Macondo is back on screens with a documentary series. This new production will show the places that inspired and where One Hundred Years of Solitude, the Netflix series based on Gabriel García Márquez’s work, was filmed.
As part of its international “Macondo” strategy, inspired by the “Land of Beauty” advertising campaign, the Colombian tourism promotion agency Procolombia, in collaboration with Netflix, has launched a three-part documentary series shot during the scouting for the adaptation of the literary work. These short programmes explore the landscapes, sounds and traditions that provided the essence of the series that triumphed on the famous streaming platform.
Our article: One Hundred Years of Solitude on Netflix: A Portal to Macondo Opens on 11 December
Enter Macondo
Thanks to its ‘voyages of inspiration’, during which the production team took the time to discover the country’s architectural heritage, biodiversity and culture, Netflix recreated this literary paradise as faithfully as possible over the course of a year. The details of this titanic task and many others are revealed in this series.
The three themed episodes are as follows:
- The Destinations of Macondo
This chapter explores Colombia’s six tourist regions, highlighting how the contrasts between mountains, jungles, coasts and plains have helped shape the imaginary world that Gabriel García Márquez captured in his work.
- Macondo is music
Focusing on the country’s rich sound, it shows how the traditional rhythms and contemporary fusions of Colombian music add emotion and depth to the series’ setting.
- Macondo is culture
This latest episode not only pays tribute to the customs, traditions and cultural expressions of Colombia, but also analyses how its festivals, art and history have influenced the creation of the series and reflect the national identity.
It’s worth noting that the first two chapters are already available on Colombia.travel’s YouTube channel, and that the third will be broadcast shortly.
“The adaptation of One Hundred Years of Solitude will introduce the world not only to the richness of our literature, but also to the diversity of our landscapes, the authenticity of our communities and the charm of our country. With this initiative, we want more travellers to discover that magical realism in Colombia is not just literature, but an experience that can be lived in every corner of the country”, said Carmen Caballero, President of ProColombia.
Life after Macondo
In its first week, with a total of 3.6 million views, the production was ranked third in the world for non-English series. These results, combined with communications campaigns in the United States, France, Spain, Mexico and Argentina, have helped to position Colombia as a prime filming destination for the audiovisual industry.
With this new format, which offers a glimpse of the beauty and magic of Colombia through the eyes of the teams behind One Hundred Years of Solitude, Netflix and ProColombia are not offering a simple making-of: they are opening a living window onto the magical realism that shapes the country’s identity. From the Andean snows to the Caribbean coast, every shot, every musical chord and every popular ritual reminds us that Macondo is not just a place of fiction, but the reflection of a nation teeming with cultures and landscapes.
By inviting travellers to follow in the footsteps of García Márquez – from Aracataca to Cartagena – the documentary series transforms the screen into a gateway to genuine literary itineraries. It confirms the dynamism of a creative cinema and tourism that is already propelling Colombia to the forefront of the world stage. Like Macondo, the country promises those who venture there a tale where the everyday constantly flirts with the extraordinary; a journey from which we emerge convinced that, here, magic is not just a myth, but an experience to be lived.
The first episode:
The documentary series is here
