Pablo Escobar neighborhood

Medellín, Colombia – December 2017

A large mural artwork, depicting the drug lord Pablo Escobar, is seen painted on the wall in the Pablo Escobar neighborhood in Medellín, Colombia. Twenty five years after Pablo Escobar’s death, the legacy of the Medellín Cartel leader is alive and flourishing. Although many Colombians who lived through the decades of drug wars, assassinations, kidnappings, reject Pablo Escobar’s cult and his celebrity status, there is a significant number of Colombians who admire him, worshipping the questionable “Robin Hood” image he had. Moreover, in the recent years, the popular “Narcos” TV series has inspired thousands of tourists to visit Medellín, creating a booming business for many but causing a controversial rise of narco-tourism.