The neighborhoods that lost their river: how the channeling of the La Hueso stream changed daily life in Belén

Origins

The La Hueso stream is born at about 2,160 meters above sea level, in the upper part of what we now know as San Javier, and flows down through the western side of Medellín until it delivers its waters to the Medellín River. For decades it was much more than a channel: it was the natural border between the southern and western neighborhoods, the boundary that separated Belén from Guayabal, La América from San Javier. Anyone who grew up around those parts knows it: the stream marked the end of one world and the beginning of another.

Before the city expanded, La Hueso was a current of clean water that flowed down among guaduales and farms. In the forties and fifties, when Medellín began to grow toward the south and west, the neighborhoods gradually attached themselves to the channel as if it were a backbone. The stream stopped being landscape and became infrastructure: public washing areas, wooden bridges, pedestrian crossings that people crossed on foot or by bicycle.

The La Hueso basin borders to the north with the Ana Díaz stream, to the south with La Picacha, and to the west with Doña María and the Medellín River. That geography of parallel streams flowing down from the west toward the river was for a long time the water skeleton of the city. Each one had its own life, its own bridges, its own washing areas. La Hueso was the most important one in San Javier, but also the one that suffered most from the weight of disorderly urban growth.

Timeline and historical milestones

The years of the open channel (1940–1970)

In the 1940s and 1950s, the La Hueso stream was the boundary between the countryside and the city. The neighborhoods of Belén, Guayabal and La América grew toward the channel, and the stream was the place where families washed clothes, children played and wooden bridges connected paths. It was not a mighty river, but it was a living channel that set the rhythm of daily life. The women came down with buckets, the boys fished for guppies, and on Sundays the stream was the setting for family outings.

With the arrival of industrialization and migration from the countryside to the city, the neighborhoods grew without planning. Houses were built almost on top of the channel, and wastewater began to reach the stream. By the sixties, La Hueso was no longer a place for washing but a source of pollution. Local authorities began to talk about the need to channel it, but the works would take decades to arrive.

The channeling (1980–2000)

The channeling works of the La Hueso stream were carried out in sections between the 1980s and 1990s. The goal was clear: to control the floods that affected the lower neighborhoods during the rainy season and to gain space for mobility. The stream was covered with concrete slabs, and roads and public spaces were built on top of it. For many residents, it was a loss: the channel disappeared from view, and with it went a piece of neighborhood memory.

The channeling also changed the geography of southern Medellín. What had been a natural boundary became a hard frontier, a concrete barrier that separated neighborhoods that had once been connected by pedestrian bridges. Local commerce reorganized: the shops that faced the stream now faced an avenue. The public washing areas disappeared, and the families that depended on them had to look for other alternatives.

The bike lane and linear parks (2000–present)

In the first decade of the 21st century, the city began to look again toward its streams. The La Hueso bike lane was built over the route of the channeled watercourse, connecting the south of the city with the center. Today it is one of the most iconic urban routes in Medellín: it links sectors such as Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana and Parques del Río, and offers a safe alternative for cyclists and pedestrians. The infrastructure includes signage and dividers that provide safety for users.

The bike lane is not just a mobility route: it is a space of memory. Along its route, residents have planted trees, installed benches and created small community gardens. In some sections, the concrete of the channeling has cracked and revealed the original channel, as if the stream wanted to remind us that it is still there, beneath the city.

Key figures and events

The La Hueso washerwomen

There is no single proper name that sums up the history of the stream, but there is a collective figure: the washerwomen. For decades, the women of Belén and Guayabal came down to the channel with buckets and washboards. They were the ones who kept alive the relationship between the neighborhood and the stream. With the channeling, that practice disappeared, but its memory lives on in the stories of the grandparents. Today, when walking along the bike lane, it is common to hear the elders say: "This is where my mother used to wash."

Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana

Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana (UPB) is one of the landmarks that marks the route of the La Hueso bike lane. Its campus, located in the Laureles neighborhood, connects with the route through a section that crosses the channeled stream. For students and professors, the bike lane is a real alternative for sustainable mobility. UPB has been a key player in the recovery of public space around the stream, and its presence has driven the creation of green areas and recreation spaces.

Parques del Río

Parques del Río is another reference point of the La Hueso bike lane. This urban project, which seeks to recover the banks of the Medellín River, connects with the stream through a green corridor that crosses the center of the city. For cyclists, it is the point where the route meets the river, and where the memory of the stream merges with that of the great river. The La Hueso bike lane is, in a sense, a tributary of Parques del Río: a small channel that flows into a large-scale urban project.

Current state

La Hueso bike lane

The La Hueso bike lane is today one of the most used mobility corridors in Medellín. Its route follows the channeled watercourse of the stream, from the south of the city to the center, and connects neighborhoods such as Belén, Guayabal, La América and Laureles. The route is signposted and has dividers that protect cyclists from vehicle traffic. It is an ideal route for daily transport and for weekend recreation.

What is most striking about the bike lane is its ability to connect worlds. On a single ride you pass through residential, commercial and industrial areas, and cross neighborhoods with very different histories. For locals, it is a way to cross the city without traffic jams. For tourists, it is a way to see Medellín from another perspective: that of a city that grew with its back to its streams and that now tries to recover them.

The bike lane is also a space of memory. Along the route there are murals, plaques and small gardens that recall the history of the stream. Some residents have installed benches and signs with old photos, as if they wanted to tell passersby: "There was a river here." It is a form of resistance against oblivion, and also a way to keep alive the relationship between the city and its geography.

Linear parks and recreation spaces

Alongside the bike lane, the city has built several linear parks that take advantage of the space left by the channeling. These parks are small green lungs in the middle of the urban fabric, and offer rest areas, children's play equipment and spaces for sports. In some sections, the channeled watercourse has become a vertical garden, with plants climbing the concrete walls.

The linear parks are also spaces for community gathering. On weekends, families get together to exercise, walk their dogs or simply sit and talk. It is a way to recover the public space that the channeling had turned into infrastructure. For urban planners, these parks are an example of how the city can reconcile with its streams without erasing their memory.

Neighborhood memory

The memory of the La Hueso stream is still alive in the stories of the residents. In Belén, Guayabal and La América, it is common to hear stories of the washing areas, the wooden bridges, the Sunday outings. Some citizen collectives have organized tours along the route of the stream, with the aim of recovering that memory and passing it on to new generations. They are small but important initiatives: they keep alive the relationship between the city and its water history.

The La Hueso stream is, in a sense, a symbol of what Medellín lost and of what it is trying to recover. Its channeling solved problems of flooding and mobility, but it also erased a piece of the daily life of the southern neighborhoods. Today, the bike lane and the linear parks are a form of reconciliation: the city recognizes that the stream is still there, beneath the concrete, and that its memory deserves to be told.

If you want to explore the route of the La Hueso stream, the bike lane is the best starting point. You can rent a bicycle at the public bike stations or at the rental shops in Laureles and Belén. The full ride takes about an hour, depending on your pace. It is recommended to check schedules and availability before visiting, since some sections may be closed for works or maintenance.

And if the ride opens your appetite, the route has its stops. In Belén, arepas de chócolo and buñuelos are a tradition. In Guayabal, empanadas de pipián and natural juices are the best option for a break. In Laureles, the offer is more varied: from specialty coffee shops to restaurants serving typical food.

Tell us in the comments what you remember about the stream before it was channeled and share this article with someone who grew up in Belén or Guayabal. The memory of l