Visiting Comuna 3 in Medellín, Colombia was the first stop for the monkey as he begins a three-week adventure to Colombia and Panama. It was a perfect place to look through a window into the recent violent history of this beautiful country and dive into the deep social and historical layers that make this place a “constellation” of human stories.

The Constelaciones Macro Mural in Manrique is much more than just a splash of color; it’s the largest urban mural in Medellín, covering nearly 15,000 square meters.

From “Invisible Borders” to an Open Sky Museum, The mural project was inaugurated in May 2023, and led by artist Fredy Alzate and the Medellín Landscape Agency. It spans the neighborhoods of Brisas del Jardín and San José de la Cima II.

These neighborhoods were built by rural migrants fleeing the violence that swept across Colombia in the 1990s. They built their homes using the “convite” system—a communal tradition where neighbors gather to build each other’s houses, share a “community pot” of food, and lay down bricks together.

Everything is vertical here. The neighborhood literally climbs the mountain and then they climb on each other. It’s a metaphor in a way. It’s like everybody is reaching up to the sky.

Before the mural, these neighborhoods were often separated by “invisible borders” (gang-controlled boundaries). If you unwittingly crossed one of these barriers you could be killed. People lived in fear and isolation. The mural was designed to physically and symbolically stitch these divided blocks back together.

The first thing you notice when you arrive is the scale. Constelaciones isn’t just a mural; it’s a topographical takeover. Five hundred houses have been transformed into a geometric language of spheres and cylinders.

From the air, it is supposed to look like a map of the stars. But as you ascend the steep 45-degree slopes of Comuna 3, you realize those “stars” are actually homes, and the “galaxy” was built by hand.

The heart of this constellation isn’t made of paint; it’s made of stone and food. Kongo got to meet the family of Doña Luz Mila, the founder of this neighborhood. Decades ago, she didn’t arrive to a colorful tourist destination—she arrived to a wilderness of mud and forest.

She is a living monument to the tradition of building together. She helped carry the cement for the very stairs I walked down. To sit in the restaurant she founded and be served food made by her own hands is a “full circle” moment. In her kitchen, the food tastes like the history of the mountain: resilient, hearty, and made to fuel a revolution of dignity.

Just as a Sancocho (a traditional hearty soup) is made by everyone bringing one ingredient—one neighbor brings the potato, another the yuca, another the meat—the Constelaciones Macro Mural was built the same way.

And what is truly interesting is that Comuna 3 was built largely by women. While the men were often away working or caught in the conflict, the women were the ones physicalizing the community—cooking the communal pots (sancocho) and ensuring the “invisible borders” didn’t claim their children.

Kongo was guided through the neighborhoods by local young people who want to share the success of their constellation on the mountain. In the beginning there was no water, no power, no streets, and no infrastructure. Brick by brick the neighborhoods were built. There are only a single one lane road here. It is mostly steep trails that are paved and grooved and steps. There are thousands of steps. A water pipe from the top of the mountain initially brought water that eventually grew into one of the city’s reservoirs and generated hydro electricity.

Today there are schools, restaurants, coffee shops, and recreation areas. The homes may be rough, but the views overlooking Medellin are to die for. Room with a view takes on a whole new meaning here. In Comuna 3, they aren’t just “surviving” anymore. Between Luz Mila’s kitchen and the neon-lit galleries, they are thriving. They’ve taken a neighborhood that was once “off the map” and turned it into the brightest constellation in the Medellín sky.

For 30+ years, this neighborhood was “gray”—unplastered brick and concrete that the rest of Medellín looked down upon as a “slum.” Now, thanks to the macro-mural, visitors from all over the world come to see the constellation. If you travel to Medellin, and Kongo hopes you do, be sure to visit Comuna 3. It will be one of the highlights of your visit.

Travel safe. Have fun!