Gabriel García Márquez Cultural Center — Attraction in Bogota, Capital District

Gabriel García Márquez was born on 6 March 19275] in Aracataca, Colombia, to Gabriel Eligio García and Luisa Santiaga Márquez Iguarán.[6] Soon after García Márquez was born, his father became a pharmacist and moved, with his wife, to Barranquilla, leaving young Gabriel in Aracataca.[7] He was raised by his maternal grandparents, Doña Tranquilina Iguarán and Colonel Nicolás Ricardo Márquez Mejía.[8] In December 1936, his father took him and his brother to Sincé, while in March 1937, his grandfather died; the family then moved first (back) to Barranquilla and then on to Sucre, where his father started up a pharmacy.[9]

When his parents fell in love, their relationship met with resistance from Luisa Santiaga Márquez's father, the Colonel. Gabriel Eligio García was not the man the Colonel had envisioned winning the heart of his daughter: he (Gabriel Eligio) was a Conservative, and had the reputation of being a womanizer.[10 Gabriel Eligio wooed Luisa with violin serenades, love poems, countless letters, and even telephone messages after her father sent her away with the intention of separating the young couple. Her parents tried everything to get rid of the man, but he kept coming back, and it was obvious their daughter was committed to him.10] Her family finally capitulated and gave her permission to marry him[12 (The tragicomic story of their courtship would later be adapted and recast as Love in the Time of Cholera.11)

Since García Márquez's parents were more or less strangers to him for the first few years of his life,15] his grandparents influenced his early development very strongly.[16 His grandfather, whom he called "Papalelo",16] was a Liberal veteran of the Thousand Days War.[18] The Colonel was considered a hero by Colombian Liberals and was highly respected.[19] He was well known for his refusal to remain silent about the banana massacres that took place the year after García Márquez was born.[20] The Colonel, whom García Márquez described as his "umbilical cord with history and reality,"[21] was also an excellent storyteller.[22] He taught García Márquez lessons from the dictionary, took him to the circus each year, and was the first to introduce his grandson to ice—a "miracle" found at the United Fruit Company store.[23] He would also occasionally tell his young grandson "You can't imagine how much a dead man weighs",[24 reminding him that there was no greater burden than to have killed a man, a lesson that García Márquez would later integrate...

There are many things to do and also read about in this area because there are many books and libraries from different countries you know where folks from anywhere in the world traveling can find educational books from many other countries and also here, in this place there is another most important thing and that is that it's all very organized and coordinated. The people who greet you, the staff are very courteous for example the security guards who are there are very respectful and courteous You have an upper public class type of thinking I think that it would be outrageous if I did not recommend this place this is a very beautiful place in the heart of downtown Bogota. I should say it's some it's one of the most beautiful places that I visited and most interesting if you want to get no more about Colombian history, culture and so...

El Centro Cultural Gabriel García Márquez, ubicado en el histórico barrio de La Candelaria en Bogotá, es una joya arquitectónica y un vibrante epicentro de la cultura. Inaugurado el 30 de enero de 2008, este centro fue diseñado por el reconocido arquitecto colombiano Rogelio Salmona y lleva el nombre del célebre escritor Gabriel García Márquez como un homenaje a su legado​​​​.

La arquitectura de Salmona es particularmente notable en este edificio. Utiliza elementos como la luz, el agua y el ladrillo para crear un espacio que no solo es estéticamente atractivo, sino que también se integra armoniosamente con su entorno urbano. El diseño fomenta un recorrido público que llega hasta las cubiertas del edificio, ofreciendo vistas impresionantes del paisaje urbano de La Candelaria y los cerros orientales de Bogotá​​.

El centro cultural no solo es un espacio para admirar la arquitectura, sino que también es un lugar de encuentro para el debate y la expresión cultural. Alberga diversas actividades como exposiciones de arte, eventos literarios, presentaciones musicales y teatrales. Entre sus instalaciones se encuentran la Sala de Exposiciones Débora Arango, el Auditorio Rogelio Salmona y el Auditorio Porfirio Barba Jacob, además de aulas y una plazoleta para eventos al aire libre​​.

Además, el Centro Cultural cuenta con una librería que ofrece una amplia gama de libros, incluyendo material actualizado, convirtiéndolo en un punto de referencia para los amantes de la literatura y las artes. La ubicación del centro es estratégica, situado a solo una cuadra de la Plaza de Bolívar y rodeado de importantes instituciones educativas y culturales, lo que lo hace accesible y un lugar clave en el panorama cultural de Bogotá​​​​.

En resumen, el Centro Cultural Gabriel García Márquez no solo es un tributo a la rica herencia literaria y cultural de Colombia, sino que también es un testimonio del talento de Salmona en la arquitectura, ofreciendo a visitantes y locales un espacio donde la cultura, el arte y la historia se entrelazan de manera fascinante. Es un sitio imperdible para cualquiera que visite el...