"Now Macondo and the author's birthplace near Colombia's Caribbean coast may become forever joined. To reverse a half-century of economic decline, town leaders hope to cash in on their favorite son's international fame by changing the town's name to "Aracataca-Macondo." "We want to exploit García Márquez's legacy in the best sense of the word," said Mayor Pedro Sanchez, 37, who proposed a March referendum on whether to change the name."