Metrocable to the Comunas

Like a lot of big cities in S. America, I guess, Medellin was sited in a valley surrounded by tall mountains that were probably thought to be uninhabitable when the city was founded.

But as time passed and the valley floor was built out, the only place for the city to go was up the slopes.

And these neighborhoods, being less desirable, were inhabited by poor people. In Brazil they call these favelas. Here they are known as comunas.

When the metro system was built in the 1990's, the city leaders, to their credit, did not want to leave the comunas out of the system. So they have constructed three cable car lines that connect some of the more populated comunas to the Metro line. It works great. And you don't have to pay extra.

Of course the cable cars are fun to ride, and on this Dia del Trabajo holiday and lot of the riders were just out on the town like Daniel and I.

The comunas that we saw and walked around are not slums. The people are poor, but these are nice communities and we did not feel threatened in going there.