La Catedral – “Quien no conoce su historia esta condoned a repetirla”

I am holding as fast as I can to the selling of the Bus, when we are flying around the corners at the small road. I am on my way to “La Catedral”, also known as the prison of Pablo Escobar. The world famous drug dealer has many different nicknames, as El Patrón, who at the moment is having his own Series at Netflix.

El Patrón started his criminal carrier as 13 year old, where he stole parts of cars and sold it. Later became he active in the drug industry. He made the beginning of the imports of Cocaine to the US. In the middle of the 80s where the Medellin Cartel, who he was the boss of, estimated to smuggle 70 to 80 tons of cocaine from Colombia to US, especially to Miami every month. In 1989 did Forbis range El Patrón as one of the worlds 227 billionaires in the world with a net worth close to 3 billion Dollars. The Medellin Cartel was in this period controlling 80% of the global cocaine market and the cartel brought in more than 60 million Dollars a day. With this huge amount of money coming in everyday couldn’t he use it all so he started to dick it in the ground in the mountains around Medellin, since he couldn’t use them as fast as he earned them. For only a few month ago did a farmer found a huge load of money in the ground which was some of El Patron’s money.

The story of El Patrón is complex as the Colombian history. When he became elected as an alternate member of the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia as part of the Colombian Liberal Party in 1982 did he also became a well-known face the public and some people started to ask where all his money came from.

He wanted to help the poor, and change things. Some people even say that he had so many money that he wanted to pay the economic death of Colombia. But this might just be a story in the air, since everybody have their own story to tell about El Patron.

Not everybody was interesting in letting El Patrón into politic. Therefor when Luis Carlos Galán became president in August 1983, did the new Minister of Justice Rodrigo Lara Bonilla denounce the drug cartels, especially in Medellin. When El Patrón was elected to the Congress, did Lara denounced him by citing his connection to drug cartels. It was Lara who exposed El Patón and the cartel for influencing politics and sports through corruption. The fight against the Narco Cartels had started and El Patrón was expelled from the Congress and his U.S. visa vas cancelled.

Eight months after Lara did take the Ministry of Justice was he gunned down in his car on the night of the 30th of April 1984, on 127th Street in Bogota, which today is named “Avenida Rodrigo Lara Bonilla” in his honor. El Patrón organized the murder of Lara. The consequence of the murder was the war against organized Crime; especially the Narco Cartels was started. The war that has cost thousands of life.

The 2sd of December 1993 just one day after his 41-year-old birthday was Pablo Escobar tracked and shot down on a rooftop in Medellin. – Still more than 20 years after his dead is there still different conspiracy theories about how he dead, since some say he was not killed, but instead he made suicide by shouting himself through is ear…

La Catedral

I am walking alone for around 20 min. in the mountain until I hit the road. There is a lot of people coming in me direction. It is Sunday, and there has just been a running-race. A 9-kilometer running uphill with the final-line at La Catedral.

The name La Catedral, has a double meaning, because not only is it the synonym for the prison of El Patrón, Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria, as well is there also a church made of wood. El Patrón made La Catedral by him self, by making an agreement with the Colombian government since he saw it better to stay in Colombia than go to a prison in US, As heexpressed this way: “Prefiero una tumba en Colombia, que una Cárcel en Estates Unidos” (I prefer a tomb in Colombia than a jail en US).

His prison was not a normal one, there where pool tables, big TV’s and even a helicopter place here in the mountains with the view over Medellin.

When I arrive to the sight am I first surprised since I am seeing a lot of old people. There is now a nursing home for older people with the view over Medellin just in front of La Catedral. There are a lot of people in sports close since they have been a part of the run this Sunday morning. A man is starting to talk with me, he want to hear where I am from, and before I see it do he want to have a picture with me and a older man, who lives in the nurse home.

After the photo session, do I continue down the stairs to enter the site of La Catedral. Nearly 25 years after El Patrón lived here is it more or less just a ruin. It is only possible to enter the church, which he made and is formed like a cross from above. Over the building from where he had his head quarter is there a big picture of him with the words: “Quien no conoce su historia esta condoned a repetirla” (Those who do not know their history will repeat it).

It is easy to see how Medellin and Colombia is trying not only tell the world that they have a lot more to offer than drugs, they are also trying to say it to themself.

With the view over the red tall houses, which are gracing Medellin at the Helicopter-place is it difficult to understand that a man, El Patrón, who had a so huge influence on how Colombia has become today had his headquarter here from June 1991 until July 1992.

Fact – how to get to La Catedral from Medellin

First take the metro to the metro station Envígado on line A. From Envígado take a bus (usually green bus) to Vereda El Arenales (The sign at the bus just said Arenales). When you are getting into the bus say that you want to go to La Catedral. The price is 2.500 pesos and you will be dropped of around 10 minutes walk from La Catedral.

If you want to go for longer, around 45 minutes. do you ask the bus driver to get of at Vereda El Arenales, price 2.000 pesos. Ask the bus driver or locals how to get from there to La Catedral. (You will be walking in a forest where you just keep right until you see a road a bit ahead of you after small 25 minuntes of walking. Continue at the road uphill around 2 km and you will be at La Catedral).

if you go doing the weekend will there be more people and be sure to be there before 1 pm since the sight where La Catedral is located is closing at this time.