Welcome to Medellin Colombia

Conquistadores is best reached by taxi. Or, if you insist on using the METRO, get off at the Alpujarra Station which is 3 stations north of the Poblado station. From there it's a twenty-five minute walk toward the west, crossing over the Medellin River.

You will also have at least 5 busy commercial roads to cross, without nearby traffic lights. The walk, speaking from experience, is only for those who are fleet afoot as the traffic was fast and furious!

Conquistadores is a small neighborhood, away from the commercial roads, with a radius of only 2-3 blocks. There’s a nice mix of single family houses and apartment buildings of medium height.

Newer apartments, and those under construction, tend to be higher, topping out at 15 or so floors. Conquistadores is fully built up, so land for new apartments is acquired by combining small clusters of single family homes. Mixed within the residences are a few professional businesses, medical, dental, plus some small markets and bakeries. Pilsner Beer, one of Colombia’s favorites-about 41 cents a bottle or a six-pack in the supermarket goes for about $2.40 U.S.

I’ve noticed that wild birds (these are doves) are normally fed in the more wealthy areas-makes sense!

The children’s park.

These young workers gathered their load of free stones from the shallow Medellin River bottom, about a mile away. After 15 minutes, the horse finally gave in and moved. A dozen fewer stones to carry and the horse might never have stopped?

This large and beautiful church used colored glass for a dramatic effect.

The streets are heavily treed, winding, and the traffic within Conquistadores seemed light. The Strata Number, a govt. assigned measure of the affluence of the neighborhood, is 5 out of a possible maximum of 6. The higher the number the higher percentage of property tax, utilities, cable, etc.

FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN REAL ESTATE I visited a Conquistadores apartment building that was under construction-shown below. There are 13 apartments in the building, offered in 3 sizes: 64, 70, and 150 sq. meters. Three units had been sold....the smaller units. Prices, which included one ground floor garage space per unit, were about 1.200.000 Pesos per sq. meter, or about U.S. $48 per sq. foot for the larger 3 bedroom, 2 bath units! Monthly Administration Fee was projected at $57.00 U.S. NOTE: Average per sq. foot prices in the U.S. are about $180.00. A 5% pre completion discount was being offered for full payment in cash. The sales lady and the engineer/co-developer spoke no English. The sales lady, a single mom with a 10 year old boy (a real beauty with a super personality) was paid the legal minimum salary-no commission. She had sold 2 units in the 3 months of working there. She had no prior real estate experience. The Apartment building looked to be about 80% completed. Construction quality appeared good, and the woodwork, cabinets, and trim, in solid mahogany type wood, was very good. In my opinion, their sales were behind projected goals. No one spoke English, and, as normally the case in Colombia, they did not have a website.

Overall, I liked Conquistadores. I felt safe, and the dozen or so people I chatted with were all very friendly.