Santiago de Cali at 490: The City That Raised Me

Many years ago I wouldn’t say where I was from because nobody would have heard about it, or assume I’m referring to California. Loving that lately so many people have visited, and the investments in international outreach have worked and by now you probably know about Cali, Colombia

Is the city that taught me to walk long distances to the mall with my friends to see the Lord of the Rings multiple times. A city with perfect weather for wandering and discover a new favorite bakery

This year, Santiago de Cali celebrates 490 years

Founded in 1536 by Sebastián de Belalcázar and named after Saint James the Apostle, Cali has lived many lives. Before the Spanish arrived, Indigenous peoples had already built communities throughout this valley between the Farallones mountains and the Cauca River. Later came African traditions that forever shaped the music, food, spirituality, and soul of the city. Over centuries, Cali became a place where cultures mixed naturally, creating something that feels impossible to replicate anywhere else

One weekend you’d be discovering Led Zeppelin, Soda Stereo, or The Beatles. The next you’d hear Grupo Niche, Fruko, Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz blasting from every corner store. Nobody thought those worlds contradicted each other

Cali es musica

The city has already produced many artists who refused to fit neatly into one box

The writer Andrés Caicedo captured the restless energy of young people searching for themselves through music, parties, and endless nights. The filmmakers of Caliwood proved Colombian cinema could have its own voice. Musicians, painters, dancers, architects, engineers, and dreamers all found space there

Then there was Universidad del Valle

Even if you never studied there, Univalle represented something bigger. It was where ideas lived. Music, theater, philosophy, engineering, political debates, experimental art, science, and late-night conversations all mixed together beneath enormous trees. Tu primer porrito

Every city needs a place where young people believe they can change the world. For Cali, Univalle has long been one of those places. Second to me was our version of Silicon Valley, an industrial park hosting our tech startups, data centers and hardware stores

I remember how free childhood felt, walking everywhere. Knowing the neighbors. Nature and biodiversity. Museums and foreign films

Even after years abroad, we’ll hear someone with our characteristic accent and we’ll be instant friends

Happy 490th birthday, Cali

Thank you for raising generations of artists, athletes, scientists, entrepreneurs, musicians, engineers, and dreamers

Thank you for teaching us that culture is something lived

Four hundred and ninety years

That’s older than New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and almost every major city in North America

Yet Cali has never felt old. Every generation is inventing the city all over again. Cali survives with many layers: Indigenous roots, colonial streets, Afro-Pacific rhythms, rock bands, Andrés Caicedo, Caliwood, salsa schools, universities, cafés, startups, and kids skipping class to watch Pokémon 2000