The House Museum

The Dining Room: In this spot, the Gaitán family shared time together during dinner, as well as with their guests during special occasions. Visitors can still appreciate Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Ayala’s place at the head of the table, just as it was set on April 9th, 1948 when his wife and daughter awaited him for lunch.

The Living Room: This part of the house becomes very important after Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Ayala’s death. It is the place in which he was buried and remained until 1988. During this time, the room was a site of political pilgrimage due to the visit of those who found inspiration in the leader’s figure or those who wished to honor him.

The Door from the Agustín Nieto Building: This piece witnessed Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Ayala’s assassination. The leader crossed this door at lunchtime, just seconds before he was shot on April 9th. The doorframe still holds the plaque indicating his lawyer’s office on the fourth floor.

Personal Library: Since childhood, Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Ayala was a voracious reader, thanks to the legacy of his mother, a schoolteacher, and of his father, a bookseller. His personal library includes more than three thousand books in different languages and about a wide array of topics. The influence of the authors helps to understand Gaitán’s ambiguous character.

Resting Room: This small room, next to Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Ayala’s home office, tells of the long work nights during which he prepared judicial defenses, speeches, and conferences. He was known to be of tireless nature; for this reason the bed he used to sleep in for a few hours during the night had no headboard, “it was only meant for sleeping, not laying back nor lazing around”.

The Home Office: Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Ayala’s academic and political life was quite hectic. In his home office, visitors can appreciate the diplomas from the National University of Colombia, in which he received the degree of lawyer from the School of Law and Political Sciences, and from the Royal University of Rome, where he specialized in criminal science under the guidance of Enrico Ferri.

Gloria Gaitán’s Bedroom: The only daughter of the Gaitán Jaramillo Family, Gloria Gaitán, was born in 1937, the same year in which Mrs. Manuela Ayala, the leader’s mother, passed away.

The Marital Bedroom: Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Ayala marries Amparo Jaramillo in 1936. Due to his wife’s customs, it was the most carefully decorated room in the house.
The Bathroom: Doctor Gaitán always cared much for health, hygiene and personal image. He would go jogging in the National Park every morning and then use the exercise machine exhibited in this room. The neighborhood in which the house was located was one of the few which had all the utilities.