BOGOTÁ — Initiated in 2011 by the Colombian government, a national museum was intended to bolster collective memory of the country’s extensive armed conflict. That year, the Victims and Land Restitution Law was also enacted to provide reparations and justice for victims. More than a simple repository of artifacts, the museum aimed to archive the violent civil war through personal stories and artistic expressions. Although its opening was planned for 2018, only about 70% of the construction had been done by 2024, leaving the structure incomplete and in disrepair.
In 2024, a government audit revealed that nearly 12 billion pesos (~$3.1 million) of the budget were missing, highlighting severe deficiencies in planning, construction material quality, and technical specifications, including poor earthquake resistance. The museum’s ambitious design, titled “Entre la Tierra y el Cielo” (
