In front of you is Medellín's old main square. Today it is a place to pass through, full of vendors and people meeting up, but for more than a century it was also a darker stage.

1Market and scaffold

Between 1784 and 1892 the public market was held here, and the square also saw executions and major public ceremonies. As in other cities of Spanish tradition, justice was carried out in full view, in front of the main church. In 1895 the statue of Pedro Justo Berrío, governor of Antioquia, was unveiled, and the square changed its name.

In the early 20th century it suffered several fires, in 1917, 1921 and 1922. The old mansions fell, and banks and shops rose in their place.

2The «entierros»

In paisa tradition, an «entierro» is not a funeral: it is a buried treasure. People said that the rich of colonial times and of the civil wars hid gold under the floors of their houses, and that strange lights or noises at night gave away the spot. The souls of the owners, it was said, guarded the gold until someone found it.

For generations some people dug for treasure in the old houses of downtown; the stories of finds belong to folklore, not to the archives.

3What to look for

  • Berrío's statue, unveiled on 29 June 1895.
  • «La Gorda», Botero's sculpture on the south-west corner.
  • The Challenge, by Rodrigo Arenas Betancourt, on another corner.
Old photograph of Medellín's main square lined with balconied houses
The old main square, now Berrío Park, photographed by Gonzalo Escovar's studio.

Documented

Between 1784 and 1892 the square hosted the public market and executions; Berrío's statue was unveiled on 29 June 1895.

Oral tradition

Gold buried beneath old houses, and the lights that betray it, belong to Antioquia's oral tradition.

Sources and credits

José María Bravo Betancur, «De Plaza Mayor a Parque Berrío», Fondo Editorial Universidad EAFIT (2007); Agustín Jaramillo Londoño, «Testamento del paisa» (1961); Javier Ocampo López, «Mitos y leyendas de Antioquia la Grande», Plaza & Janés (2001).

Photos:

  • Berrío Park with the tower of La Candelaria and the Coltejer building behind: SajoR, Dominio público.
  • Old photograph of Medellín's main square lined with balconied houses: Gonzalo Escovar Gaviria, Dominio público.

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