 Gaviria Correa was the eldest of eight children of a prominent family in Antioquia.Having completed his undergraduate studies in 1988 at the Colorado School of Mines in the U.S., he then began work at a Colombian ferronickel mine, Cerro Matoso S.A.In 1994, Gaviria Correa accepted the invitation of Colombian President Ernesto Samper to lead the newly created Institute of National Roads.