Unlike other urban areas in the world, Medellin‘s city center has had no other option than to adapt to modern tendencies, leaving a small but representative sample of its architectural and cultural heritage. However, in the past few years, as the city has extended toward the enveloping mountainsides, a new spirit of preservation has emerged, which has led it to rescue the remains of its past. The first houses in the Aburra Valley were built in El Poblado in 1616, in the southern area of the city. After that, the first colonists moved north, near Santa Elena.
Medellin, Colombia Neighborhoods (Barrios)
The city of Medellin, Colombia is divided into six major zones that lie along the axis which is the Medellin River. These six zones are further broken down into sixteen communities or ‘comunas’. The individual barrios or neighborhoods makes up the communities. Medellin has more than 249 barrios that are located within the city. We have listed some of the more popular neighborhoods here.