José Fernando Ortega, father of “Cali Cultural”, has died

The name José Fernando Ortega Hinestroza is known in the Valley for having been the mind behind the newspaper Cali Cultural, founded in August 1996. It was the first medium focused on informing people about the different cultural events, demonstrations, productions and representatives. Practically, it was a literary magazine that also talked about music, film, painting, theater and other expressions.

A writer, journalist, historian and illustrator, Ortega Hinestroza graduated from the Master of Modern Languages, at La Sorbonne in Paris. There he also earned two diplomas in Political Science and Political Philosophy. For a long time he was interested, and worked for it, in rescuing and protecting the history of the San Antonio neighborhood, in Cali. It all came out of his years in Europe, where he perceived people's respect for their architectural and historical heritage closely, quite the opposite of what happened in the Caleño neighborhood.

He was a member of the San Antonio Community Action Board and voluntarily agreed to be the president during the period from 1992 to 1994. From there, and with the support of the community, he carried out a series of activities for the benefit of the neighborhood, the most important of which led to the creation of the newspaper in question.

Ortega's most important publication was San Antonio: Bahareque, coal and stone. History of a picturesque corner, which became a compulsory reference material for the various artistic groups interested in the history of the city of Cali. It is an essay built from multiple stories that address everything from the historiographical, architectural and artistic to the urban. The pages of the book present stone streets, popular local characters, constructions, myths, and anecdotes typical of space.

A review of the book written by Sharim Lemos Díaz circulates on the web. In it, he explains: “This story revolves around the specific sector of Empedrado where they began to build temporary and rudimentary houses in guadua, mat or sausage, with guadua or thatched roofs that would later be demolished to enter houses in bahareque with tin roofs; it was a slow and silent invasion of which began to populate these uninhabited lands.

Land that smells of no more than oblivion perhaps. Because what we are now shows nothing but city dwellers that we do not value that heritage, and we choose a life of eagerness forgetting our predecessors who were the ones who assumed an incipient but perhaps necessary life. There is talk of a common tradition of ancient Cali and it was to raise domestic animals such as chickens and roosters that walked not only on the plots, but along the same street. The small plots were planted with fruit trees. The ranches in the sector did not have drains, nor water in the sector. The ranches did not have latrines and the “use of lots” was very common. By means of the orange tree leaf, the smell that gave off the sun on the backs of those considered “cambuches” was frightened off.

The electricity had not arrived either, years later the rainwater and drainage channels were opened, and the latrines were also gradually arriving. At this time there was still no sewage system in the sector. The first waters of the aqueduct that arrived were filtered waters, so several epidemics of typhoid fever and dysentery broke out. Neither was a counter installed, so the payment method consisted of a reduced fixed monthly payment that was received by Don Carlos Vitel, a cashier at the time of the Municipal Companies. The arrival of filtered water was in 1932 and only a few families enjoyed this benefit. Los Mosquera, Afanador and Robles”.

Those who knew him more closely with Ortega say that he was always a defender of the spirit of San Antonio. They say that during his years in the Old Continent he carried with him a piece of land from the neighborhood of his heart. Peace in his grave for this dreamer.

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