Route 'Space and Memory': Kennedy's Monuments

Kennedy is not just a neighborhood: it is an open-air museum

When someone says "Kennedy" in Bogotá, most people think of traffic, the Salitre Plaza Shopping Center, or the gigantic El Campincito stadium. But few know that this locality, the most populated in the city with nearly one and a half million inhabitants, holds a fascinating urban history that can be read in its monuments, murals, and commemorative plaques. Here you won't find bronze statues of founding fathers or marble columns; what you'll find is a memory made of popular concrete, of neighborhood struggles, and of the transformation of a former cattle ranch into the city we inhabit today. In August 2026, as Bogotá continues to grow towards the west, walking through Kennedy is like taking a journey through the city's layers: the rural Bogotá of the 19th century, the industrial one of the mid-20th century, and the massive urbanism of the 60s. This route I propose is not the typical postcard one, but it's the one that will tell you how the periphery that is now the heart of Bogotá's working class was built. I have walked these streets dozens of times, and every monument has its anecdote, its rumor, its half-told story that neighbors share in the local shops. If you are an architecture student, a lover of local history, or simply a tourist curious about the real Bogotá, this walk from north to south will change the way you see the city. And don't worry about the weather: here the sun and the downpour arrive without warning, so always carry a waterproof jacket.

The starting point: what was Kennedy before it was Kennedy?

To understand the monuments, you first have to understand the territory. The Kennedy locality occupies what was known in colonial times as the Hato de Techo, a vast plain dedicated to cattle ranching that belonged to the Vergara family. The name "Techo" comes from an old hacienda that was near the current airport, and which later gave its name to the El Techo neighborhood and to the avenue we now know as Avenida de las Américas. But the Kennedy we know today was born on December 17, 1961, when the President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, visited Bogotá to inaugurate the most ambitious social housing program of the era: Ciudad Techo. During that visit, the American leader laid the first stone of what would become a new model of popular urbanism, financed by the Alliance for Progress. The neighborhood that emerged from that visit was initially called "Ciudad Kennedy" in honor of the president, and over time the entire locality adopted that name. What few know is that Kennedy's visit was a massive event: it is estimated that more than 200,000 people gathered on Avenida de las Américas to see the presidential caravan pass by. The neighborhood's grandparents still remember that there was torrential rain that day, but no one left. That anecdote, which seems minor, explains why Kennedy's memory is so tied to the figure of the American president: it wasn't an imposition, but a moment of collective hope. Kennedy's urbanism was pioneering in Colombia: it was designed with a system of blocks with set-asides for green areas, communal facilities, and a road structure that considered the car but also the pedestrian. Today, when you walk along Calle 13 or Avenida 1ro de Mayo, you can see remnants of that original planning, although the later disorderly growth has blurred it. This mix between the planned and the spontaneous is precisely what makes the heritage route interesting.

Drawn map: the route from north to south

The route I propose follows a north-south axis, starting in the historical heart of the locality and heading down towards the most popular and contemporary area. It's approximately 6 kilometers in total, which you can do on foot in about 4 hours with stops, or by bike if you prefer to move faster. The tour has 4 main landmarks that I'll detail below, but along the way you'll find dozens of small details that add to the experience.

• Landmark 1: Monument to the Founders (Calle 13 with Carrera 78B, in front of the local CAI)
• Landmark 2: Mural on the Avenida 1ro de Mayo bridge (Avenida 1ro de Mayo with Carrera 68)
• Landmark 3: Plaque of the former Hato de Techo (Carrera 80 with Calle 6, south side)
• Landmark 4: Graffiti from the "Bogotá es cultura" Festival (Carrera 88 with Calle 4, Villa Nidia park)

You can do this route in the order I propose, from north to south, or reversed if you're coming from the south of the city. The important thing is that each point has a story that will help you understand how the locality was built. In August 2026, the four landmarks are in good condition, although it's always wise to check before going because murals and graffiti are periodically intervened.

Landmark 1: The Monument to the Founders

We start at the place where Calle 13 with Carrera 78B was born, right in front of the Kennedy CAI. This monument is an abstract sculpture of concrete and steel, about 4 meters high, erected in 1987 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the founding of Ciudad Kennedy. It's not a famous work nor does it appear in tourist guides, but for the inhabitants of the locality, it's a symbol of identity.

The sculpture represents, according to the neighbors, a flame or a stylized tree, although the most common interpretation is that it's two hands joining to form a roof. The monument was designed by a local artist whose name has been lost in the neighborhood's memory, but the plaque at the base can still be read: "To the founders of Ciudad Kennedy, who with their effort and hope built this home."

