Pablo Escobar is known world wide for having commanded one of the biggest drug cartels in recent history, and for being a shameless criminal. It is sad that today some people idealise him; consider him a type of 'Robin Hood' who would take from the rich and give to the poor. But that was not the reality. Then and now, he represents a terrifying and sad past for Colombian people, and the newly reformed Hacienda Nápoles is determined to show that this man's wealth and recognition came from dirty money, extortion and murder.
Short History of Pablo Escobar
Pablo Escobar was an ambitious young man from Medellín. In the 1970s he had begun a small political career, and was becoming good friends with important people in the government, and in the United States. He became the biggest trafficker of cocaine, and spent his money in excess, wanting to show his wealth. He became the head of the Medellín Cartel.
He extorted people, had them killed and tortured, kidnapped and threatened. Anyone who opposed him, and he targeted journalists heavily, was at risk. He wanted the world to be as he saw it and he believed no one was going to stop him.
After his death in 1993 there was a long battle between the government and his family for ownership of the Hacienda Nápoles, his hide-out and a disgraceful display of the power this man managed to obtain. It is now under ownership of the State and the township of Puerto Truinfo receives a percentage of the profits. In 2008 it was reopened to the public.
Hacienda Nápoles—The Naples Estate
Escobar bought the 30 ? land in the late 70s. It’s located in Doradal, in the county of Puerto Truinfo, 165 km south-east of Medellín, in the Magdalena River region. This was his sanctuary, family home and place of business, but more importantly, it was where he wanted to build his dream world.
The estate has several houses, a bull-fighting arena, a cart-racing track, a air strip, a butterfly sanctuary, horse paddocks and acres of fenced grass-lands for his collections exotic animals from around the world. There are llamas, zebras, ostriches, tapirs, and sections for his felines and primates, as well a lake with the only wild herd of hippopotamus outside of Africa. It also has a dinosaur park which is turning into a theme park for kids, with rides and slides and climbable giants.
Although not many animals survived the years of neglect, there were once almost 2000 species of animals from all over the world in this estate. Those who survived are now starting to thrive again, as the park and animals are being cared for by professionals and by the State.
There is also a small collection of Escobar's cars and planes, the ones that survived, and some which were burned by the Pepes, the group that finally killed him. It is a very vivid reminder of what happened there and how all of it came to be.
It was once an excessive and private world where he could show his privileged guests how much money he made out of destroying people’s lives. It now stands as a reminder of what happened, what the country went through, the victims of his brutal crimes, and the hope that maybe some good can come from such painful beginnings.
To read more about the Hacienda Nápoles, click here.
To see their website (Spanish) click here.
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