Introduction: When the Red Brick Filled with Color
If you get on the metro at the Aranjuez station and walk a few blocks east, the change is almost violent. You go from a neighborhood of low houses smelling of sancocho on Sundays to a corridor of industrial warehouses where the metal doors are wide open and inside you can hear printing presses and conversations about curation. This is not El Poblado or Laureles. This is Aranjuez, the industrial Bronx of Medellín that in the last five years mutated into an art workshop.
The neighborhood was born at the beginning of the 20th century as a factory belt. Textile factories, foundries, and mechanical workshops occupied the blocks between the La Herrera creek and Carrera 45. When heavy industry moved to other municipalities in the Aburrá Valley at the end of the 90s, huge warehouses with clay tile roofs and smooth cement floors were left behind. For years they were recycling depots or truck parking lots. But since 2019, a wave of artists, cultural managers, and curators began to see those spaces with different eyes.
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Today, walking along Calle 90 between Carreras 44 and 46 is like touring an open-air gallery. Eight-meter-high murals cover entire facades. On the second floor of a former clothing factory, a screen-printing workshop operates that welcomes anyone who wants to learn. And in a warehouse that once stored tires, works by emerging artists from all over the country now hang. This is not postcard cultural tourism. It is living art, smelling of ink and pot coffee.
This article is for you, artist, curator, or cultural manager who is fed up with the white galleries of El Poblado where a coffee costs 12 thousand pesos and the owner looks at you as if you were staining the floor. Aranjuez offers you the opposite: unfiltered spaces, fair prices, and a community that prefers a long conversation to business card networking.
Key Milestones: Galleries, Workshops, and Murals That Changed the Neighborhood
The transformation of Aranjuez was not planned by the Mayor's Office or a real estate company. It was organic, bottom-up, and has proper names. Here are the milestones any visitor should know.
La Casa del Artista
Address: Calle 90 # 45-12. Open Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free entry. This is the epicenter of the movement. It occupies a two-story house that was first a hardware store and then a scrap metal depot. Today it has three workshops: screen printing, linocut, and handmade bookbinding. On Saturdays at 10 a.m., they open a screen-printing workshop to the public. You don't need experience. They lend you the table, ink, and screen. You just bring a white t-shirt or a canvas. The cost is 15 thousand pesos per person, materials included.
Galpón 90
Address: Carrera 45 # 89-34. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. This 400-square-meter warehouse was a textile depot. Today it houses six artist studios, an exhibition hall, and a café. Artwork prices range from 80 thousand pesos (small prints) to 3 million pesos (large-format oils). The café sells black coffee for 2 thousand pesos and empanadas for 3 thousand. The owner, a printmaker named Mateo, opened the space in 2020 during the pandemic. "I didn't have the money to pay for a studio in El Poblado, so I came to Aranjuez where the square meter costs a third of the price," he told me when I visited in May 2026.
Murals on the Facade of the Former Fábrica de Hilados
Address: Calle 91 with Carrera 46. No schedule, it's public space. This factory closed in 2002 and remained abandoned until 2021 when a collective of muralists, called Taller de la Montaña, painted its eastern facade. The mural measures 12 meters high by 20 meters wide and depicts a working woman with a spinning wheel in one hand and a paintbrush in the other. It is the visual icon of the neighborhood. If you take a photo, tag @tallerdelamontana on Instagram.
Taller de Grabado La Herrera
Address: Carrera 44 # 89-56. Open Monday to Friday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. It operates in the basement of a family home. They offer courses in metal engraving and woodcut from 120 thousand pesos per month (four sessions). The space is small, barely 30 square meters, but it has a press from 1920 that still works. The owner, Doña Lucía, has been a printmaker since she was 17 and teaches anyone who shows up. "Here it doesn't matter if you know how to draw or not. What matters is that you want to get your hands dirty," she says.
Profiles: Three Artists Who Swapped Warehouses for Studios
To understand how Aranjuez became what it is, you have to listen to those who made it possible. These three profiles are representative of the neighborhood's spirit.
Mateo Rincón, Printmaker and Founder of Galpón 90
Mateo is 34 years old and studied visual arts at the National University. In 2019, he rented a warehouse in Aranjuez because the rent cost 800 thousand pesos a month, while in Manila (El Poblado) a similar space cost 3 million. "At first, the neighbors looked at me strangely. I arrived with my copper plates and my acids. They thought it was a factory for something illegal," he says. But Mateo opened the doors, invited neighbors to free workshops, and little by little other artists arrived. Today, Galpón 90 is a cultural hub that receives 200 people per week. "The secret of Aranjuez is that there are no curators or gallery owners. Here, whoever paints, sells. Whoever prints, teaches. There are no intermediaries taking 50%."