The interesting thing about this point is not just the sculpture, but the surroundings: the small plaza that surrounds it is a meeting point for neighbors, with street vendors, a small children's park, and an improvised basketball court. The locality's festivities are celebrated here every December 17th, and it's common to see the neighborhood's grandparents sitting on the benches telling stories of when they arrived with their families to receive the first houses of the housing program.

If you have time, I recommend crossing the street and visiting the Nuestra Señora del Carmen church, which, although not officially part of the route, has a stained glass window depicting John F. Kennedy's visit in 1961. Admission is free, and the sexton, if you find him, can tell you the story of how the parish became the social center of the neighborhood during the early years.

The story behind the monument

The Monument to the Founders wasn't always where it is today. It was originally installed at the roundabout of Avenida de las Américas with Calle 13, but in 1998, during the avenue's widening works, it was moved to its current location. That move sparked controversy among the neighbors, who felt the monument was being "exiled" from the place where they had seen it grow.

Finally, the neighborhood's Community Action Board managed to have the monument installed in the small plaza in front of the CAI, where it is now the meeting point for the locality's cultural events. This story of neighborhood resistance is a recurring theme in Kennedy: the inhabitants have a very particular relationship with their public spaces, and every change in the urban landscape is negotiated with the authorities.

For architecture students, this monument is a perfect example of "public art in popular neighborhoods": it's not a work by a famous artist, but a piece created by and for the community, which has been appropriated by the inhabitants over the years. It's worth stopping for a few minutes to observe how people interact with the sculpture: children use it as a meeting point to play, adults sit on its base to chat, and street vendors use it as a reference for their customers.

Landmark 2: The mural on the Avenida 1ro de Mayo bridge

The second point on the route is perhaps the most photogenic: the mural covering the pillars and underpass of the Avenida 1ro de Mayo bridge with Carrera 68. This mural was painted in 2015 as part of the "Bogotá es cultura" program by the Secretary of Culture, Recreation, and Sports, and represents the history of the locality in a series of panels that stretch for about 200 meters.

The mural is a collective work: more than 30 local artists participated, many of them young people from Kennedy's popular neighborhoods, and the design was made through community workshops where neighbors proposed the images. The result is a mix of styles ranging from social realism to the purest graffiti, with scenes depicting the daily life of the locality: neighborhood shops, street vendors, mothers with their children, young people playing soccer in the streets.

What makes this mural special is that it's not a static piece: artists periodically intervene, adding new layers of paint and updating the images. In August 2026, the mural reflects the COVID-19 pandemic, with a panel remembering the health workers who died during the crisis, and another celebrating the return of concerts to the El Campincito stadium.

To get to the mural, you can take a TransMilenio feeder bus from the Avenida 1ro de Mayo station, or walk from the Monument to the Founders heading south along Calle 13 to Carrera 68. The journey is about 2 kilometers and will take you through very active commercial streets, where you can stop for a coffee at one of the area's bakeries.

Details you cannot miss

The mural has some panels that are true gems for urban art lovers. Look for the panel depicting John F. Kennedy's visit in 1961: the president appears with his wife Jacqueline, waving to the crowd from a convertible, and in the background you can see the newly built houses of Ciudad Techo. It's a very powerful image that contrasts with the current environment of the bridge, full of buses and informal vendors.

Another panel worth looking for is the one depicting the former Hato de Techo: you can see cows grazing where Avenida de las Américas is today, with the eastern hills in the background. It's hard to imagine that scene when you see the current traffic, but the mural helps you connect with the locality's rural history.

Don't forget to also look at the bridge's pillars: each one has a different intervention, and some are the work of graffiti artists who didn't participate in the original design but have added their pieces over time. This mix between the planned and the spontaneous is what makes the mural a living organism that constantly changes.

Landmark 3: The plaque of the former Hato de Techo

The third landmark is the most discreet on the route, but perhaps the most historically important. It's a commemorative plaque installed in a small triangular park at Carrera 80 with Calle 6, south side, which reminds us that this territory was originally the Hato de Techo. The plaque is simple: a granite stone with a bronze inscription that reads: "On this site stood the Hato de Techo, property of the Vergara family, which gave rise to the development of the Kennedy locality."

The plaque was installed in 2011 by the Kennedy Local Mayor's Office, as part of a heritage signage project that was never completed. Unlike other monuments in the city, this plaque has no sculpture or striking design: it's just a stone with an inscription, which many neighbors pass by without noticing. But for those of us who know the history, it's a reminder that this locality, which today is synonymous with popular urbanism, was once a rural landscape.

The Hato de Techo was a tract of land