Canadians in Colombia
Live | Work | Building a Coffee Farm
Exploring Jardin
Jan 2020
- What Makes Jardin Special
- History of Jardin Colombia
- Our Coffee Farm in Jardin
What Makes
Jardin, Colombia Special?
The first thing you discover when you visit Jardin, Colombia is that much of the life of the pueblo centers on the plaza – what locals call the “living room”. This is where you come to meet friends, conduct business, eat yummy salted mango, sip a café tinto, people watch and absorb the daily news and gossip. As we built Finca Mariposa from 2017-2019 this became our second home.
It’s no surprise the main square of Jardin was declared a national monument by the Colombia Minister of Tourism in 1985. It instantly pulls you into it’s special feeling of community as each café adorns the plaza with different color tables and chairs and draws in it’s regulars.
The pueblo is famous throughout Colombia for its traditional colonial appearance, its lush mountain views, ecotourism and cultural authenticty. The neo gothic styled Basilica Menor de la Inmaculada Conception with its dark brick facade provides an extraordinary focal point for worship, art and community.
The proclaimed it the Garden of Antioquia!
Today, surrounded by coffee, banana, avocado and fruits of all kinds the town remains a garden!
History of Jardin
Well before the Spanish conquest evidence reveals that the area around what is now Jardin was inhabited by the indigenous people of the region, including the Catíos de la etnia de los Chamíes.
Indalecio Peláez was the official founder of the township and area in 1863.
Like many stories in Colombia the naming of this pueblo is steeped in imagination born in fragments of reality.
The legend speaks of the founders cresting the ridge surrounding the valley and awestruck by the beauty and its enchanting river systems they proclaimed it to be the garden of Antioquia.
Today, it seems little has changed. The excitement of arrival never diminshes. As we journey from Canada to Medellin and venture up the mountain to Jardin we feel the landscape magically change as we “crest the ridge” and feel the lushness explode all around us.
Our Coffee Farm
in Jardin
People always ask us to tell our story; “why did you come to Jardin and what inspired
– possessed?- you to build a Finca and start a coffee farm?”
It’s both simple and complicated. Mimi, smiling in the hammock, grew up in Bogotá and Medellin but has lived in Canada most of her life. After an absence of 25 years (yes she wasn’t “home” for 25 years!) we came Medellin in 2017 for Mimi to reconnect with her roots and share that history with me. Doing our pre-trip research (we wanted time in the Andes Mountains) we learned about “the most beautiful pueblo in all of Colombia” – Jardin! Intending to stay for 2 nights, we stayed for 5 and were so enchanted we started looking for land.
Two trips later we settled on what has become Finca Mariposa. A 5 acre, 2.5 hectare piece of paradise and the adventure began!
In the next blog we’ll walk you through the process of the buying and building experience. The challenges, the hazards and the keys to making it happen.
For now, listen to our story in the Life with David youtube channel.
