
headquarters, Plazarte as a collective really started to focus on territorial rights and work toward the
goal of Prado as a Patrimonial and Cultural Heritage district. This loss of personal space is something
that we’ve reflected on a lot as a neighborhood and where energies can go into the collective once a
group of people is forced out of their space.

Casa del Patrimonio: The Heritage House is a government institution that works to preserve cultural
heritage.

Point out Oriental, cross through Centro Comercial via puente and point out Coltejer:

The Coltejer Building: It was built between 1968 and 1972, becoming the tallest building in
the country until 1977, when the International Trade Center surpassed it in height. The
company, Coltejer (shorthand for Colombia threads) built the space as the headquarters for
the business. The top of the building meets in a point, like a needle, a fitting symbol in the
center of a city gives a nod to the historical importance of the textile industry.

Parque Bolivar : more general info on Bolivar… not Berrio ;)

The traditional park of Prado, where families would have made that same walk we
just did, without the Oriental cutting between the neighborhood and the church 100 years ago. The
park connects to Junin, which is a traditional walking and shopping mall off the south side of the park.
Anyone looking for a typical brunch spot, or traditional mid-afternoon coffee can find it a couple blocks
down on the right at Versailles.
The Metropolitan Church and Parque Bolivar are the downtown park currently in
Medellín and you can see that people of all backgrounds congregate here. The church itself as more
bricks that any other building in Colombia… (more info on this church)
Lido: The Lido Theater was built in 1945 on the initiative of Francisco Luis Moreno
Ramírez, a man with a lot of money, who, together with his family, contributed to the cultural life of
the city, donating money to hire the architect Federico Vá squez and the sculptor Marín Vieco. The
construction of the theater took two years because all the materials were brought from the United
States such as the central staircase that goes to the second floor, the marble floors and bathrooms,
and an acoustic plaster to cover the walls, the cement was not adequate because generate a lot of
reverb. At that time, it was considered the best theater in acoustics and has a capacity for 1,400
people. The theatre greatly aided in the ability for Medellinenses to see foreign films in the 1960s
and 1970s. En 1997, the theatre was declared cultural heritage and it is currently administed by te
local government. Occasionally there are free events open to the public. PROGRAMACION
Poloneisa: A typical spot to grab a coffee or a drink and listen to tangos.
Metropolitan Church:
The history of the cathedral is divided into three stages; the first of them begins in 1868 with the
creation of the Diocese of Medellín and Antioquia and the subsequent search for a suitable building to
be a cathedral temple; this period ends in 1883. The second stage begins in 1886 when Bernardo
Herrera Restrepo takes office as the new bishop and undertakes the task of building the cathedral,
and ends in 1952 when, thanks to a donation, the temple finishes acquiring its last most characteristic
elements. .
The third and last stage covers from the creation of the parish to the present.

In addition, politics is an influential factor in the history of the basilica, since the rivalry between the
cities of Medellín and Santa Fe de Antioquia was lived; In 1826, the latter lost its status as the capital
of the province of Antioquia (today the Department of Antioquia) at the hands of the latter, which led to
the transfer of religious power later on.

Explicar murales antes que arrancar para La Chispa

We will walk past two murals designed and painted by the Mesa Cultural de Prado. The first, by Prado
based artist Cesar Figueroa which is on the Avenida Oriental, faces the streets famed for their
LGBQ+ acceptance, and is painted in celebration of diversity and plurailty in the city.

The second, painted by artist Orlando Pulido, is in front of the recently renovated Alberto Gomez park,
invited viewers to think about their environment. Within the trees you will find dancers and musicians
and the grey tones are meant to envoke a poetic respect for nature, which is playing a love song for
humanity in this mural. The different greys were created by the artist, who collected smog and
pollution from the city and mixed it into his acrylics.

Águila descalza: Also known as Teatro Prado, or Prado Theatre, hosts on average 200 performances
a year. This group is primarily focused on comedy.

Fundación Casa Cultural La Chispa: Presentation inside