The tourism sector is frequently praised as being an important catalyst for peace in Colombia. This study uses ethnography to analyse the effects of tourism development in some barrios populares of Medellin, the country's second-largest city. This analysis begins by examining the challenges that accompany the rapid growth of tourism in the Comuna 13 of San Javier, one of the most violent districts of Medellin. It will then focus on the creation in 2019 of an eco-park next to the Escombrera, an industrial dump considered by some as being the largest mass grave in the country. Findings will highlight the tensions triggered by tourism developments in this disputed context, involving issues of overtourism, illegality and informality, contested memories and legitimacies