Comuna 13

For our social studies “lesson” the other day, we visited Comuna 13, a neighborhood in Medellín with a very recently violent history. Now it’s a vibrant community that’s incredibly alive with color, music, dancing, and food. We met up with a tour guide who had grown up in the neighborhood; his stories were incredible to hear. He also knew and greeted everyone personally as we walked through the streets, taking us to his aunt’s empanada stand for a snack, his friend’s café for a coffee and hot chocolate testing session, and a popsicle place at the top of the neighborhood to enjoy a treat with the amazing views. He pointed out his childhood home, territory lines, and locations of previous violence.

In correlation with our language arts writing, I had the kids look for murals that represented the community’s past, present, and future. When we got back to the apartment, they had to write a paragraph about each of their chosen murals, answering specific questions about the details and the artist’s message. I’ve included their assignments below…

Jonas: One mural I saw was a stone faced man with a red background that was holding a double barrel shotgun 12 gauge. That mural was to symbolize the past and how they had a violent past and how everyone was scared. Also it shows that it was a scary and dangerous time. The artist’s main message is that back then was a dangerous time.

Another one was a breakdancer doing moves that symbolizes now. The mural was yellow and blue with a guy doing an uno arm handstand. It symbolizes how people have moved away from the violence and now express feelings in art forms. It makes me feel happy because it is a cool move. Furthermore, today's culture lets artists tell stories in paint, moves, and food.  

A mural that made me think of the future was a beating heart. It was a light red and blue showing it was healthy and working. It symbolizes that it will beat now and in the future. I believe the artist was trying to show that the future has hope and will be strong. Also, the artist is showing that the community started the beating heart, and it will still be beating in the future.

Johanna: Past: On the wall, there is a monkey that looks sad. It has human and monkey characteristics, and it was painted with yellow, red, pink, blue, green, black, grey, brown, gold, white, and purple. The artist was trying to represent human evolution and that we are like animals and that we shouldn’t harm animals. The monkey has his arm resting on his head, his fingers a mix of monkey fingers and human fingers. On the left side, it had a more of a pointed ear sticking up from the side of the head, whereas the right side has a rounder more human-like ear.

Present: On the wall there are 4 family members that are smiling and looking happy. It was an everyday life mural with the mother, father, and two boys, one older and one younger. It was painted with green, blue, red, orange, brown, and black. The artist was trying to represent how family is an important part of life and that family can bring you so much joy and happiness. They are all sitting down and it looks like they are posing for a picture. The mural makes me appreciate my family and makes me realize how important they are. Colombia has vibrant streets and embraces their culture through their music and dance.

Future: In this mural, there is a giraffe with mushrooms coming out of its head with blue leaves drifting in the wind. There is a purple sky and more mushrooms next to it. It was painted with blue, pink, green, black, red, brown, orange, purple, and gold. The artist is trying to warn us that if we keep killing animals to the point of extinction, it would disturb animal and plant life, and change the food chain. The artist wants people to be more careful and to think about how killing animals until they’re gone would change everything.