The human settlements of the Bella Flor and Paraíso neighborhoods have their origins in 1985, located in a former private property of Mr. Víctor Cangrejo, owner of a quarry that was gradually invaded by poor and displaced population. Several confrontations between the land owners supported by the local police, and the invaders -who used the childern as human shields- took place without reaching an agreement. In the course of time, the population increased and the neighborhood started to normalize though it has not yet been legally recognized.



Initially two pirate urbanizations named this land Lomalinda, which is located along the road that leads to Quiba rural settlement within Ciudad Bolivar Borough in Bogotá. This territory has been a great receptor of internally displaced people and houses the poorest inhabitants of the city.



This land was ideal for acquiring low-price informal housing while keeping unnoticed by the local authorities that would have prevented a similar invation elsewhere in the city. The name of the land was again changed for Bella Vista to make it more attractive to potential buyers. At that point in time, the neighborhood did not had public service networks, access roads and not even small commerce with basic provisions. Houses were supported, at the best, by four wood sticks covered with a zinc roof. Water supply was provisioned using animal transportation and solid waste disposal mechanisms were totally absent.



Efraín Giraldo, a man who used to sell lots affirmed once that he would bring water and energy service to the neighborhood. Although the neighbors knew it was not going to be easy, they still listened to him. In 1985, Mr. José Omar Chacón proposed to create a civic committee so that inhabitants could participate in local infrastructure projects, and derived from this effort, a water collector tank was built. Other important achievements were the demarcation of access roads and the negotiations with Bogota Water and Sewer System Company and the Police to receive water service from water trucks. Before that, water supply through trucks was limited to the Lucero and Estrella neighborhoods (200-300 meters high) from where water tanks were brought up in donkeys.



Afterwards, a Bogota City Counsel representative became active politician in the sector and proposed a new name for the neighborhood –Bella Flor- that was adopted by the inhabitants and persists to the present.