40 Years of Solitude

Inthe Colombian town of Yarumal, the twin towers of the basilica overlook a central plaza that slopes steeply down the mountainside. Next to it stands a school, featuring the iconic black-and-white stripes of famed local architect Augustín Goovaerts. On a sunny February afternoon the square is filled with school children in green-and-white uniforms, the colours of the department of Antioquia, some of whom sit on benches and throw bread to flocks of pigeons. The rest of the town sprawls and cascades down the side of the green hill. In a small coffee shop at the foot of the plaza Mauricio Restrepo, a local historian, describes the town’s establishment. “In the late eighteenth century the Spanish were expanding north from Medellin into the abrupt hills of Antioquia. They searched for a flat area to establish a town but there was none to be found. So they settled on this spot, where the Morro Azul (blue hill) offered shelter from the winds, and where there was an abundance of natural water. They planted a cross and eventually they etched the city out of the mountainside.” <a href="https://medium.com/the-ageing-issue/40-years-of-solitude-5269304c3058">Read More</a>