It was in this city, the city of Medellín, that, on January 10th, 1947, the seeds of what was to be the Centro Colombo Americano were sown. This was half-way through the 20th Century, a time of great changes: The world was trying to recover from World War II and Colombia, like many other Latin American countries, was experimenting social and political changes. Medellín was going through transformations that enhanced its social and cultural diversity; It was growing rapidly, large numbers of peasants were coming into the urban area, not only because they were fleeing violence in the rural areas but also because they were lured by promising utopian dreams of progress.

Aware of this panorama of modernization and progress, a group of Americans and Colombians decided it was time to create a nonprofit organization that would promote cultural and linguistic exchange between their countries. The Centro Colombo Americano was officially approved on April 30th, 1947. This cultural center was to diffuse the arts and manners of the people of Colombia as well as of the people of the United States. Among the objectives were to teach English, and Spanish for foreigners; offer special courses for commercial and cultural exchange purposes; create a bilingual library; and in general, carry out activities to promote cultural exchange.

Our Teachers:
59 years of growing side by side to the Colombo
The Centro Colombo Americano is pioneer in teacher training; for over half a century teachers have developed new skills and students have learned at the Colombo. The English program has grown considerably; today, there are 100 teachers, 2 000 students in the Adult Program and 3000 in the programs for children and adolescents.

The bonds the Colombo has established throughout the world promote a dynamic exchange of ideas through cultural activities. The interaction of teachers with international professionals creates waves of change extending as far as their influence goes. Teachers come from different parts of the world, bringing different cultures; they come from Poland, Canada, England, the United States, and Aruba among others; and of course from different Colombian regions. It is this multicultural environment that has enriched the Colombo, reflecting its true sense of pluralism and diversity.