With Susan’s mom visiting from Texas last week, we had the pleasure of visiting Finca Los Girasoles– a flower finca (farm) in Santa Elena – with our driver/guide Juan Camilo Aguilar. A pretty little town perched up on the eastern Andes ridge overlooking Medellín, Santa Elena is known as the birthplace of Colombia’s unique sillatero culture. Today, Santa Elena farmers create the beautiful flower displays (also known as silletas) that are the focal point of Medellín’s dazzling Feria de las Flores in August. Here’s our account of last year’s Feria.
NOTE: Photos are in galleries. To see a larger version and click through the sequence, just click on the first one.
A Little Background: The Sillatero Culture
The sillatero is one of the most potent symbols for the people of Antioquia, the huge Colombian province anchored by the city of Medellín. For at least a couple of centuries, sillateros have carried their wares in silletas, chair-like contraptions on their backs, from their highland farms to the city markets. While early-day sillateros carried all kinds of goods and even people (such as elderly folk and people needing medical attention), the tradition evolved to center on the flower trade.
For many decades, sillateros from Santa Elena were the main suppliers of fresh-cut flowers to the Placita de Floréz, the central flower market in Medellín (well worth a visit). The Fería de las Flores was born more than 60 years ago when Medellín civic leaders wanted to recognize the tremendous role sillateros have played in Paisa (Antioquian) culture and also bring broader attention to the burgeoning Colombian flower market. From the first humble event in 1957, the Feria has grown to be Medellín’s signature event. For two weeks every August, it attracts huge crowds from all over South American and the world.
Today Colombia is one of the world’s largest exporters of cut flowers, driven by huge industrial farming operations near Bogotá and Medellín. While the small-volume farmers of Santa Elena still sell their wares at the Placita de Floréz, their main focus is the Fería. To march in the big parade, a sillatero or sillatera must have been born in Santa Elena, and all of the flowers used to create the incredibly elaborate silletas must come from a Santa Elena finca. It’s easy to see why the farmers are so proud of this beautiful tradition.
Joaquin Zapata is a third-generation flower farmer in Santa Elena.
Together with his cheerful wife, Doña Luz, Don Joaquin welcomed us to Finca Los Girasoles, a plantation that has been in his family for well over 100 years. Don Joaquin gave us a tour of the flower fields, where he cultivates all of the primary flowers used in the sillateras for the big parade: zinnias, chrysanthemums, daisies, alstroemerias, and – his favorite and Susan’s – girasoles (sunflowers).
Next, Doña Luz served a traditional and very tasty lunch of Colombian empanadas (fried corn pies filled with potatoes) and sancocho (a rich stew of chicken, corn, and other vegetables). Everything served at Finca Los Girasoles is organic and grown on-site.
After lunch, Don Joaquin recounted his family’s unique role in the history of the sillateros and the Fería and gave a demonstration of how the silletas are made using flowers from his fields.
Here, Don Joaquin demonstrates the chant he uses to get cheers from the crowd during the parade:
Here are some incredible facts Don Joaquin shared, with helpful translation from Juan:
- Back in the day, the farmers would make the arduous trip down the mountain to Medellín every week. Carrying their huge flower burdens on their backs, they would leave in late evening and walk all night – up to eight hours – to arrive before the market opened the next morning. Once they sold all their wares, they would load up their silletas with household goods and supplies for the next week and then hike back UP the mountain (yikes).
- Three of Don Joaquin’s grandparents were in the original silleta parade in 1957. They were among the original 120 farmers whose descendants (Joaquin included) still participate.
Don Joaquin’s “papito” (grandfather) carrying a silleta in Medellin back in the early 1900s. 
Don Joaquin with his daughter and two grandkids, getting ready to march in last year’s Feria de las Flores parade. - Don Joaquin himself has been carrying a silleta in the parade since he was very young, and his own children and grandchildren now march with him. He’s grateful that the tradition is staying alive and being carried on by future generations of his family.
We loved our morning at Finca los Girasoles.
For us city-dwellers, the tour was a welcome respite from the hustle bustle and a chance to breath some clean, fresh air scented with beautiful flowers of every description. But the biggest reward for us was learning more about the vibrant sillatero culture and experiencing the tremendous pride that Joaquin, Luz, and their fellow farmers take in this lovely tradition.
Our tips:
- Santa Elena is a scenic 45-minute drive from Medellín. For a very reasonable rate, Juan Camilo Aguilar offers a round-trip excursion in his comfortable SUV, including a stop at the main parque of Santa Elena before the finca tour. Reach Juan on WhatsApp at +57-316-833-4225.
- The Finca Los Girasoles tour is 20,000 pesos (about $6) per person, and the optional lunch is an additional 20k.
