Boston's Best Kept Secret: The Neighborhood That Was Medellín's First 'Center' and Survives Today Between Tango and

Origins

When most people think of the center of Medellín, they imagine the hustle and bustle of Plazoleta San Ignacio, the shops on Avenida Junín, or the chaos of La Playa. But few know that the true first "center" of the city, which concentrated financial power, social life, and luxury commerce during the first half of the 20th century, was not where Parque Berrío is today. It was a few blocks south, in a neighborhood that today goes unnoticed by the hurried tourist: Boston.

The year was 1905. Medellín was just beginning to spill beyond the Santa Elena creek. The Antioquian elite, who had made their fortunes from coffee and mining, were looking for a place to build their mansions. They didn't want the noise of the traditional center, but they didn't want to go too far either. So they chose a gentle hill east of the old road to Rionegro. There, between what are now Calles 10 and 14, and Carreras 39 and 46, the Boston neighborhood was born.

The name is no coincidence. In the late 19th century, several Colombian engineers and merchants had traveled to the United States and were fascinated by the elegance of Boston, Massachusetts. Upon their return, they named the new urban development after it, seeking to evoke sophistication and progress. The streets, wide for the time, filled with two-story houses with inner courtyards, wrought-iron balconies, and pastel-colored facades. Here lived the Ospinas, the Echavarrías, the Uribes. It was the neighborhood of those in power.

By 1910, Boston already had its own church, the Parish of Our Lady of la Candelaria (today a Minor Basilica), a theater, the Teatro Junín, and the city's first large department store. Avenida Junín, which connected the neighborhood to the center, became the most exclusive commercial street. Italian tailor shops, Lebanese jewelry stores, and the first bank offices set up there. Boston was, without question, the economic and social heart of Medellín.

Timeline or historical milestones

1905-1915: The birth of the elite

• 1905: The Boston neighborhood is laid out on the grounds of the old "La América" estate. The first houses are commissioned from French and Italian architects.
• 1910: The Iglesia de la Candelaria is inaugurated at what is now Calle 12 with Carrera 43. Its neo-Gothic style contrasts with the rest of the city.
• 1912: The Teatro Junín opens, the epicenter of opera and theater in Medellín. Internationally renowned artists performed on its stage.
• 1915: The Club Unión is founded at Carrera 43 with Calle 11, the most exclusive social club in the city. Only families with traditional surnames could become members.

1920-1940: The golden age of tango

In the 1920s, Medellín experienced a tango craze that rivaled only Buenos Aires. The reason: Italian and Arab immigration. Italians from Naples and Genoa brought the bandoneon and nostalgic lyrics. Syrians and Lebanese, who controlled the textile trade, opened the first café-cantantes. Boston filled with places like El Cairo, La Bastilla, and El Molino Rojo, where tango was danced until dawn.

But tango in Boston was not just dance. It was identity. The elite youth learned to dance tango as a mark of distinction. Women wore silk dresses bought from shops on Avenida Junín. And on weekends, families would stroll through the Pasaje Junín, a covered commercial corridor that still exists and connects Calle 10 with Calle 11. There, they sold Gardel records, sheet music, and photographs of the singers.

1940-1960: The silent decline

Everything changed in the 1940s. The city began to grow southward. El Poblado, until then a rural area, started to urbanize. Wealthy families sold their Boston houses and moved to the new mansions on Avenida El Poblado. Banks and offices followed the same path. By 1960, Boston was no longer the fashionable neighborhood. Its streets filled with tenements, auto repair shops, and warehouses. Avenida Junín lost its luster and became a popular market.

However, something remained: the tango bars. While the rest of the city changed, in the basements of Boston, the records of Carlos Gardel, Julio Sosa, and Edmundo Rivero kept playing. Older men, some already retired, gathered every afternoon to drink aguardiente and remember the old days. Tango became the secret soul of the neighborhood.

1980-2000: Cultural resistance

• 1984: The Festival de la Candelaria is founded, a theater and arts event seeking to recover the neighborhood's memory. For a week, the streets fill with plays, puppets, and music.
• 1990: The Museo de la Candelaria is born, a small but valuable space that holds photographs, documents, and objects from daily life in old Boston.
• 1995: A group of local artists begins painting murals on abandoned facades. The first one, on Calle 11 with Carrera 42, shows a woman dancing tango against a background of colonial houses.

2010-2026: The artistic rebirth

In the last decade, Boston has experienced a discreet but real resurgence. Young artists, designers, and entrepreneurs have arrived, attracted by low rents and historic architecture. They have opened galleries, ceramic workshops, specialty coffee shops, and boutique hostels. The Pasaje Junín was restored in 2018 and today houses craft stores and fusion food restaurants. The murals have multiplied: there are over 40 throughout the neighborhood, many of them dedicated to Gardel, tango, and the memory of immigrants.

