Parque San Antonio and Botero's Birds

Parque San Antonio is a large, open plaza downtown, between Avenida Oriental and San Antonio metro station. It has several bronze sculptures by Fernando Botero, including a male torso, and from there you can see the Coltejer tower.

On the night of June 10, 1995, the park was full: there was a crafts market with more than 50 stalls and live music. Around 9:30 p.m. a charge of about 10 kilos of dynamite that had been left next to El Pájaro, one of Botero's sculptures, went off. Twenty-three people died and many more were injured. It was never established with certainty who did it.

Botero asked that the shattered bird stay where it was, split open, as a reminder of what happened. In 2000 he donated a new sculpture, identical to the original, and it was placed beside it: the Pájaro de la Paz. That same year a plaque was installed in memory of the victims.

It's a short stop, just a few minutes, but it's one of the places downtown where you best understand what Medellín went through in those years. Look at the two birds together, read the plaque and take your time. The downtown free walking tour ends in this park.

What to see

• The Botero bird destroyed by the 1995 bomb.
• The Pájaro de la Paz, the sculpture Botero donated in 2000.
• The plaque in memory of the victims.
• Botero's male torso and the view of the Coltejer tower.

Getting there

• Metro: San Antonio station (Lines A and B); the park is right next to it.
• Tram: the Ayacucho T-A line leaves from San Antonio station.
• Taxi: ask for Parque San Antonio, on Avenida Oriental at Calle 46.

Tips

• Go during the day; at night, don't cross the park alone.
• Keep your phone put away: it's an open space with few places to duck into, and there are robberies.
• Combine it with Salón Málaga, a few steps away on Carrera Bolívar.