Funworld October 2009

For the Public Good

Colombia’s Piscilago waterpark is run and managed by a family benefit fund designed to improve the lives of both guests and employees

by Rebecca Thatcher Murcia

STANDING AT THE TOP of the largest water slide in Latin America, looking around at the peaceful surroundings of Piscilago waterpark, just two hours from Bogotá, it’s easy to forget about the country’s long history of violence and civil war. The gentle hills are filled with the bright colors of the park’s many attractions, and huge blue flags wave in the soft breeze.

And like most amusement parks, Piscilago aims to provide an enjoyable distraction from visitors’ stressful daily lives. But Piscilago’s owner, a Colombian family-benefit fund called Colsubsidio, has a constitutional obligation to do even more.

Family-benefit funds were first formed when the Colombian government passed a law in 1954 requiring large employers to donate 4 percent of their payroll to funds that would benefit families with children. The law was passed toward the end of an especially violent period in Colombia’s history, when about 200,000 people were killed in fighting between political parties.

Colsubsidio has grown into one of the country’s most popular family-benefit funds, now running drug stores, supermarkets, schools, a network of clinics and hospitals, and its large recreation and tourism department, which runs Piscilago. Through a variety of attractions, leisure activities, and educational programs, Colsubsidio’s Piscilago is using a strong tradition of service—to both its guests and its employees—to entertain families, promote nature conservation, and work toward peace in Colombia.

Family Focus
Piscilago bends over backward to promote the unity of the extended family, encourage environmental conservation, and provide a great place to work.

The energetic and friendly manager of Piscilago, Jorge Guatibonza, says Piscilago takes its mission to benefit families very seriously. The park offers an opportunity for families to enjoy themselves together, whether it is small children romping in the elaborate shallow kids’ pool area, school-age children and adults on the water rides, or the whole family together—including grandparents—taking a ride on a boat or a train or enjoying the zoo. “We want to change customers’ mentality, take them out of the routines they are used to,” Guatibonza says. “It should be an educational and formative process. Here what we look for is that the families share the time together.”

The park started out small in 1984, with pedal boats, a cafeteria, and three swimming pools, but grew steadily to the point where families now take two or three days to cover its wide range of offerings, including nine restaurants, basketball courts, and several water slides and attractions. “We have a policy of adding one new attraction every year,” Guatibonza says.

“We are very family oriented. We have something for everyone from small children to the elderly.” The park’s latest addition is the piscipulpo, which can be roughly translated as “octopus pool.” The ride offers an octopus like maze of slides that wind in and out of one another.

Managers also emphasize nature conservation by taking care of the park’s large, rural grounds. Trees grow freely throughout the park, birds live happily in the trees, and paved areas are kept to a minimum. “Administering a park is not just about the attractions,” Guatibonza says. “We work very hard on the environment. People should really be able to enjoy the green spaces, the gardens, the birds, and the water.”

Though it continues to grow, the park’s zoo is an impressive display of biodiversity. Howler monkeys and iguanas inhabit an island in the lake. Visitors can also see anteaters, crocodiles, and more than 170 other species of animals in environments that are as natural as possible. The zoo also includes an aquarium and a horse stable.

Veterinarians from the zoo visit classrooms throughout the area, bringing along a python, a boa, or a parrot. They teach the children about the animals, the importance of protecting the environment, all while reinforcing the features of Piscilago.

Promote Peace, Erase Class Divides
Guatibonza says because the park is owned by a family benefit fund, price of admission must be affordable to the fund’s members, workers, and teachers, who often earn low salaries.

Additionally, Colsubsidio and the park are committed to being inclusive in a society that has historically been exclusive and divided between a small wealthy population and a large poor population. Dating back to the colonial period, when Spaniards established a pattern of land ownership that created a small class of owners and a large peasant class, Colombia’s economic inequality has contributed to its long history of civil war.

Guatibonza says the waterpark helps to promote peace in Colombia by being affordable and open to people across Colombia’s wide class divide. People from all of Colombia’s different regions converge at the waterpark, enabling them to share opinions and ideas and see each other’s humanity.

“People from the lowest strata to the highest come here and share the enjoyment, the pools, the attractions, and the slides,” Guatibonza says. “This helps contribute to a country that is more relaxed, peaceful, and integrated.”

Rebecca Thatcher Murcia is a Pennsylvania-based journalist, author, and translator. She and her two sons lived in Colombia last year and visited Piscilago many times. She can be reached at
Becky@thatchermurcia.com.