Hidden Aranjuez: Murals of Memory on Calle 73

Aranjuez and Calle 73: the neighborhood that turned pain into a gallery

If you live in Medellín and still believe that urban art is limited to Comuna 13 or downtown, you're missing half the story. Aranjuez, that neighborhood in the northern zone that many know only for the Metrocable or the stadium, holds one of the most powerful memory corridors in the city on Calle 73. It's not a museum with air conditioning, and there's no ticket booth: it's block after block of murals that tell what textbooks prefer to omit. Between Carrera 45 and Carrera 52, Calle 73 becomes a visual archive of resistance, pain, and hope that no Instagram filter does justice to.

The history of this area isn't easy. During the 80s and 90s, Aranjuez was one of the epicenters of the violence that plagued Medellín. Gangs, hitmen, and the conflict between the State and the cartels left deep scars on its streets. But from those same corners also came a response: that of cultural collectives who understood that paint could be stronger than gunpowder. Since the 2000s, and more strongly after 2015, Calle 73 has been filling with murals that don't just decorate: they document.

What makes this corridor special is that it's not an institutional project. You won't find the polished pieces commissioned by the Mayor's Office that abound in other areas. These murals were born from community processes, workshops with victims, artists who lived through the conflict firsthand, and neighbors who lent their facades as an act of healing. The result is a raw mosaic, sometimes uncomfortable, always honest.

As of August 2026, the Calle 73 route is still active and constantly changing. Some murals from 2018 have been repainted, others have gained layers of meaning. If you're one of those who thinks urban art is just "painting walls," I invite you to walk these six blocks with different eyes. There are no scribbles here: there are testimonies.

What to do: the self-guided mural route that doesn't show up on Google Maps

The best way to explore Calle 73 is on foot, camera in hand, and without rushing. The main corridor runs from Carrera 45 (near the Andalucía Metro station) to Carrera 52 (where the Berlín sector begins). In total, it's about 800 meters that you can walk in 15 minutes if you go straight, but it easily turns into two hours if you stop to look at each wall. I recommend starting early, between 9 and 10 in the morning, when the light hits the facades on the south side head-on and shadows don't ruin your photos.

These are the murals you can't miss, with their exact streets and what they represent:

1. "The Embrace of the Mothers" – Calle 73 with Carrera 46

On the corner of Calle 73 and Carrera 46, on a two-story facade that was once a furniture warehouse, is one of the most moving pieces in the corridor. It's a mural about 8 meters high showing a group of elderly women embracing empty silhouettes. The work, created in 2019 by the collective Mujeres de Frente, pays tribute to the Mothers of la Candelaria, the group of women who for years searched for their disappeared children in this area. The women's faces are real portraits of neighborhood residents, and the background has a texture that mimics the search notices they used to paste on lampposts.

Fun fact: if you look closely at the lower right side, there's a list of names painted in small letters. They are 47 names of disappeared people from Comuna 4, according to the registry the collective obtained from the local ombudsman's office. Not all are there, but those that are, are there so they won't be forgotten.

2. "The Memory of the Birds" – Calle 73 with Carrera 47

This piece, painted by local artist Stinkfish in 2021, is perhaps the most photogenic on the route. Stinkfish, known for his colorful portraits with pop art influences, did something different this time: a giant bird with its chest open, from which flowers and seeds emerge. The idea, according to the artist himself in an interview with a local outlet, came from a conversation with a neighbor who told him that "the birds were the only ones who saw everything that happened, and nobody believed them." The mural uses the multi-layer stencil technique that characterizes the artist, but with a more sober palette than usual: greens, ochres, and a deep blue that contrasts with the gray of the concrete.

The bird faces east, toward the mountains from which the morning winds come. It's a detail many overlook, but neighbors point out with pride: "the bird watches over the neighborhood."

3. "Roots of Steel" – Calle 73 with Carrera 48

On Calle 73 with Carrera 48, on the side wall of a recycling warehouse, is a mural that pays homage to the neighborhood's trades. "Roots of Steel" was painted in 2022 by the collective La Piel de la Tierra, a group of artists from Comuna 4 that works with recycled materials. The work shows a tree whose roots transform into gears, nuts, and tools. It's a metaphor for the mechanical workshops and factories that provided work for generations of Aranjuez residents.

What's interesting about this mural is that the artists used paint with natural pigments made from soil from the same comuna. With the sun, the color subtly changes: in the morning it looks more reddish, and in the afternoon more brown. It's an effect you can't appreciate in photos, but in person, it's fascinating.

