Medellín is an example of what Colombia could be

Alicia rivas has lived in Comuna 13, a slum in Medellín, for most of her 84 years. It used to be the most violent city on the planet. “We would hide under the bed when the guerrillas shot at each other, because sometimes a bullet would come into your house and kill you,” she says. That’s how her grandson died. Today Medellín, Colombia’s second city, is safer than Chicago (see chart). Ms Rivas counts noisy tourists among her more serious problems. Thousands traipse in to gawk at graffiti and ride the outdoor escalators that climb hundreds of metres up the comuna’s hills.