Bello

Bello is situated at the northern end of the Aburrá Valley, in the department of Antioquia, with its urban centre directly adjacent to Medellín. With 522,264 inhabitants according to the 2018 census, it is the second largest urban agglomeration in the metropolitan area and the second most populous municipality in Antioquia. Its 11 urban communes extend on both sides of the Medellín River, while 19 rural settlements and the district of San Félix occupy the Ovejas highland plateau to the north.

Originally known as Hatoviejo for its colonial cattle-farming role, the municipality was renamed on 28 December 1883 in honour of Andrés Bello, the great patriarch of American letters. Its industrial vocation was defined early: in 1902 the Compañía Antioqueña de Textiles was founded, and in 1923 Fabricato was born — the Fábrica de Hilados y Tejidos del Hato — which for decades shaped the urban and social growth of Bello, thanks to the hydraulic power of the Quebrada del Hato, rail access and an available workforce.

The Municipal Institute for Sport and Recreation of Bello (INDER Bello) coordinates sports schools, recreational programmes and the municipality's sports infrastructure. The Central Park of Antioquia (Parque Metropolitano Tulio Ospina), covering 900,000 m² with an investment of more than 143 billion Colombian pesos, houses an athletics track and a motorsport circuit homologated by the FIA (category 3, certified in June 2019). In the Antioquia Departmental Games, Bello consistently leads the athletics medal table. Cyclist Valentina Jiménez, junior BMX world champion, is one of the sporting talents to have emerged from the municipality. The EnCicla public free bicycle-sharing system operates in Bello as part of the metropolitan network, complemented by 3.8 km of cycle lanes under construction and 15 bicycle parking facilities.

Bello is part of the ACES Activa network as a participating Colombian municipality. Its investment in the Central Park of Antioquia and the strength of its youth athletics programmes position it as an emerging sporting hub in the Aburrá Valley.