Pablo Escobar may have died in 1993, but he’s still impacting the city of Medellin. Of the thousands of tourists that visit the city each year, an estimated 10% are drawn by a desire to learn more about the drug lord’s life and death. It isn’t purely a desire for information, though; if that were the case, they could read one of the many books that have been written about history’s most infamous drug trafficker. Rather, they want to get up close and personal to the legacy of a man that many consider to be almost mythical.
This enthusiasm about Pablo Escobar has led to the rise of “Pablo Escobar tours“, which take tourists to various sites connected with him. From safe houses to his gravesite, visitors can have their curiosity satisfied.
However, there’s some controversy about whether or not this is a healthy thing for Medellin. Critics say that narco tours discount the tragedy and deaths that Escobar was responsible for, and sensationalize the life of a man who doesn’t deserve to be celebrated. Even though many narco tours focus on giving visitors both the good and the bad parts of the story, they can’t do much about the fact that many people just see each destination as an opportunity for interesting photos.
Why some people support narco tours
Despite the controversy, there are still those who don’t think that narco tours in Medellin should be looked down on. For example, one guide who offers narco tours is a 52-year-old former police officer named Carlos Palau – a man who happened to be part of Medellin’s search team that was formed specifically to hunt down Escobar. These days, he gives a first-person perspective on what it was like to search for someone who frequently ordered police officers to be killed. To illustrate the extent of the danger, out of the 150 men that Carlos trained with to become a police officer, only three of them remain.
According to Carlos, his proximity to Escobar’s legacy is like a form of therapy. Every day he sees police officers who are calm and relaxed, not watching out for the next attack from gang members. He visits Escobar’s grave as part of every tour, and it’s a reminder that he survived while Escobar didn’t. To Carlos, narco tours are a way of telling the world that Pablo Escobar ultimately lost.
There’s also the matter of the economic benefits of narco tours for Medellin. The city’s tourism industry in general is growing steadily, and these tours are part of the industry’s success. Medellin has plenty to offer for visitors, but the fact that Pablo Escobar made it his base of operations for years is certainly a major point of interest. This was especially true after the release of the TV show “Narcos”, which brought mainstream attention to his story. Many tour guide agencies remarked on the explosion of interest in narco tours afterwards; even though some people take a genuine historical interest in Pablo Escobar, it’s pretty clear that most tourists just want to connect with the drama and sensationalism that still surrounds him.
Medellin residents are divided on their opinions about Pablo Escobar
Some international visitors are legitimate fans of Pablo Escobar, usually because they’re drawn to a man who was rich enough to import hippos to his favorite property, just because he wanted to. However, Escobar also gets support from some Medellin residents – although it’s for a much different reason.
Even as Escobar was making enemies with law enforcement all over the world, he was making friends with the poor of Medellin. He wanted to be seen as a man of the people, and he accomplished this by lavishly gifting cash, food, and other necessities in some of the poorest neighborhoods in the city. There’s even an entire barrio that he essentially built for residents, replacing their shacks with actual houses. These homes still exist today in Barrio Pablo Escobar, where many residents have his picture hung on the wall, or even small shrines built to commemorate him. They believe that even though Escobar committed many crimes, God has forgiven him for the good he did.
Why narco tours are generally unpopular in Medellin
All things considered, most Medellin residents aren’t happy about the presence of narco tours. In their opinion, the tours glamorize the city’s dark past, and make light of the thousands of deaths that Escobar was responsible for.
Even though some narco tour guides present a more balanced view of Pablo Escobar, others make no attempt to do so. This is perceived as insulting, as if these guides value profit over the truth of their own city’s history.
To be fair, there are aspects of some narco tours that simply can’t be taken any other way. For example, one of Escobar’s former safe houses is now the place where his own brother, Roberto, now entertains tourists with tales of his adventures with Pablo. He tells people that the world doesn’t know the real story – how police forces beat and killed their men, how they were forced to live in fear of a prejudiced judicial system, and more. Even though few people question the truth of Roberto’s stories, they do question the way he interprets them. As an example, he paints gang members as victims of police brutality, when they themselves had gunned down numerous police officers, even ones who weren’t directly involved in the search for Escobar and his gang.
There are so many different opinions, but which one is the right one?
It’s certainly possible to take a sincere interest in seeing the many Escobar-related sites and memorabilia, such as a bullet-riddled truck, or Pablo’s own jet ski. Plus, each city has its own unique story, with points of interest that may encourage visitors to learn more about them. Some of these local highlights will be culturally valuable, like centuries-old cathedrals or museums full of artifacts. Others will be morbid, like the site of a well-known murder, or in Medellin’s case, proximity to an infamous drug lord. At the end of the day, going on a Pablo Escobar tour in Medellin is a personal choice; ideally it’s one that leads to learning the whole story, not just the sensationalized version.