Today, in July 2026, Boston is a neighborhood of contrasts. On the same block, a dusty hardware store, a tango bar smelling of old wood, a tattoo studio, and a hipster café serving single-origin coffee coexist. It is not a tourist neighborhood in the traditional sense. There are no lines for selfies or guides with little flags. But for those seeking to understand the deep Medellín, the one that doesn't appear on postcards, Boston is a treasure.

Key figures or events

Don Manuel Uribe Ángel

A physician, geographer, and historian, Uribe Ángel was one of the first to document life in Boston. In his book "Geografía General del Estado de Antioquia" (1885), he described the area as "a place of pure air and beautiful views." His house, on Carrera 44 with Calle 12, was the site of intellectual gatherings. Today it is an apartment building, but a plaque on the facade remembers his time there.

Carlos Gardel and his time in Medellín

The tango legend visited Medellín in 1935, just months before dying in the Medellín accident. He gave a concert at the Teatro Junín that, according to chronicles of the time, brought the city to a standstill. Women cried, men sang along to the lyrics. Gardel stayed at the Hotel Europa, a building that still exists on Carrera 43 with Calle 10. The hotel owners keep an autographed photo of the singer. It is said that Gardel left a suitcase with records and sheet music that he never reclaimed.

The Echavarría family and the Banco de Boston

The Echavarrías were one of the richest families in Antioquia. Owners of the textile company Fabricato, they built a mansion in 1918 on the corner of Calle 11 with Carrera 42, which later became the headquarters of the Banco de Boston. The neoclassical building was for decades the symbol of the neighborhood's financial power. Today it houses a cultural center and a contemporary art gallery.

The miracle of la Candelaria

Legend has it that in 1924, during a yellow fever epidemic, the residents of Boston carried the image of the Virgin of la Candelaria in a procession through the neighborhood's streets. The next day, the epidemic ceased. The event was considered a miracle, and the church was elevated to the status of a minor basilica in 1926. Every February 2nd, the feast of la Candelaria remains the most important celebration in the neighborhood.

Route of 5 must-see places

If you want to get to know Boston like a local, here is a route of five stops that will take you through the best of the neighborhood. You don't need more than an afternoon, but it's worth taking it slow.

1. Basilica of Our Lady of la Candelaria

Address: Calle 12 # 43-52
Hours: Open Monday to Saturday, 7am to 12pm and 2pm to 6pm. Sundays, masses at 8am, 10am, and 12pm.
Price: Free entry. Voluntary donations accepted.

It is the spiritual heart of the neighborhood. Its neo-Gothic facade, with twin towers, is one of the most photographed in Medellín. Inside, the main altar is carved from Carrara marble, and the choir's stained glass window shows the Virgin of la Candelaria surrounded by angels. If you're lucky, you can hear the pipe organ, which dates from 1928.

2. Pasaje Junín

Address: Between Calle 10 and Calle 11, Carrera 43
Hours: Open daily, 8am to 8pm
Price: Free entry

This covered commercial corridor is the perfect place to understand what life was like in Boston in the 1930s. The walls are covered in tiles with floral motifs, and the floor is original hydraulic tile. You will find vinyl record stores, watch repair workshops, and since 2018, several fusion food restaurants. Try the coffee at Café Junín, a small place that roasts its own beans. An American coffee costs $4,500 COP (reference prices from July 2026).

3. Bar El Tango

Address: Carrera 42 # 11-34
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 4pm to 12am
Price: Beer from $5,000 COP. Aguardiente from $8,000 COP.

If there is one place that preserves the spirit of tango in Medellín, it is this one. The place is small, with wooden tables, walls papered with photos of Gardel, and a record player playing at full volume. The owners, Don Luis and Doña Marta, have been running it for 40 years. Don Luis is a tango singer, and some nights he ventures to improvise. Don't expect a staged show; this is more of a gathering of friends who know the lyrics by heart. Ideal for having an aguardiente and letting yourself go.

4. Mural of the Tango Dancer

Address: Calle 11 # 42-20 (building facade)
Hours: Visible 24 hours
Price: Free

It is the most famous mural in the neighborhood, painted in 1995 by local artist Jorge "El Gordo" Ramírez. It is 8 meters high and shows a woman in profile, wearing a red dress, dancing tango with her eyes closed. The background is a mix of colonial houses and modern buildings. The mural has been restored twice, the last time in 2022, and it is the meeting point for guided tours organized by the neighborhood's Community Action Board.

5. Museum of la Candelaria

Address: Calle 12 # 43-10 (second floor)
Hours: We