General News

Antioquia’s ‘Pacifico 2’ Highway Project Reaches Financial Close

Medellin Herald September 12, 2016

Colombian construction giants Odinsa and Construcciones El Condor and Colombia’s infrastructure financial agency (Financiera de Desarrollo Nacional, FDN) jointly announced September 9 that financial close has finally been achieved for the “Pacifico 2” highway projects in Antioquia, part of the

Schools

Medellin Bilingual Student Wins Cambridge University’s ‘Top in the World’ Award — for English

Medellin Herald September 7, 2016

Medellin eleventh-grade student Veronica Escobar Mesa won Cambridge University’s “Top in the World” award for English proficiency in the “International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE)” examinations recently. Escobar — a student at Medellin’s Colegio Marymount all-girls’ school (one of the top bilingual prep-schools in metro Medellin) – received the

Culture

Medellin International Jazz Festival Launches September 15 to October 8

Medellin Herald September 7, 2016

Medellin’s 20th annual International Jazz Festival launches September 15 featuring top artists including Cuco Valoy, Bobby Valentin, Havana D’Primera and many others. According to festival organizer MedeJazz (see: http://www.festivalmedejazz.com/public_html/), musicians from Italy, Cuba, Dominican Republic, USA, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Brazil and Colombia will take

Culture

Tango in Medellin Continues to Thrive; Salon Malaga, Patio del Tango Local Favorites

Medellin Herald August 31, 2016

Even if you missed the 10th annual Medellin Tango Festival in June (see Medellin Herald on June 15, 2016), you don’t have to book air-fare to Buenos Aires to see some outstanding local and international tango musicians and dancers. Fortunately, Medellin continues to host some of the best local and international tango artists in the […]

Politics

Colombia Government, FARC Ink Final ‘Peace’ Deal

Medellin Herald August 25, 2016

The Colombian government and leaders of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) announced August 24 that they finalized a “peace” deal that supposedly would put an end to more than 50 years of a war – a war that began with Soviet Union backing but gradually evolved into narco-terrorist war against Latin America’s oldest […]

Events

Medellin’s ‘Silletero’ Flower Parade Draws 800,000; Special Photo Collage

Medellin Herald August 25, 2016

The 59th annual “Desfile de Silleteros” (flower-carriers’ parade) on Avenida Guayabal in Medellin this month drew 800,000 spectators along the 1.94-kilometers-long parade route, provoking cheers, tears and amazement over jaw-dropping feats of endurance, beauty, art, dance and music. For this year’s parade, Medellin Herald brought two outstanding photo-journalists

General News

Antioquia’s Community Hydroelectric Projects Continue to Grow

Medellin Herald August 23, 2016

The Antioquia departmental government’s investment agency (“IDEA”) announced August 15 the initial start-up of a 15-megawatt (MW) hydroelectric dam serving Alejandria, Concepcion and Santo Domingo – small municipalities roughly 50 kilometers to the east of Medellin. The COP$120 billion (US$41 million) project incorporated two hydroelectric turbines imported from Austria

Companies

Corona: Born in Antioquia 135 Years Ago, Now a Multinational Giant

Medellin Herald August 23, 2016

Colombia-based Corona — manufacturer of porcelain products, construction goods and majority partner in the “Home Center” retail chain — on August 18 celebrated the 135th birthday of its founding in the Medellin suburb of Caldas, Antioquia. According to the company, Organizacion Corona traces its roots to 1881, originally as a ceramic dish-wear producer at a

Colombian economy

Colombia’s Free-Trade Zones See 85% Jump in Exports

Medellin Herald August 23, 2016

Colombia’s national statistics agency (Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística, DANE) announced August 22 that exports from various free-trade zones (“zonas francas”) soared 85.7% year-on-year in June 2016, boosted by favorable peso-to-dollar exchange rates. According to DANE, the June 2016 export jump is the largest recorded since 2011 (see chart,

General News

Bancolombia Now Finances More ‘4G’ Highway Projects than All Others

Medellin Herald August 1, 2016

Medellin-based banking giant Bancolombia announced August 1 that with the recent financial close of the “Autopista Conexion Norte” fourth-generation (4G) highway project, it has now taken the lead among Colombian banks in terms of the total number of “4G” projects financed. To date, Bancolombia has put-up COP$1.2 trillion (US$389 million) for a series of “4G” […]