El Peñol, Antioquia

El Peñol was founded in 1714 in a river valley among the rolling green mountains of central Colombia. For two and a half centuries, not much happened in the quiet ranching and farming community, until the government decided to build a hydroelectric dam. In 1978, the government demolished the town and a constructed a "Nuevo Peñol" on higher ground. Today, the new town of neat houses and streets covers a hillside above the water.


The 5,500-acre reservoir is now a popular weekend getaway spot for Medellín residents looking to boat, fish, or relax on the shore with beer and a barbecue. The ruins of old Peñol lie deep below the surface, only a giant cross poking above the surface marks the town church.