It is known aracatacathe Colombian people of the department of Magdalena, inspired Gabriel Garcia Marquez to create the mythical city of Macondo from the novel “One Hundred Years of SolitudeHowever, the municipality where the award-winning writer was born made headlines this Monday for experiencing an unusual controversy.
Is that the small population of northern Colombia is in discussions on the proposal to remove the image of a cow from the municipal shield. Instead, they intend to include an open book with yellow butterflies in tribute to the Nobel Prize in Literature.
The idea was born within the Council of that municipality in the department of Magdalena, with just 42,000 inhabitants, where the writer was born on March 6, 1927. For many, Aracataca is nothing more than the “Macondo” of the stories of one of the the greatest exponents of magical realism.
The shield of Aracataca has the shape of the Swiss type and is flanked by two flags on each side. In the upper part of the coat of arms there are open hands and a bunch of bananas, while in the middle area there is the name of the municipality and in the lower part the head of a cow.
The bill, which has begun its discussion in the city council, proposes removing the cow from the shield and placing an open book with floating yellow butterflies, accompanied by a camera and a brush.
Quarrels from one side to the other
The proposal “strengthens the sense of belonging of the new generations“he argued for it aldemiro cervantespresident of the Council of Aracataca, engaged in the radical change of the figures of the municipal shield
But not everyone agrees. He is also a city councilor Yoel Jimenez does not oppose the introduction of the book and the butterflies into the shield, but does not give in to the possibility that the cow will come outbecause it represents the local economy, according to his argument.
“Yes, we approve the inclusion of this image from the book, but we do not agree with the insignia of the municipality’s livestock sector being eliminated,” Jiménez told W Radio.
And he also claimed that the Aracataca has “45,000 hectares of pastureland for large and small farmers”.
The Prime Minister denied this Monday that this is true, arguing that cattle ranching has been extinct for years in Aracataca, and even said that to buy livestock, the owners of the farms have to move to neighboring towns.
Aracataca’s economy depends on agriculture, artisanal fishing, small businesses, and incipient tourism derived from the appeal of the story of the origin of García Márquez.
The house of the writer’s grandparents, with whom he lived as a child in Aracataca, has been rebuilt and is now a museum
The population into which García Márquez was born arose in 1857, as a result of political wars in the region.
According to the official history of the municipality, the first inhabitants arrived at the farm “Santa Rosa de Aracataca”, owned by the Italian Giacomino Costa Colón, who sold them part of his land.
With information from agencies.
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.