The history of an urban squatter settlement in Bogota, Colombia, and the author's experiences with its residents in the last ten years are summarized. Topics covered include the unfriendly relationship between the government and squatter settlements; the history of the relationship between the government and this particular barrio; the demography of the settlement where the author lives; the myth that residents of such communities are only marginally involved in the larger society; the social, religious, and political organization of this barrio; community activism by its residents; and the author's personal experiences as he became involved in the settlement both as a priest and as a community member. A list of research papers of the Project on Human Potential concludes the paper. (IS)