4. "The Spinning Top Girl" – Calle 73 with Carrera 49

This is one of the oldest murals in the corridor, originally painted in 2016 and restored in 2024. The work, by Bogotá-based artist DJ Lu, shows a girl playing with a spinning top while behind her, a neighborhood is in flames. The image is strong, but the girl is smiling. DJ Lu explained at the time that the piece speaks of the childhood that survived the violence: "the kids who played while everything burned, because they had no other choice."

The mural was restored by students from the nearby school, INEM José Félix de Restrepo, as part of a school memory project. If you go on a weekday between 1 and 2 in the afternoon, you'll likely see students caring for the area or explaining the mural's story to visitors. It's one of the few pieces in the corridor that has constant maintenance.

5. "River Scars" – Calle 73 with Carrera 50

This mural, painted in 2023 by Paisa artist Karina Vásquez, is the most abstract on the route. It's stripes of blue, gray, and silver that intertwine as if they were water currents, but if you step back a few meters, the overall shape is that of a wound closing. Karina Vásquez, who grew up in Aranjuez, said in an interview that the work represents the neighborhood's relationship with the Medellín River: "the river was for decades the city's dump, and so was the neighborhood. This work is about how we heal together."

The mural uses paint with reflective particles that glow slightly at night. If you pass by after 7 in the evening, you'll see how the wall "lights up" with the light from the lampposts. It's a deliberate effect, designed so the art doesn't disappear when the sun goes down.

6. "Those Who Left" – Calle 73 with Carrera 51

On the final stretch of the corridor, before reaching Carrera 52, is one of the most recent pieces (painted in January 2026) and the most political on the tour. "Those Who Left" is a collaborative mural that took over an entire three-story facade. It shows a Metrocable train full of human silhouettes fading into the sky. The work, led by the collective Grafiti Resistencia, speaks of the displaced, the exiled, and those who had to leave the neighborhood due to threats or lack of opportunities.

The most moving part is that the organizers invited neighbors to write on small pieces of paper the names of people who left, and those papers were embedded in the mural under a layer of varnish. If you get close, you can read dozens of names: "Don Álvaro, from the store," "Luz Mery, my cousin," "El Mono, who played guitar." There are no full last names, just memories. It's a mural you can't see in a photo; you have to read it in person.

Where to eat or drink: stops to recharge between murals

After two hours of looking at walls, your body asks for something. The good news is that Calle 73 isn't just art: it also has dining options worth trying. These are my recommendations, designed for a tour that doesn't get interrupted:

La Tienda de Doña Gloria – Calle 73 with Carrera 47

Half a block from the Stinkfish mural is this neighborhood store that has been running for 30 years. Doña Gloria, a 68-year-old woman who lived through all the violence in the area, serves with a smile that belies what she's seen. Here you can buy a nice cold soda, a bag of chips, or a "pintadito" of coffee for about $2,000 COP. The best part isn't the food, but the conversation: if you ask her about the murals, she'll tell you stories that aren't in any guide. "That one with the birds was painted on a day it rained a lot," she once told me. "I lent them a tarp so the paints wouldn't get wet."

Horno San Martín – Carrera 48 with Calle 73

If you're really hungry, this family-run bakery is the place. They sell yuca bread, pandequeso, and almojábanas freshly baked since 6 in the morning. A full breakfast (two pandequesos and a coffee) will cost you about $6,000 COP. On Sundays, they make a special "bread platter" with cheese and guava jam that's a must-try. It's not a tourist spot: it's a neighborhood bakery where locals go to buy their daily bread. But if you arrive with respect and say hello, they'll treat you like one of their own.

La Esquina del Sabor – Calle 73 with Carrera 50

This street food stand, open Thursday through Sunday from 6 in the evening, is famous among the neighborhood's night owls for its "simple hot dogs" ($5,000 COP) and "house burgers" ($8,000 COP). It's not gourmet, but it's honest. What I do recommend trying is the "coconut lemonade," which they make with fresh coconut grated on the spot. The owner, don Jairo, is also one of the cultural promoters who helped organize the mural painting sessions. If you tell him you're doing the route, he'll likely tell you how he convinced neighbors to lend their facades.

How to get there and transportation: all routes to Calle 73

Getting to Calle 73 is easy, and you have several options depending on where you're coming from. The most recommended for those who don't know the neighborhood is the Metro:

• By Metro: Get off at the Andalucía station (Line A). Exit on the north side (toward Calle 73) and walk two blocks west. In total, it's about a 5-minute walk to the start of the mural corridor. If