Bull City

The finale of the annual Flower Festival: A parade of silleteros, or flower bearers, carry heavy, beautifully decorated displays of flowers (silleta) down from the mountainside town of Santa Elena to the city center. This tradition commemorates the end of slavery, as slaves once carried people on their backs up the steep hills.

For the 12,000 residents of Comuna 13, the addition of outdoor escalators in 2012 turned a dangerous 28-story hike into a 6-minute stroll to reach the city center. More importantly, this urban innovation helped the destitute community regain control from violence between guerrillas and drug traffickers. By cutting a clear path through the neighborhood, the escalators severed the territorial power of the armed conflict. Now colorfully painted by neighborhood artists, Comuna 13 is a peaceful testament to Medellín's urban transformation.

The lights of Plaza Cisneros stand in a square once known as the city's hub of mass transit. From tradesmen to thieves, the railroad connected all kinds of crowds until its bankruptcy in the 1960s. When the square became a hotspot for crime, the mayor converted it into the recreational space seen today with a public library.

The Moravia Cultural Development Center is a neighborhood space for arts and culture, hosting everything from theater lessons to music festivals. The phrase on the mural says, "We build a territory with culture and memory" - a poignant transformation from Moravia's origin as the city's rubbish dump, where displaced communities constructed homes from trash.

Electrified fans cheer on Colombia’s futbol team in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.