Juan Cristóbal Cobo's book is a portrait of street life in historic Bogotá. When one thinks of the center of a city like Bogota, one imagines that it is there that the main activities of the city are concentrated. While it is true, it is also the epicenter of the encounter of all kinds of people, with very peculiar destinies and lives. The book is a tribute to Juan Cristóbal's street photography that records with great dignity and humor the popular, lively and dynamic aspect of a city as particular as Bogotá, where chaos is always the one that ends up imposing its law.
The author explains it very well in his introductory text. He says: "a century ago, Carrera Séptima, the main avenue in Bogotá, was surrounded by the houses of the wealthiest families. As in the European models of the city, the avenue leads to the historic center where the municipal buildings, the cathedral, the Plaza de Bolivar, the courthouse and hundreds of colonial houses meet. Its electric streetcars were a symbol of modernity. Little remains of the grandeur of the Séptima. The old city was reduced to a few streets after the assassination of political leader Jorge Eliécer Gaitán in 1948. Those who could not move north migrated, leaving buildings, cases and streets empty. Popular Bogota then took over those streets". This change is shown very well by Luz Opaca.
