25 Years After Escobars Death, Medellín Struggles to Demolish a Legend The New York Times

Table Of Content

• A Journey to Coney Island Creek's Sunken Submarine
• Medellín demolishes Pablo Escobar’s museum house, putting an end to the notorious legend
• Then it was time for a late dinner at Philosophy, one of Casa Malca's three restaurants.
• Learn how Hacienda Nápoles went from Pablo Escobar's house to a family-friendly theme park in Colombia.
• Personal life
• After breakfast, we checked out the pool in the daytime.

Upon his death in 1993 at the hands of the Colombian government, his ranch was left in ruins and many of his animals either died of neglect or were brought to zoos–that is, all but his hippos, who remained at the home and, perhaps out of boredom, bred. He headed the Medellín drug cartel, smuggling over 15 tons of cocaine into the United States every day. As befitting one of the world’s richest men, Escobar’s life was filled with excess.

A Journey to Coney Island Creek's Sunken Submarine

Every day on my trip was full of surprises, just like every corner of Casa Malca. The mansion was abandoned following Escobar's death in 1993 and wasn't discovered until 2003. It later caught the attention of renowned Colombian contemporary art collector Lio Malca, who bought the estate in 2012.

Medellín demolishes Pablo Escobar’s museum house, putting an end to the notorious legend

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By the 2010s, a private company had taken control of the land and began operating the Parque Temático Hacienda Nápoles, a tourist destination for all ages that includes a water park, a butterfly farm, and museums. However, officials soon realized that they wouldn’t be able to manage all the animals, so most of them were relocated to other zoos. Resting atop the blue and white arch that welcomed guests to the estate, the plane served as a reminder — to all who passed under it — that Colombia was under the control of the cocaine king.

Then it was time for a late dinner at Philosophy, one of Casa Malca's three restaurants.

And with good reason; simply stepping foot anywhere near this place in the late 80s or 90s, would have had you killed on sight. Escobar maintained an army of ruthless bodyguards, led by ‘Popeye’ John Jairo Velasquez, who alone boasted that he’d murdered 300 people, and planned the deaths of over 3,000 hits, including his own wife. Their presence — along with the plane replica that stands proud at the entrance — is just another reminder that despite the family-friendly theme park, Hacienda Nápoles only exists because of Pablo Escobar.

La Isla Grande is home to about 800 islanders who sustain themselves mostly by fishing and farming, cut off from the modern world, with no running water and electrical power lines. But this idyll did the get attention of one vacationer, who built a palace, now abandoned. That would be infamous King of Cocaine, the original El Patron, Pablo Escobar. As we walked towards the machete wielding Cartagneros, Jesús began to explain what I was doing. They agreed to let me take photographs and wander around, but just not of themselves.

A 30- foot luxury speedboat lay on its side, overgrown with tropical flowers as I walked through the desolate entrance. But a little further out into the Caribbean Sea lies an island whose way of life has remained largely untouched for hundreds of years. La Isla Grande is home to about 800 islanders who sustain themselves mostly by fishing and farming, cut off from the modern world.

At the height of his power, Escobar brought in an estimated $420 million a week in revenue, supplied 80% of the world’s cocaine, and smuggled 15 tons of cocaine into the US per day. Casa Museo Pablo Escobar details the rise and fall of Pablo Escobar, as told by his brother, Roberto Escobar. The museum exhibits include Escobar’s motorcycles (a pink Harley Davidson that he brought illegally from the United States), classic cars, even a gun allegedly used by Al Capone as well as other artifacts he used for establishing the drug transport routes. One car, in particular, was used by Escobar (with his cousin, Gustavo) to transport cocaine from Bolivia and Peru (as cocaine paste) into Colombia, a trip that took almost 125 hours one-way. Mr. Escobar lived in the Monaco building for years until 1988, when rivals bombed it. The Escobar family abandoned the structure, and it has remained vacant ever since.

With their bleached white beaches, clear blue crystal waters and abundant wildlife, they are a true tropical paradise. Hundreds of daytrippers from Cartagena descend on La Playa Blanca year round, tourists and locals alike. Today, Hacienda Nápoles is a family-friendly theme park with water attractions, a wildlife sanctuary, and museums. The Medellín cartel managed operations via air, land, and sea through sophisticated operational processes. At its height, the cartel earned over $420 million while distributing over 20 tons of cocaine per week.

The blast caused extensive damage to the residence but the double-sided walls remained intact, acting as a blast barrier, which was the intent. The double-sided walls did not contain any secret stash or money deposits. Escobar was shot and killed by authorities eight months later in Medellín. The main house was, of course, luxuriously appointed, and even included its own disco tech. It was also built for practicality, however, featuring double-layered walls used for hiding mountains of cash and cocaine. About an hour’s sail northwest from the old Spanish port city of Cartagena de Indias are a group of about 30 islands known collectively as the Islas de Rosario.

The site of the Monaco building will now become a park dedicated to the memory of Escobar’s victims. The park itself will be a stop on a new “Sound Walk” to narrate the stories of those who refused to bow down to evil. That explosion had been planted by revolutionary guerrillas, but Escobar claimed credit for the bombing. For decades, the violence was inescapable, as narcos, guerrillas, right-wing paramilitaries, and assorted opportunists clawed at the illicit billions pouring out of the drug trade.

Jesús had only ever lived on the island, and he said growing up, you just never went near there. Escobar’s museum was located in Loma del Indio, in Medellín’s Poblado neighborhood. The gate at the entrance is adorned with a photo of the airplane Escobar used for his inaugural cocaine shipment. A walkway leads to Roberto’s home, which is adjacent to the demolished museum building. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) tagged Roberto as the number two man in the Medellín Cartel, the drug cartel led by Pablo that flooded the United States with cocaine. The cartel openly warred with the Colombian government when it tried to extradite captured members to the U.S.

People have even been caught sneaking into Hacienda Nápoles — for the sole purpose of digging up the lawn in the hopes of finding any treasure that Escobar may have left behind. In 2006, Hacienda Nápoles was valued at 5 billion pesos (which was the equivalent of around $2.23 million). At the time, the estate had just been declared the property of the Colombian state. Furthermore, at some point, the hippos actually managed to escape the property. No one knows exactly how many hippos live in the local area now, but researchers estimate that there may be a population of up to 100.

Like some kind of coke-fueled Xanadu, the sprawling complex was already being reclaimed by nature. Stepping into the main mansion, it had been decorated with white tile and marble, with the cracked walls still showing the 1980s color schemes of pastel blue and coral pinks. The lobby led to an immense courtyard, shaded with palm trees overlooking the Caribbean sea. The last swimmers may have long departed but there was still evidence of recent human activity.