- BRING: Sunblock, water, bug spray, a sun hat, and comfortable shoes for strolling in the garden. And, if you have lunch, bring your appetite! The meal is hearty and delicious.
- If you go on a weekend, make it Saturday. Sundays can get crowded in Santa Elena with other folks from Medellín getting a dose of country.
Have you had some interesting agricultural experiences while traveling? We’d love to hear about them!
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34 Comments
Muy bonita. Las flores son hermosas. Me gusta a leer. Pardon the bad Spanish. I really enjoyed this bright cheerful posting..
Nice Spanish! And nice that you enjoyed the post 🙂
Thank you John and Susan for the history, the tour, and beautiful flower photos. I’d love to visit a flower farm and the Feria in Colombia some day. I visited a rose farm in Ecuador and enjoyed it very much.
A rose farm in Ecuador sounds lovely! When we were there, we learned that Ecuador is a huge exporter of roses – pretty much every one you buy in the U.S. comes from there. Who knew?
Thank you for sharing this rich story, one day I hope travel to this region for all that it has to offer.
We’re glad you enjoyed the post! Hope you can experience Colombia some day. It’s a wonderful country.
Great stuff, as usual you two. We learned about the Silleteros we never knew. Hardy folks those. Great pix too! It’s good to see mom got to enjoy it with you, I’ll bet she loved it. (Second the motion about Juan Camilo, great guy, great resource)
Gracias, amigos! We all had a great time, including Mom (see Mimi comment). Glad Juan Camilo could help you out – he really is a godsend 🙂
What a cool outing and story! I am sure Susan’s mom loved the whole experience. John, what did it feel like to have that thing strapped to your back?? Don Joaquin has much to be proud of. Thanks for education on this part of the world I never knew existed :-).
Thanks for your comment, Pam! John said he has new respect for the people that carry these – and much, much larger ones, for 4 hours in the parade. It’s a remarkable feat!
Love, love, loved your description of our day at the finca! I felt like I was experiencing that amazing trip again!
We are so glad we got to experience this with you! It was a great day, wasn’t it? Love you 🙂
What an awesome little journey you provide for those of us who haven’t experienced yet another proud tradition in Columbia. I am more and more impressed with the deep affection, pride, and pure joy the local people feel for their work, their community and their culture. I can’t wait to come back and experience more and more. It is such a beautiful culture❣️❣️❣️
And you hit the jackpot finding Juan as your guide. What a nice, knowledgeable guide. We would never have found some of the things we experienced without him❣️ Especially some of the local farmers food😋
Thanks for another fun virtual trip👏👏👏❣️❣️❣️
Thanks, dear Kay! We’ll just put this down for your next visit 🙂 And we agree with everything you say about the Colombian people – they really are extraordinary. And ditto what you said about Juan – he’s the best!
Delighted to see that you made it to Finca los Girasoles! Suspected that you might have when I saw your Facebook post in front of the statue in Santa Elena. A wonderful place to take Susan’s mother! Want to visit again.
Ah, I’d forgotten you were there with your sister and dad! Isn’t it a special place? And Joaquin and Luz are so welcoming. We all really enjoyed it.
Really interesting post, this must be such a colourful place. The more we hear about Columbia the more we want to go 😁
Gorgeous flowers, made my day!!
Great history and flower photos!!
Wow, how beautiful and lovely photos! Would love to visit there some day…
We caught the end of the flower festival when we were in Medellin. Incredible indeed. But I didn’t realise they carry those flowers on their backs 😳 Talk about dedication! We’ll have to pay Finca los Girasoles a visit when we’re next in Medellin!
We’re looking forward to seeing you then, if not sooner 🙂
What an interesting post. I love flowers and didn’t realize there were flower farmers for generations in Colombia. I can’t imagine having to walk in the dark all night!
Thanks so much for your comment! Yes, just one more example of how hard-working and resilient the Colombian people are 🙂
John y Susan, me gusta! 🙂
Gracias 🙂
De nada 🙂
Wonderful! looks like you had a great time!
This is absolutely fascinating! Sillateros! . Who knew? Now, we must come to Colombia again. We are thinking of spending next winter here.
Promises, promises 🙂 We hope so!!
I so love the history of flower growing you’ve uncovered in this post. Vibrant photos as well. Wishing you wonderful adventures.
Thanks so much for your comment and for visiting our blog!
Great post. How wonderful it must have been to visit a flower finca during the Feria de las Flores! I agree that it’s important for Americans to know the origins of those fresh cut flowers that some shoppers may take for granted.
That visit to the flower finca was so enjoyable! My mom was visiting and it was one of the last “normal” things we did before the pandemic. How much life has changed! Wishing you all the best, Henry. 🙂