Lucía Echeverri, Printmaker and Owner of Taller La Herrera
Lucía is 62 years old and is one of the few who lived through the industrial era of the neighborhood. Her father was a textile worker and she grew up among looms. At 20, she went to study printmaking in Bogotá and returned to Medellín in the 90s. For 20 years, she had a workshop downtown, but in 2018 she moved to her childhood home in Aranjuez. "When I came back, the neighborhood was dead. The factories closed, the young people without work. I decided to open the workshop in the basement so the neighborhood kids would have something to do." Today she teaches 15 students, mostly neighbors. "I'm not interested in forming famous artists. I'm interested in them learning to look, to be patient, to respect the craft."
Santiago Londoño, Muralist and Member of Taller de la Montaña
Santiago is 28 years old and is the author of the Fábrica de Hilados mural. He grew up in Aranjuez and remembers when the neighborhood was only machine noise and the smell of grease. "My grandfather worked in that factory. When it closed, he lost his job and became an alcoholic. Painting that mural was like closing a cycle." Santiago and his collective have painted 15 murals in Aranjuez since 2021. They are all free and open to the public. "We don't charge for painting on the street. We charge when we are called to other neighborhoods or cities. Aranjuez is our laboratory."
Walking Route: 5 Unmissable Stops
This route is done on foot and takes between 3 and 4 hours, depending on how long you spend at each stop. It starts at the Aranjuez metro station and ends at Taller La Herrera. Bring water, sunscreen, and comfortable shoes.
- Aranjuez Station (north exit). Go down the stairs and walk two blocks east along Calle 89. You will see the first mural: a woman's face with flowers in her hair, painted by the collective Mujeres de Arrabal. Take a photo and continue straight.
- Galpón 90 (Carrera 45 # 89-34). A 5-minute walk. Go in, say hello to Mateo, check out the exhibition of the month, and have a black coffee at the café. If you're lucky, there will be a live workshop. Don't forget to ask about prints on sale: sometimes they have pieces from 50 thousand pesos.
- Fábrica de Hilados Mural (Calle 91 with Carrera 46). Walk 3 blocks north. The mural is impossible to miss. Take your time to see the details: the spinning wheel, the paintbrush, the woman's hands. It's a good place to shoot a short video for social media.
- La Casa del Artista (Calle 90 # 45-12). Go back two blocks south. If it's Saturday before 10 a.m., arrive early for the screen-printing workshop. If not, you can tour the workshops and buy materials. They sell cotton paper, inks, and linoleum plates at wholesale prices.
- Taller de Grabado La Herrera (Carrera 44 # 89-56). Walk 4 blocks west. It's a yellow-fronted house with a small sign. Ring the bell and say you come recommended by Malokal. Lucía will receive you with a coffee and show you the 1920 press. If you want, you can sign up for a free 30-minute sample class.
Contrast: Aranjuez vs. Other Cultural Neighborhoods
Medellín has several cultural hubs, but Aranjuez is different in key aspects. Here is a direct comparison:
- El Poblado (Zona Rosa, Vía Primavera): Commercial galleries, high prices, foreign and tourist audience. A coffee costs 10 thousand pesos. Artworks start at 500 thousand pesos. The atmosphere is about networking and selfies. In Aranjuez, coffee costs 2 thousand pesos, artworks start at 50 thousand pesos, and people sit down to chat without rushing.
- La Candelaria (historic center): Large museums (Museo de Antioquia, Museum of Modern Art) and established galleries. It is more formal and touristy. Workshops are expensive or private. In Aranjuez, there are no museums, there are living spaces where you can get your hands dirty.
- La 70 (popular bar and music neighborhood): It is nocturnal, noisy, focused on partying. There is no workshop or gallery offering. Aranjuez is diurnal, quiet, ideal for working or learning.
- Boston (university neighborhood): It has art workshops but they are associated with the University of Antioquia. They are more academic and closed to the general public. Aranjuez is open, anyone can enter and participate.
Aranjuez's advantage is its authenticity. There is no pretty facade or curated lighting. There is cement, zinc, and the smell of ink. And that, for an artist looking for a real space, is worth more than any white gallery.
