BACKGROUND
From WikiOrth
LA VEREDA AGUAS FRÍAS, PARTE ALTA
Background
The temperature of the creek, La Picacha, that comes from high in the mountains above Medellin, a city of four million people, and empties into the Rio Medellin gives this community the name of Aguas Frias. The community is located in the western part of the Aburra valley in the southwestern part of the outer city limits.
Owing to its geography, the community occasionally has problems with landslides, most frequently in the rainy season. Sometimes these landslides are dangerous. There are also problems with the septic and running water systems that have been damaged over time by the subterranean water currents in the area.
In the sixties, the large majority of the inhabitants were farmers. The needs of the hamlet created the wish for progress; and the neighbors, coordinated by Don Anibal Eusse, worked on improving the road. Until that moment, the only means of travel in the hamlet was by mule or by foot.
With hard work, the community achieved the construction of a paved road up to the point known today as “La Tienda de Chano.” This achievement motivated the community to continue their work and bring the road a bit higher to the Marina Orth School.
The community had small shops set up in several houses, as well as some chicken farms and some arepa (the local bread) factories. These houses had been adapted for these purposes in order to raise money for the local welfare agency. Many inhabitants depended on work outside of the hamlet for subsistence, working as housekeepers, brick factory workers, day care workers, cabinetmakers, watchmen, cowboys, construction workers, carpenters, vendors, etc.
There were some farms with large pieces of land for agriculture and livestock. However, the large majority of homes in the area were constructed of adobe, brick, cement, and wood, and were occupied by poor, terribly crowded families. The majority of these dwellings were located in places that could only be reached by small paths. These small paths were the only means of transportation and communication in the community.
The roads were horribly paved, lacking sidewalks, and with minimal security for travelers or commuters. The weak sanitary infrastructure, the tiny ditches, and the eventual leaking of the sewers led to frequent floods and landslides.
Corregimiento de Altavista, Medellín, Antioquia
UBICACIÓNLa temperatura de la Quebrada La Picacha que nace en la parte alta de la montaña y que desemboca al Río Medellín da nombre a la vereda Aguas Frías, localizada al occidente del Valle del Aburrá y perteneciente al corregimiento de Alta Vista. Con una agradable temperatura dada su altitud entre los 1700 y 2000 metros aproximadamente se expande desde Guanteros, a unos dos kilómetros arriba del Barrio Las Violetas, hasta la cima de los Cerros Picacho, Amaya y Astillero. Debido a su geografía esta vereda presenta problemas de derrumbes, más frecuentes en tiempos de invierno, causados también por las corrientes subterráneas de agua que bajan por allí, por fallas en los pozos sépticos de las viviendas y por las mangueras del acueducto que se han dañado por el paso del tiempo; todo esto hace que ocasionalmente se sufran también peligrosos deslizamientos de tierra.<p> Por estar ubicada entre montañas, sus tierras son aptas para el ganado; su explotación incluye cultivos de cebolla, mora,yuca, caña, mazorca así como árboles maderables como el pino. Entre las plantas medicinales se cuidan el diente de león, hierba buena, eucalipto y marihuana. También hay árboles frutales como mango, guayabos, limones, mandarina, naranja y pomas.
