About Pueblito Paisa - Medellín

Pueblito Paisa – Medellín

One of Medellín’s most charming tourist attractions, a monument to all things Paisa.

What is Pueblito Paisa?

Pueblito Paisa is located on the top of Cerro Nutibara in Medellín. This replica of a typical turn of the century Antioquia town comes complete with its own traditional stone fountain in the middle of the town square, and is surrounded by a church and rectory, the mayor’s office, a barber shop, and a one-room school house. Pueblito Paisa is an local icon the Paisas that call Antioquia their home. Since its inception, this attraction has drawn visitors and offers a fun way to get a bird’s eye view of the city, surrounding mountains and valleys, as well as get away from the busting city below for an hour or so.

History of Pueblito Paisa

In 1976 during the construction of the hydroelectric power plant a Represa Guatapé outside of Medellín, materials were salvaged from homes that were to be demolished. The architect, Julián Sierra Mejía, reused a lot these building materials including doors, casings and windows to construct Pueblito Paisa. In fact, the door to the church of Pueblita Paisa was the front door of the Casa de San Vicente.

A wooden alter dating back to the 1920′s was also used in the church and even the chair in the barber’s shop is original. School chairs and desks, beds and cooking utensils were taken from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century time-frames to complete the antique design of the town.

Pueblito Paisa was finished in 1977 at a cost of over US$2 million and was inaugurated on March 3, 1978 by the then mayor Dr. Guillermo Hipcapie Orozco and Mrs. Nichols Mariluz Vallejo, the Medellín Director of Tourism. There have been a number of public and private donations over the years to keep Pueblito Paisa running in good condition including contributions from both El Mundo Newspaper and Caracol Radio Network. The model pueblo contains one of the most important collective sculptural expressions of the 80′s and of the last century. The 10 sculptures located on site are both modern and abstract. They are the unmistakable expression of what today is called participatory art. These works are located in the open for public viewing. One of the most famous sculptures is that of Cacique Nutibara.