How to Get There and Transportation
Aranjuez is in the northeastern area of Medellín, 15 minutes from downtown by metro. These are the options:
- Metro: Line A, Aranjuez station. From downtown (Parque Berrío station) it is 5 stops. The fare is 2,850 pesos. Upon exiting, walk east (Calle 89) and in 5 minutes you are in the gallery area.
- Bus: From El Poblado, take the "El Poblado - Aranjuez" route that leaves from the El Poblado station. It takes 30 minutes and costs 2,800 pesos. It drops you off at Carrera 45 with Calle 89.
- Taxi or Uber: From El Poblado it costs between 15 and 20 thousand pesos. From Laureles, between 12 and 15 thousand. Ask to be dropped off at Calle 90 with Carrera 45, which is the heart of the cultural corridor.
- On foot: If you come from downtown, you can walk from Parque Berrío station along Carrera 45 north. It is 25 blocks, about 20 minutes. It is safe during the day, but at night it's better to take a bus or taxi.
The neighborhood is safe to walk around during the day. At night, the main streets (Carrera 45 and Calle 90) have good lighting and activity, but avoid dark alleys. Prices are as of May 2026.
Local Tips
- Bring cash. Many workshops and cafes do not accept cards. There is a Banco de Bogotá ATM at Carrera 45 with Calle 88, but it is sometimes empty. Withdraw money beforehand.
- Don't wear expensive clothes. Workshops stain with ink, grease, or paint. Wear old jeans and a t-shirt you don't mind ruining.
- Ask before photographing. Some artists are protective of their work. Always ask permission before taking a photo of an artwork or a person working.
- Wednesday is open workshop day. At Galpón 90, on Wednesdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., anyone can come in and use the printing press for free. You just bring your material.
- Don't leave without trying an empanada at the corner of Carrera 44 and Calle 90. Doña Martha sells them for 3 thousand pesos each, with homemade chili sauce. It's the best food in the neighborhood.
- If you come in a group, notify in advance. The workshops are small and sometimes have limited capacity. Call or write on Instagram to @casadartistaranjuez to reserve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it safe to walk around Aranjuez as a foreigner?
Yes, it is safe during the day. The cultural corridor (Calle 90 between Carreras 44 and 46) has a good flow of people and several open businesses. At night, it is better to use Uber or taxi if you don't know the neighborhood well. Avoid unlit streets east of Carrera 46. As in any popular neighborhood in Medellín, use common sense: don't display valuables and walk with confidence.
Can I buy artworks directly from the artists?
Yes, and that's what is most commonly done. At Galpón 90 and La Casa del Artista, artists sell their works without intermediaries. Prices are negotiable, especially if you buy several pieces. Don't expect an invoice or formal certificate of authenticity, but you will receive a handwritten note with the artist's name and technique. If you want something more serious, ask for numbered and signed prints.
Are there accommodation options nearby to stay for several days?
There are no large hotels in Aranjuez, but there are hostels and rental apartments. Hostal Aranjuez (Calle 88 # 44-23) offers rooms from 40 thousand pesos per night. There are also options on Airbnb, with prices from 60 thousand pesos per night for an entire apartment. If you prefer to be closer to the cultural center, look for accommodation on Calle 90 or Carrera 45. Most hosts are locals and can give you workshop recommendations.
Do I need to know Spanish to participate in the workshops?
It is not mandatory, but it helps. Some artists, like Mateo at Galpón 90, speak basic English. The screen-printing and printmaking workshops are very visual and hands-on, so with gestures and patience you can learn. If you want a smoother experience, bring a friend who speaks Spanish or use a translator on your phone. The community is welcoming and the artists are used to receiving foreign visitors.
Where to Eat or Drink
La Bodega de la 70
This place is known for its relaxed atmosphere and its offering of craft beers. It also serves typical dishes like arepas de choclo and ajiaco. The decoration is a tribute to Paisa culture, with photos and objects that tell stories of the region.
Insider Tip: Visit La Bodega during happy hour, which usually offers discounts on local beers. Don't leave without trying their bandeja paisa, one of the most authentic in the city.
El Parque de Aranjuez
This park is not only a place to relax, but also a meeting point to enjoy cultural events and food fairs. On weekends, several vendors offer typical dishes, natural juices, and traditional desserts.
Insider Tip: Bring a blanket and enjoy a picnic with friends while listening to live music. Local artists often perform, creating a unique atmosphere.