Plaza Botero or Plaza de las Esculturas

In the middle of the ‘Ciudad Rosada’, as Medellín is known in Colombia, you may find yourself amongst enormous structures that welcome you to the city and draw you in for a closer look in a way unlike anything you’ve experienced before.

This is what the Plaza Botero (Botero Square) is known for: an open-air museum distinguished by 23 bronze structures, surrounded by palm trees that perfectly compliment the blue sky and the multicoloured clothes of tourists from all over the world that come here to discover something new amongst so many buildings and the rush of the city.

Their creator is Fernando Botero, Colombian artist, painter and sculptor who is known for his considerable use of voluptuousness in his artistic pieces that spark your curiosity and grab your attention, awakening an appreciation for ‘monumental beauty'. The 23 structures in the square were donated by the artist Botero and each represent specific themes. These themes include: maternity, a woman with fruit, a woman with a mirror, a wandering man, a sitting woman, a reclining woman, a man on horseback, a roman soldier, a clothed man, a hand, a head, thought, Adam, Eve, horse, dog, cat, sphinx, the Abduction of Europa, a horse with a bridle and a clothed woman. The tradition is that you take a picture with each sculpture. Personally, I’ve got all 23 in my photo album.

This square can easily double up as a park, inviting you to enjoy art in all of its forms, given that the Museo de Antioquia (Antioch Museum), the most notable in the city, is just opposite, where other works by this artist are displayed.

To get plenty of photos with these enormous sculptures, you will have to get to Medellin via the Calle 52. Once you’ve reached this beautiful city you can get on the Turibus which, for a good price, will take you on a tour past many of Medellin’s landmarks and places of interest. You will have lots of fun trying the cuisine, parties, dances and art, and will enjoy great company, because Colombian people will always be willing to help you with anything you need. Live the experience, the Latin American way!

Plaza Botero is an outdoor square just in front of the 'Museo de Antioquia'. This square is important for the Colombians as here sculptures of an internationally recognised painter, Fernando Botero, are displayed. Boltero is characterised as a painter and sculpter who adds a "bulkier" aspect than usual to his sculptures. For many people, Boltero is the "painter of fat people", but for the painter, he adds a "bulkier" aspect, as he prefers to call it, implying that he adds aesthetic beauty to his works and this has become a distinctive trait of his.

It is very easy to find the sculptures as the square is very simple to find. You must encourage yourself to go so you can see the 23 sculptures made by Boltero which measure between five and ten metres, many of them feature in famous paintings by the painter that you can view in 'El Museo de Antioquia'. The sculptures you find here are made from bronze.

Man on horseback represented in sculpture.

People usually climb upon the sculptures to take fun photos, because many of the sculptures are original and very funny.

How to get there?

You can get there by taking the metro, since the square is right next to it, the station is called 'Berrio'. You get off at this station and leave via the technology square (they sell many mobiles, computers, etc. ) and down to the first floor and out into the square.

How much does it cost?

It does not cost anything, since it is outside.

What time of day is best to go?

You can go from the morning and stay until latest seven in the evening, since this area does not seem very safe.

In the square there is a large amount of walking sellers and restaurant promoters that constantly insist that you buy something. The things that they sell are souvenir's of Medellin and are really cheap and of good quality, but the pressure from the sellers puts you in a bad mood.

Advise?

• Go with a hat, sunglasses or suncream, since the sun there is strong. The area that surrounds the Botero square is by the centre, which is why it is very ugly. If you go a couple of blocks from the square the scenery changes a lot, it becomes very dirty, full of sellers, homeless and intimidating people. We walked a couple of blocks and we regretted it instantly, since there isn't really anything to see and we didn't feel very safe.
• It is recommended to be careful with your bag and your personal belongings at all times, because it is very easy for people to rob you (we were told the same by Colombians). It is advised that when you get off the metro, you spend some time looking at the statues, enter the museum, and return to the metro as soon as you are ready to leave. In Mexico, the centre is a touristy place, but in Medellin it is a place to purchase things in the surrounding streets; sellers of things that pretend to be branded, keychains, bags, there are many stalls in the street. There are very little Police officers about as well, so if possible go wearing comfortable and casual clothes, nothing too revealing.