In Antioquia, the storyteller is a central figure in the Paisa oral tradition, whose origins date back to the era of Antioquia’s colonization, when muleteers and peasants passed down stories, myths, and lessons around the campfire or along rural roads. Through stories brimming with humor, mischief, and folk wisdom, the storyteller became a guardian of collective memory and a symbol of the region’s cultural identity.
Cosiaca was a legendary storyteller from Antioquia about whom no one knows anything. This figure, whose real name was José García, lived between the 19th and 20th centuries and left his mark on Antioquia’s popular culture and on several generations through his stories and tricks for getting free food and drink.
